Georgy Blumin, Doctor of Technical Sciences and Professor of Culturology, consultant to the Terra Real Estate company, author of the book "The Tsar's Road", continues his series of stories on the history of Rublyovka.
250 years ago, a son, Nikolai, was born in the family of the Moscow governor, Prince Boris Grigorievich Yusupov and his wife Irina Mikhailovna, nee Zinovieva. Subsequently, Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov will become the richest man in Russia. In his possession there will be estates not only in all provinces of Russia, but also in almost every district. When they asked him if he had an estate in such and such a district, he usually answered: I don’t know, we need to ask the manager. The manager came with a commemorative book under his arm, opened it - and almost always the estate was there. Here is not a complete list of the positions that the prince held during his long life: the Minister of the Department of Fates, in charge of all the imperial and grand-ducal estates and palaces, the president of the Manufacturing College, the director of the imperial theaters, the first director of the Hermitage and the Armory, the head of the Kremlin expedition and all the porcelain and glass factories of Russia, member of the State Council. He had the highest rank of the actual privy councilor of the first rank, was awarded all orders of the Russian Empire and many foreign ones, so when they did not know what else to reward him with, they came up with a pearl epaulette especially for him, which the prince wore on his right shoulder and which no one else had. By the way, in the post of the chief manager of the imperial theaters, Prince Nikolai Borisovich invented the numbering of rows and chairs: before, they sat in the theater wherever they had to.
The prince was also the envoy of Russia in Italy, where he acquired many rare books, mainly from ancient authors, which later adorned his famous library in Arkhangelskoye. In the same place, in Italy, he managed to persuade Pope Pius VI to give permission to completely copy and transport to St. Petersburg the famous loggias of Raphael, now in the Hermitage. In his youth, the prince studied a lot and persistently, spoke five languages fluently, so that later he surprised many of the leading figures of European science with his scholarship, whom he became closely acquainted with while traveling across Europe with letters of recommendation from Empress Catherine II. Courteous and outwardly very handsome, the prince, as they said in court circles, was at one time the queen's lover. In any case, in his office in Arkhangelskoye there was a painting in which he and Catherine were presented naked in the form of Apollo and Venus. Paul I, having ascended the throne, ordered to remove this picture.
"The messenger of the young crowned wife", in the words of Pushkin, was friends with Voltaire, Diderot and Beaumarchais. Beaumarchais dedicated an enthusiastic poem to him. In Europe, Yusupov was received by all the then monarchs: Joseph II in Vienna, Frederick the Great in Berlin, Louis XVI and Napoleon Bonaparte in Paris. The prince bought sculptures and paintings by the best masters abroad and brought them to the Hermitage, not forgetting about his Arkhangelskoye estate near Moscow, which he eventually turned into a classically completed estate ensemble - Versailles near Moscow. Prince Yusupov was the supreme marshal at the coronation of three Russian emperors - Paul I, Alexander I and Nicholas I - and they were all his guests at Arkhangelskoye.
Prince Nikolai Borisovich belonged to one of the most ancient noble families of Russia, originating from the legendary prophet Muhammad (VI century AD). The father-in-law of the great prophet named Abubekir ruled the entire Muslim world. Three centuries later, his descendant and the new ruler of the Muslims was magnificently titled as Emir el-Omr, prince of princes, sultan of sultans. He combined government and spiritual power in his person. The names of the ancestors of the Russian princes Yusupovs are found every minute on the pages of "A Thousand and One Nights", in the tales of Scheherazade. The ancestors of Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov were emirs, caliphs and sultans with royal power in the entire ancient East - from Egypt to India. It was later said and written that the Yusupovs came from the Tatars. In Russia in the 15th - 16th centuries, every newcomer from the West was called a German, and from the East - a Tatar. There were simply no other nationalities. The exception was, perhaps, the Italians who built the Kremlin: they were called "frya", or fryazin. And to this day there are villages Fryazevo, Fryazino, Fryanovo that were granted to them around Moscow.
Many tombs of the "Tatars" - Yusupov's ancestors are located in the sacred for Muslims Mecca and Kaaba. Damascus, Antioch, Egypt, Mesopotamia, India remember their reign.
Approximately a thousand years after the reign of the reigning ancestors of the Yusupov A.S. in the East. Pushkin will dedicate his famous "Message to the grandee" to the Russian prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov, inspired by his visits to Arkhangelsk:
Freeing the world from the northern shackles,
As soon as the marshmallow dies on the fields, flowing,
As soon as the first linden tree turns green,
To you, friendly descendant of Aristippus,
I will appear to you; I will see this palace,
Where is the architect's compass, palette and chisel
They obeyed your learned whim,
And the inspired ones competed in magic.
Pushkin calls the prince a descendant of Aristippus. In 1903, a bust of Pushkin with quotes from his message to Prince Yusupov, carved on a pedestal, will be installed in Arkhangelskoye. It says "Aristippus's pet". This is understandable: after all, the main thesis of the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher is happiness in pleasure. And Nikolai Borisovich followed this principle all his life. But Pushkin is a descendant of Aristippus. Why? The fact is that the philosopher, Greek by birth, lived on the land of present-day Libya, on the border with Egypt in the city of Cyrene and was related to the rulers of Egypt, where the ancient roots of the Yusupov family go.
About four centuries have passed, and among the rulers of the East we meet the name of the descendant of Abubekir Sultan Termes. This sultan happened to be born far to the north, where his father had traveled in his youth. The enmity of former friends and brothers made Termes remember his homeland. He throws a cry to co-religionists, many respond to the call and, pressed by hostile circumstances, move from Arabia to the north, where they settled in the vast space between the Urals and the Volga. The Russians called this settlement the Nogai Horde. A direct descendant of Termes was the closest friend and associate of the great conqueror Tamerlane, or Timur. His name was Edigei. It was he who, in single combat in front of the army, killed the Mongol Khan Tokhtamysh, who had burned Moscow shortly before. Edigei also defeated the troops of the Lithuanian Khan Vitovt on the Vorskla River in 1339. Finally, he conquered Crimea and founded the Crimean Horde there.
