Cantacuzino Palace is located on

Calea Victoriei Calea Victoriei (''Victory Avenue'') is a major avenue in central Bucharest. Situated in Sector 1, and having a length of , it leads from (which runs parallel to the Dâmbovița River) to the north and then northwest up to Piața Victoriei, w ...

no. 141,

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. It was built by architect Ion D. Berindey in the Beaux Arts style, having a few Rococo Revival rooms. Today it houses the

George Enescu George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanians, Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor, teacher and statesman. He is regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history. Biography En ...

museum.

History

The palace was built in 1901–1902 for

Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino Prince Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino (22 September 1833 – 22 March 1913), was a Romanian politician and lawyer, one of the leading Conservative Party policymakers. Among his political posts were minister of public instruction in Romania, presid ...

, 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

. On 10 August 1913, at the end of the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict that broke out when Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia and Kingdom of Greece, Greece, on 1 ...

, 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 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After the death of

in 1955, his wife stated in her will that the palace would host a museum dedicated to the artist. In 1956, The National Museum

was established.

Description

The exterior and most of the rooms are Beaux Arts, the rest being Rococo Revival. 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. He is considered by Romanians the greatest Romanian painter, and one of the founders of modern Romanian art. He is most known for paintin ...

, 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 () was a period of French and European history that began after the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and continued until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era of the Fr ...

(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 Rococo Revival

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

s 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 smoke canopy, hood that projected over a fire grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fi ...

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 depicti ...

-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