Trezzini’s Architectural Logic: From the Tsar’s Palace to the Servants’ Quarters

Alexey Zubov’s engravings are often regarded as precise documentary records of the Petrine era. Yet the historical topography of early St. Petersburg continues to present researchers with intriguing questions. His famous Panorama of St. Petersburg (1716) vividly demonstrates how an artistic viewpoint could combine reality with compositional intent. Researchers believe that the embankment depicted in the foreground is that of the Fontanka River rather than the Neva; this interpretation is supported by archival plans of the Summer Garden and drawings preserved in the Stockholm Collection.

Behind much of this architectural ensemble stood Domenico Trezzini. As the first architect of St. Petersburg, he did far more than design individual buildings—he laid the foundations for the systematic planning of Russia’s new capital. The depiction of the two-storey service building known as the Servants’ Quarters reveals the defining features of his architectural language. Strict geometry, an enfilade floor plan, rhythmic rustication at the corners of the façades, and restrained surrounds framing the rectangular windows all reflect the same architectural logic as Peter the Great’s Summer Palace.

Built on the water’s edge between 1710 and 1712, the Servants’ Quarters were among the largest service buildings in early St. Petersburg. Each floor contained twenty-three rooms. An early eighteenth-century room-by-room inventory entitled Inventory of the Chambers of the Summer Palace and Their Uses helps explain why Peter the Great’s private residence remained so compact. The palace itself deliberately contained no service facilities. Kitchens, storerooms, workshops—including Peter the Great’s famous Turning Workshop—as well as storage for Dutch tiles, Chinese porcelain, and other supplies were all housed in the Servants’ Quarters.

The architectural ensemble was complemented by an elegant single-storey Stone Gallery linking the Servants’ Quarters with the Summer Palace. Trezzini filled the gallery with light through tall semicircular windows, while a balustrade adorned with ornamental vases lent grace to its silhouette. During the summer months, the future Emperor Peter II lived here with his sister Natalia, as did the Tsarevnas Anna and Elizabeth.

Even the purely utilitarian buildings of the ensemble embody one of the fundamental principles of Petrine Baroque: practicality was never at odds with architectural refinement. This approach was characteristic of Domenico Trezzini, who transformed service architecture into an integral part of the artistic image of Russia’s new capital.

Source: Based on a post by Rodion Pavlyuchenkov

Illustrations

1. Peter the Great’s Summer Palace and the Summer Garden with the Lusthaus Pavilions. Detail from Panorama of St. Petersburg by A. F. Zubov. 1716.

2. The Water Tower of the Summer Garden and the Servants’ Quarters. Detail from Panorama of St. Petersburg by A. F. Zubov. 1716.

3. The Water Tower of the Summer Garden and the Servants’ Quarters. Detail from Panorama of St. Petersburg by A. F. Zubov. 1716.

4. The Servants’ Quarters. Façade Facing the Fontanka River. Attributed to Domenico Trezzini. From the Bergholtz Collection. 1710–1712.

5. The Stone Gallery Adjoining Peter the Great’s Summer Palace. From the Bergholtz Collection. 1710–1712.

6. Plan of Peter the Great’s Summer Palace, the Stone Gallery, and the Servants’ Quarters. 1710s.

7. Peter the Great’s Summer Palace and the Summer Garden. Engraving by A. F. Zubov. 1716.