Monument to the wing. Unknown about famous

If Goncharov perpetuated Krylov in his "broom", then the sculptor Klodt more attention paid the naturalness of other characters. We tell about some facts from the history of the monument Basinista in St. Petersburg.

February 13 marks 250 years since the birth of Ivan Andreevich Krylova, the largest our Basinist, whose lines have long been separated by proverbs and sayings. And now 160 more years old bronze wings looks at the descendants from the crossroads of Alley Summer Garden. Today we will talk about several little-known facts from the history of creating this monument.

Many believe that the first in history of the monument to our writers was a monument to Pushkin, but it is not. In fact, they became a monument to the scientist and at the same time a little also the writer Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov. It was installed in 1832 in Arkhangelsk. In 1845, a monument was opened by the historian and writer Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin in Simbirsk, and in 1847 – a political figure and a little bit of the poet Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin in Kazan. But the monument to the Kryonov opened in 1855, after 11 years after his death, became the first "writing" monument in the capital of the our Empire – St. Petersburg. And, perhaps, the first folk monument in Russia: money for its creation was going to subscribe throughout the country.

Find your place

Ivan Andreevich Krylov was buried in the cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, but from the option of installing this monument over his grave, they refused immediately: he was too good for such a gloomy place. Therefore, initially decided to establish a monument on the square in front of the Alexandrinsky Theater and the Public Library, where the wings served for 30 years (now there is a monument to Catherine in this place). But Nicholas I categorically banned the establishment of a monument to the Kryonov in the heart of the city. Then the latter was offered to post on the Neva waterfront, next to the university (there is a monument to Lomonosov). But this place for some reason was rejected. Finally, came to consensus: monument to be in the summer garden. It is for the better: Summer Garden of the wings loved and often passed there.

From the sketch to the zero – one step

Sketch of the monument and drawings of the bas-reliefs on the plots of the Krylovskaya Basen performed the artist Alexander Alekseevich Agin, one of the twin priests of the our realistic illustration, author of classical illustrations for the "dead souls" of Gogol. On the pedestal, he placed the heroes of the Basen Quartet, "Crow and Fox", "Marty and Glasses", "Elephant on Voivodeship", "Fox and Grapes" and others.

Leo posed Klodta in the wife of the German Nam on Fontanka. And look at the elephant, the sculptor went to the royal village

The author of the monument, the sculptor Peter Karlovich von Klodt of all the animals shown on the monument, Lepil from nature. Therefore, in the workshop he has formed a whole nursery. There lived dogs, donkey, monkey, cat, sheep with lambs, fox, caravel and even a wolf with a bear. That’s just for a lion and an elephant there was no place in the workshop. Leo posed Klodta in the wife of the German Nam on Fontanka. And look at the elephant, the sculptor went to the royal village. The hostel of animals in the workshop of Klodt continued four years. Just so much lasted work on the monument. After graduation, all the "models" were transferred to the nickname on the fountain.

Ivan Andreevich Oblomov

AND. A. Wings in 44 years (left) and in old age (right)

Architect Vladimir Vasilyevich Stasov described the monument: "The wings sits in front of us on a pebble, in his annual surpetuka and pantalons, a relief, good-natured extinguishing, which he actually was at the end of life, without embellishment and without the slightest idealization."

When one day, the wings gathered on Masquerade, then asked the Council from one of his acquaintances, what kind of mask he to choose. What did the answer got: "Ivan Andreich, you will hurt and decide, and no one will know you"

Although in his youth of the wings he was fond of the walls of the wall on the wall, in maturity became famous for his wit, the power of will and purposefulness, but in the last years of his life, he really loved to eat well, sleep, dressed something like. About his truly Gargantyanian appetite, sludge and laziness went legends like jokes. (About quirks of other great people.)

They tell how on the carnival, arranged in the house of the deer, the wings for one sat eaten 30 pancakes with caviar, each of which was thick in the finger and the magnitude with a big dish. And when once the wings gathered on Masquerade, then asked the Council from one of his acquaintance, what kind of mask he choose. What did the answer got: "Ivan Andreich, you will hurt and decide, and no one will know you".

He could not get up for days from his beloved sofa. The figure of Krylova even served as a writer Goncharov’s prototype of his famous Oblomov.

Nevertheless, the descendants left 236 Bassen, collected in nine collections, which came out from 1809 to 1843. Of these, 22 plots are presented on the monument *. And theatrical mask on the pedestal reminds that the wings are not only a basinist, but also the playwright. He wrote a dozen comedy and even one tragedy "Filomela", which became the first, although not quite successful literary experience. But the rest of the plays of Krylov were no less popular among the public, than his fable. Comedy "Fashion shop" and "Lesson of daughters" used special success.

* The author of the article personally produced counting, so that this figure is given in the "shower study" for the first time. Even in the reference and local history literature, completely different numbers are indicated. Usually everyone repeats each other that on the bas-reliefs surrounding the monument, depicted plots 36 Basen, but no one has never checked it.