COUPÉ. SAINT PETERSBURG, 1739.

Coupé
Saint Petersburg, 1739. Oak, birch, velvet, bronze, iron; wood carving, tempera, gilding on gesso.

It belonged to Empress Anna Ioannovna. In 1797, it was moved from Saint Petersburg to Moscow Coach Yard. Acquired by the Armoury Chamber from the Moscow Coach Yard in 1834.
Decoration on the left wall of the body and bronze sculpture on the spring
Coupé. Saint Petersburg, 1739. Fragment
Coupé
Saint Petersburg, 1739. Oak, birch, velvet, bronze, iron; wood carving, tempera, gilding on gesso.

It belonged to Empress Anna Ioannovna. In 1797, it was moved from Saint Petersburg to Moscow Coach Yard. Acquired by the Armoury Chamber from the Moscow Coach Yard in 1834.
Painting and carving on door
Coupé. Saint Petersburg, 1739. Fragment

The carriage is a two-seater. The body narrows towards the base and the lower section of the back wall is curved. The windows and upper part of the doors with a figured top section contain plate glass. The doors are low and the footstep is inside. The carriage reflects the aesthetic taste of its days – it is built in the traditions of West European Baroque. Attention is concentrated on the extremely rich and fanciful ornament. Gilded wood carving completely covers the slightly curved cornice, wall joints, window surrounds, door frames and front and back of the undercarriage. Baroque scrolls and shells blend well with sculptural details in the form of masks and two-headed eagles with very fine foliate carving reminiscent of the carved patterns on many 17^th-century Russian iconostases. National features appear in the unusual interpretation of some Baroque decorative elements.

In spite of a certain stiffness, the carved ornament is light and elegant. Here, the living imagination of the artist who designed the décor is combined with the skill of the craftsmen who carved it with a fine sense of its plastic potential. The ornamental figured frames on the body contain panels adorned with paintings of frolicking putti, sirens, mascarons, cartouches and flower garlands. They are executed in goldenish-green shades and play an important part in the overall decoration of the carriage together with the bronze ornaments. The carriage-builders made use of some new features, thus, the upper section of the back wall, upholstered in the terracotta-coloured velvet, is covered with elegant bronze high-relief medallions in the form of shells and scrolls. The plates on the springs, handles and buckles are also made of bronze, as are the ornaments on the roof, which is decorated with vases and small nails with relief figured heads. The choice of the terracotta velvet for the interior upholstery of the body and crest shows great artistic taste. The carriage is equipped with the main technical features of the day. It has springs and an axle-pivot.

The accepted attribution of the carriage as the work of Okhta masters employed by the Admiralty is not confirmed by archival documents. An 18^th-century register of the Court Stables Chancellery contains information to the effect that this vehicle was made at the St.Petersburg Stables Yard in 1739.

It was used for Empress Anna’s ceremonial processions.