Maximilian (von) Messmacher (russian: Максимилиан Егорович Месмахер, ''Maximilian Yegorovich Messmacher''; 1842–1906) was a Russian architect of German ancestry.
He attended the School of Painting of St. Petersburg Society for the Encouragement of Arts and thereafter the
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the T ...
, graduating in 1866. He was Professor of artistic and industrial painting as well as the history of decorative styles. He also developed a coherent system of academic training in
arts
The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...
. His main activities are however related to
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
and
interior decoration
Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordin ...
. He engaged in the architecture and interior decoration of
palaces of the members of the imperial family and of the mansions of aristocrats, as well as of several churches.
Biography
Messmacher was born in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
in 1842. He attended a high school in Saint Petersburg from 1850 to 1857 and thereafter the School of Painting of St. Petersburg Society for the Encouragement of Arts. Finally, in 1866 he graduated from the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, receiving the gold medal for his
graduation project.
He visited Italy and old Russian towns as a retainer of the Academy of Fine Arts He brought back over 200 watercolors from this trip, which are preserved at the
State Hermitage
The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a buildin ...
Department of Drawings.. He also took part with
Viktor Kossov (russian: Виктор Александрович Коссов) in the
restoration of the ancient theatre of
Taormina
Taormina ( , , also , ; scn, Taurmina) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on ...
(
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
) drawing the plans for the general restoration works and for the
façade
A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'.
In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...
. For this contribution he was also awarded a degree in architecture (1873)
In 1874 he was appointed professor at the School of Painting of the St. Petersburg Society for the Encouragement of Arts, teaching artistic and industrial painting as well as the history of decorative styles. In 1877-1879 he worked with A, Schambacher on the reconstruction of the school's building
In 1879, he was promoted director of
Baron von Stieglitz's Central School of Technical Drawing. In this capacity he developed a coherent system of academic training, an essential contribution to the development of art education in Russia.
His main activities are however related to architecture and interior decoration. He engaged in the architecture and interior decoration of palaces of the members of the imperial family and of the mansions of aristocrats. Messmacher's most significant works in St. Petersburg are: the palaces of the
Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich and of the
Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich as well as the interior decorations of the palaces of
Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, of
Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich as well as of the
Anichkov Palace
The Anichkov Palace, a former imperial palace in Saint Petersburg, stands at the intersection of Nevsky Avenue and the Fontanka River.
History 18th century
The palace, situated on the plot formerly owned by Antonio de Vieira (1682?-1745), ...
. He also worked on the Palace of Tsar
Alexander III in
Massandra
Massandra or Masandra ( crh, Massandra; russian: Массандра; uk, Масандра) is an urban-type settlement in the Yalta Municipality in Crimea.
Occupying the spot of an ancient Greek settlement (Tavrida-Ταυρίδα), Masandra w ...
,
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
, which was finished after the tsar's assassination. Messmacher's works are distinctive due to a refined expressiveness of the silhouette, grandeur and diversity of artistic and decorative techniques for the facades and for the interiors. Eclecticism.
Part of his work also concerned the design and decoration of churches, Messmacher was in charge of the restoration of
Saint Isaac's Cathedral
Saint Isaac's Cathedral or Isaakievskiy Sobor (russian: Исаа́киевский Собо́р) is a large architectural landmark cathedral that currently functions as a museum with occasional church services in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is ...
and in 1882 was appointed the chief architect of the church), One of Messmacher's last works is the interior of the St. Peter's Lutheran Church (1895–97).
After 1897, Maximilan Messmacher moved to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and worked mostly there. He died in 1906 in
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and is interred at the Lutheran cemetery
Johannisfriedhof.
Johannisfriedhof –
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Main projects
* Interior decoration of the residence of Prince Gagarin (1873–1874) on Bolshaya Morskaya Street Nr.45
* Icon screen of the Smolny Convent
Smolny Convent or Smolny Convent of the Resurrection (''Voskresensky'', Russian language, Russian: Воскресенский новодевичий Смольный монастырь), located on Ploschad Rastrelli (Rastrelli Square), on the le ...
(1873–1875)
* Church of Saints Kosma and Damyan at the Guards Battalion on Kirochnaya Street Nr. 28a (1876–1879)
* Reconstruction of the Building of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts on Bolshaya Morskaya Street Nr. 38 (1877–1878)
* Restoration of Saint Isaac's Cathedral
Saint Isaac's Cathedral or Isaakievskiy Sobor (russian: Исаа́киевский Собо́р) is a large architectural landmark cathedral that currently functions as a museum with occasional church services in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is ...
(1877–1888)
* Decoration of the private chapel of Count Stroganov on Tchaikovsky Street Nr. 11 (1878–1879)
* Interior decoration of the Vladimir Palace
The Vladimir Palace (russian: Влади́мирский дворе́ц, Vladimirsky dvorets) is the former palace of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, son of Alexander II. It was one of the last imperial palaces to be constructed in S ...
on Dvortsovy Embankment Nr. 26 (1882–1885)
* Palace of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich on Moika
The Moyka (russian: Мо́йка /MOY-ka/, also latinised as Moika) is a secondary, in comparison with the Neva River in Saint Petersburg that encircles the central portion of the city, effectively making it an island or a group of islands ...
Embankment Nr. 122 (1882–1885)
* Building of the State Archives on Millionnaya Street Nr. 36
* Building of Baron von Stieglitz's Central School of Technical Drawing on Solyanoi Lane Nr. 13 (1885–1886)
* Palace of Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich on Admiralty Embankment Nr. 8 (1885–1888)
* Building of the Stieglitz Museum on Solyanoi Lane Nr.15 (1885–1896)
* Interior decoration of the Anichkov Palace
The Anichkov Palace, a former imperial palace in Saint Petersburg, stands at the intersection of Nevsky Avenue and the Fontanka River.
History 18th century
The palace, situated on the plot formerly owned by Antonio de Vieira (1682?-1745), ...
on Nevsky Prospekt
Nevsky Prospect ( rus, Не́вский проспе́кт, r=Nevsky Prospekt, p=ˈnʲɛfskʲɪj prɐˈspʲɛkt) is the main street (high street) in the federal city of St. Petersburg in Russia. It takes its name from the Alexander Nevsky L ...
Nr. 39 (1886–1887)
* Manege and stables of N.M. Polovtsov on the Kryukov Canal
Kryukov Canal (russian: link=no, Крюков канал) is one of the Canals in central Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Name
In 1738, the canal was named after the contractor Semyon Kryukov.
History
The Kryukov Canal runs from the Admiralteysk ...
Embankment Nr. 12 (1887)
* Interior decoration of the Palace of Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich on Angliyskaya Embankment Nr. 68 (1888–1892)
* Interior decoration of the Palace of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich (1888–1892)
* Interior decoration of the residence of Alexander Alexandrovich Polovtsov on Bolshaya Morskaya Street Nr. 52 (1888–1892)
* Massandra Villa of Tsar Alexander III in the Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
(1892–1900)
* Interior decoration of St. Peter's Lutheran Church on Nevsky Prospekt
Nevsky Prospect ( rus, Не́вский проспе́кт, r=Nevsky Prospekt, p=ˈnʲɛfskʲɪj prɐˈspʲɛkt) is the main street (high street) in the federal city of St. Petersburg in Russia. It takes its name from the Alexander Nevsky L ...
Nr. 22-24 (1896–1899)
See also
* List of Russian artists
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Messmacher, Maximilian
19th-century painters from the Russian Empire
Russian male painters
20th-century Russian painters
Architects from Saint Petersburg
1842 births
1906 deaths
19th-century male artists from the Russian Empire
20th-century Russian male artists