Kuskovo was the summer country house and estate of the Sheremetev family, one of the wealthiest and most influential noble families of Russia. Built in the mid-18th century, it was originally situated several miles to the east of Moscow but now is part of the East District of the city. It was one of the first great summer country estates of the Russian nobility, and one of the few near Moscow still preserved. Today the estate is the home of the Russian State Museum of Ceramics, and the park is a favourite place of recreation for Muscovites.
In the 17th century Kuskovo became the property of Boris Petrovich Sheremetev (1652-1719), a Field Marshal under Czar Peter the Great, who led the Russian Army in the victory over the Swedes at the Battle of Poltava (1707) in the Great Northern War. The palace was constructed by his son Petr Borisovich Sheremetev (1713-1787), one of the richest men in Russia. The palace was designed in the new neoclassical style, then becoming popular for state buildings in St. Petersburg and Moscow. The exterior was made of wooden planks, which were plastered and painted in soft pastel colors.
The palace looked out onto a court of honor, formed by the palace, the church and the large lake. Since it was less than a day's journey from the center of Moscow, it was not designed to accommodate overnight guests, nor for agriculture or any other practical purpose, but purely as a place for entertainment, ceremony and festivities. Inside the palace on the western end of the building, were twelve large state rooms, and two smaller ensembles of rooms for residential use. Though it has a bed, the state bedroom was never used as a bedroom, but rather as a formal reception room, to impress the guests with the owner's taste.
About the stamps
The first stamp, depicting Bolshoy Obukhovsky Bridge in Saint-Petersburg, is part of the first set of the multiannual series Bridges, issued in 2008, about which I wrote here. The second stamp, depicting a melon, is part of the series Gifts of Nature, about which I wrote here.
The third stamp is part of the series The 100th Anniversary of the Birth of A.I.Mikoyan, designed by A. Bezmenov, and issued on July 6, 2005. Artem Ivanovich Mikoyan (1905-1970) was a Soviet Armenian aircraft designer. In partnership with Mikhail Gurevich he designed many of the famous MiG military aircraft.
• Fighter MiG-3 (5 RUB)
• Fighter MiG-15 (5 RUB) - It's on the postcard 2947
• Fighter MiG-21 (5 RUB)
• Fighter MiG-25 (5 RUB)
• Fighter MiG-29 (5 RUB)
The fourth stamp is part of the series Russian Regions (Oblast), issued on March 30, 2011.
• Novgorod Oblast (11.80 RUB)
• Tambov Oblast (11.80 RUB)
• Tyumen Oblast (11.80 RUB) - It's on the postcard 2947
The last two stamps are part of a definitive series about which I wrote here.
References
Kuskovo - Wikipedia
A little trip into Russian history - Kuskovo - Naturelands, Irina's personal blog
Sender: Valeriya / Erschel (postcrossing) RU-5408328
Sent from Moscow (Moscow / Russia), on 29.01.2017
Photo: A. Garanina
No comments:
Post a Comment