Kuskovo Estate

The unique monument of the 18th century, Kuskovo Estate, located in Perovsky district of Moscow, used to be the summer residence of Sheremetyev Counts. The architectural ensemble of the estate had been formed by the middle of the 18th century. Magnificent constructions such as the Palace, Grotto, Hermitage, Great stone conservatory, old church, and Italian and Dutch houses survived until nowadays. At Kuskovo there is also a very well preserved French regular park with ponds, pavilions and marble sculptures.

Kuskovo ensemble was created by serf architects F. Argunov, A. Mironov, G. Dikushin, with participation of K. Blank. The central place belongs to the palace, designed by Ch. de Vaya and put up in 1769-1775 by K. Blank. The wooden palace construction with the ground floor made of stone was made in style of early classicism with baroque elements. The palace features the original planning and the interiors of the 18th century. It boasts a unique collection of paintings, including the portraits of Russian Emperors. They were given to Kuskovo estate masters as royal presents. In the palace one can also see the portraits of Sheremetyev Counts.

One of the most interesting constructions at Kuskovo is the Grotto put up in 1755-1761 under supervision of F. Argunov. The stone baroque-style pavilion is richly decorated with sculptures in the niches, adornments on the pediments, and lions' masks above the windows. The Grotto walls are decorated with colored glass and travertine. The architect implied that the Grotto would symbolize water and stone elements.

The Hermitage erected under supervision of K. Blank in 1765-1766 is one of the best monuments of Russian park architecture of the 18th century. The baroque-style pavilion was supplied with unique lifting mechanisms and was intended for an intimate circle of persons only. Even the servants were not allowed to visit the pavilion.

The baroque-style Great stone conservatory was designed by F. Argunov in 1761-1783. The central pavilion of the conservatory is connected with the smaller side pavilions by means of glass galleries. Part of the central pavilion was serving as a hall for concerts and dances.

In 1919 Kuskovo Estate got the status of the State Museum, and since 1938 it was consolidated with the only Ceramics Museum in Russia. Nowadays the museum possesses one of the richest collections of glass and ceramics from the Antiquity till modern times in the world. The funds of the museum number over 30,000 items of Russian and foreign art, including Italian majolica, Venetian, English and Russian glass, as well as Chinese porcelain. The museum boasts unique examples of Russian porcelain of the 18th-20th centuries.