Cantacuzino Palace is located on

Calea Victoriei CALEA may refer to: *Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, an act by the US Congress to facilitate wiretapping of U.S. domestic telephone and Internet traffic *Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, a private accredit ...

no. 141,

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

, Romania. It was built by architect Ion D. Berindey in the Beaux Arts style, having a few

Rococo Revival The Rococo Revival style emerged in Second Empire France and then was adapted in England. Revival of the rococo style was seen all throughout Europe during the 19th century within a variety of artistic modes and expression including decorative ...

rooms. Today it houses the George Enescu museum.

History

The palace was built in 1901–1902 for Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino, mayor of

and former prime-minister, after the plans of Ion D. Berindey, in the French Beaux Arts style. After his death, the building was inherited by his son Mihail G. Cantacuzino, who died prematurely in 1929. Mihail's wife Maria remarried in December 1939 with music composer George Enescu. On 10 August 1913, at the end of the Second Balkan War, the Treaty of Bucharest was signed here. The building – known as Cantacuzino Palace at the time – also hosted the Presidency of the Council of Ministers in the eve of World War II. After the death of George Enescu in 1955, his wife stated in her will that the palace would host a museum dedicated to the artist. In 1956, The National Museum George Enescu was established.

Description

The exterior and most of the rooms are Beaux Arts, the rest being

. The two lions at the entrance, and the gates and fences, in the

Louis XIV style The Louis XIV style or ''Louis Quatorze'' ( , ), also called French classicism, was the style of architecture and decorative arts intended to glorify King Louis XIV and his reign. It featured majesty, harmony and regularity. It became the official ...

, give the building a princely look. The palace had the fame of a place in Bucharest where balls were held. For the decoration of the interiors, Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino turned to the most famous artists of the time:

George Demetrescu Mirea George Demetrescu Mirea (1852, in Câmpulung – 12 December 1934, in Bucharest) was a Romanian portrait painter, muralist and art teacher. Biography He was one of twelve children born to an Archpriest. His first art lessons were at the "Școala ...

, Nicolae Vermont and Costin Petrescu. Nicolae Vermont made six medallions (oil on canvas embossed on the wall), three of which were signed and dated 1907. Five of the six medallions are placed above the doors in the hallway that led to the rooms to the right of the entrance. Two of them, ''Shepherd with Sheep'' (Cioban cu Oile) and ''Peasant Woman with Vessel'' (Țărăncuță cu Cofă), are directly inspired by the work of

Nicolae Grigorescu Nicolae Grigorescu (; 15 May 1838 – 21 July 1907) was one of the founders of modern Romanian painting. There is a metro station named after Grigorescu in Bucharest. It was given his name in 1990, before which it was named after Communist army ...

, under whose influence was their author. In present day, about only five rooms can be visited, the rest being occupied by some institutions.

Gallery

Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino (aka Nababul) Palace, Bucharest, Romania, 1898-1906, by Ion D. Berindey.jpg, The Palace during the

Belle Époque The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque (; French for "Beautiful Epoch") is a period of French and European history, usually considered to begin around 1871–1880 and to end with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era ...

(1877-1916), before the construction of the building at the intersection of Calea Victoriei and Strada Frumoasă Detail of a One of the Gates of the George Enescu Museum.jpg, Detail of one of the gates Small gate of the George Enescu Museum.jpg, A smaller gate of the palace Detail of a small gate of the George Enescu Museum.jpg, Detail of that smaller gate of the palace View of the George Enescu Museum, taken from the garden of the palace.jpg, View of the palace, with its pair of

lions at the entrance Entrance of the George Enescu Museum.jpg, The glass and metal entrance of the palace Wall of the entrance room of the George Enescu Museum.jpg, Wall of the entrance room Door handle of a door in the entrance room of the George Enescu Museum.jpg, Handle of a door in the entrance room Door in the ground floor hallway of the George Enescu Museum.jpg, Door in the ground floor hallway Rococo Revival stuccos in the room where tickets and souvenirs are sold, inside the George Enescu Museum.jpg, ''Peasant Woman with Vessel'' (Țărăncuță cu Cofă) by Nicolae Vermont, surrounded by

stuccos in the room where tickets and souvenirs are sold Rococo Revival chimneypiece in the room where tickets and souvenirs are sold, inside the George Enescu Museum.jpg, Rococo Revival

chimneypiece The fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a fire grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and ca ...

in the room where tickets and souvenirs are sold Festoon-based ornament on a Rococo Revival chimneypiece in the room where tickets and souvenirs are sold, inside the George Enescu Museum.jpg,

Festoon A festoon (from French ''feston'', Italian ''festone'', from a Late Latin ''festo'', originally a festal garland, Latin ''festum'', feast) is a wreath or garland hanging from two points, and in architecture typically a carved ornament depict ...

-based ornament on the same chimneypiece Detail with Rococo Revival stuccos in the room where tickets and souvenirs are sold, inside the George Enescu Museum.jpg, Detail of Rococo Revival stuccos in the same room The room where tickets and souvenirs are sold, inside the George Enescu Museum.jpg, That room Door of a room filled with stuccos, in the George Enescu Museum.jpg, Door of another room, filled with stuccos Beautiful ceiling of a room of the George Enescu Museum.jpg, Astonishing highly decorated ceiling in a salon

References

External links

*
Official website
*

{{Authority control Museums in Bucharest Palaces in Bucharest Historic monuments in Bucharest Calea Victoriei Houses completed in 1902