The great-grandson of Edigei was called Musa-Murza and, according to custom, had five wives. The name of the first, beloved wife of Condaz. From her, Yusuf was born, who gave the name to the Russian princely family of the Yusupovs. For twenty years Yusuf-Murza was friends with Ivan the Terrible himself, the Russian tsar. Yusuf-murza had two sons and four daughters. He married his daughters to neighboring kings: Crimean, Astrakhan, Siberian and Kazan. The wife of the Tsar of Kazan was the beautiful Suyumbeka, in whose honor the seven-tiered Suyumbeki tower was erected in the Kazan Kremlin, repeated in the architecture of the Moscow Kazan railway station. Later, she was the queen of the Kasimov kingdom and was buried in 1557 in the local tomb. Her descendant, the Russian prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov Jr., thinks so when he writes in his book: "A scarlet rosehip with a milky bird cherry shower this forgotten tomb with flowers!" The beautiful Suyumbeka is sung by the poet M.M. Kheraskov in his poem "Russia". In 1832, in St. Petersburg, the ballet of the composer Glinka "Suyumbeka and the Conquest of Kazan" was performed with great success, where the famous ballerina A.I. Istomina. The great-great-grandson of Prince Nikolai Borisovich, Prince Felix Yusupov, writes about this in his memoirs.
The sons of Yusuf-Murza enter the Russian service, while maintaining the Muslim faith. In the 17th century, the grandson of Yusuf-Murza, Seyush-Murza, took possession of the whole city of Romanov with a posad (present-day Tutaev) in the Yaroslavl province. And today in the city you can see an old mosque among the numerous churches. It was in this city that an event took place that radically changed the life of Murz. The son of Seyush-Murza named Abdul-Murza received Patriarch Joachim in Romanov. It was a fast day, and the host, unknowingly of the Orthodox fasts, fed the guest a goose. The patriarch ate the goose, saying: your fish is good, prince! That would be silent, but he take it and say: "This is not a fish, your Holiness, but a goose. My cook is such an expert that he can cook a goose for a fish - I can give it to your Holiness!" The patriarch, no matter how full he was, got angry and upon his arrival in Moscow told the whole story to Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich. As a punishment, he deprived the murza of all previous awards, and the rich one became a beggar overnight. Abdul-Murza thought for three days and decided to convert to Orthodoxy.
He was baptized in one of the churches of the same city of Romanov under the name Dmitry, and he came up with a surname in the Old Russian way: Yusupovo-Knyazhevo. This is how the Russian prince Dmitry Seyushevich Yusupovo-Knyazhevo appeared. All possessions were returned to him, and he married a Russian. This was the great-grandfather of the hero of our story, Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov. Since then, the image of a goose has been found in the interior of the Yusupov palaces in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rakitny and Crimea.
But that very night, Prince Dmitry Seyushevich had a vision: a certain ghost clearly told him that from now on there would be no more than one male heir for betrayal of faith in any tribe of his family, and if more of them were born, then none of them, except one, would not will outlive the age of 26. The most amazing thing is that looking at the Yusupov story over four centuries, we see that the terrible prediction came true. Dmitry Seyushevich Yusupovo-Knyazhevo was succeeded by his son, Prince Grigory Dmitrievich, general-in-chief and head of the Military Collegium. He was an associate of Peter I and a participant in all his battles. It was the emperor who ordered him to be called simply Prince Yusupov. The son of Grigory Dmitrievich, Prince Boris Grigorievich Yusupov, was first a vice-governor, and then a governor of Moscow, a real privy councilor. And the next and again the only heir was Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov - a friend of kings and emperors, an interlocutor and relative of A.S. Pushkin: after all, the ancestors of both came from northern Africa. Among the highest awards of the empire, titles, stars and estates of the prince, the highest, of course, is the message to him by A.S. Pushkin, consisting of 106 lines of poetry. In this poem, Pushkin gave a vivid and detailed description of the prince - a prominent representative of Russian culture.
A.S. Pushkin, as calculated by meticulous Pushkin scholars, twice visited N.B. Yusupov in his estate near Moscow Arkhangelskoye. This happened at the end of April 1827, and then at the end of August 1830. For the first time, Pushkin's companion was his friend S.A. Sobolevsky, they came to Arkhangelskoe on horseback, "and the enlightened nobleman of Catherine's age received them with all the cordiality of hospitality," according to the memoirs of a contemporary. On his second visit, Pushkin was accompanied by the poet, Prince P.A. Vyazemsky, and this visit is reflected in a painting by the French artist Nicolas de Courteil, who was then working in Arkhangelsk. Pushkin writes in his message:
One is still the same you. Stepping over your doorstep
I am suddenly transported to the days of Catherine.
Book depository, idols, and paintings,
And the slender gardens testify to me
That you favor the muses in silence,
That you breathe noble in idleness.
I listen to you: your conversation is free
Full of youth. Influence of beauty
You feel it vividly. With delight you appreciate
And the brilliance of Alyabyeva and the charm of Goncharova.
Carelessly surrounded by Correggio, Canova,
You, not participating in the unrest of the world,
Sometimes you look at them mockingly through the window
And you see the turnover is circular in everything.
The wife of Prince Nikolai Borisovich was Tatyana Vasilievna, nee Engelhardt, the niece of His Serene Highness Prince Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin-Tavrichesky. Several children were born in their marriage, but only one heir, Prince Boris Nikolaevich, survived to mature years. At first, the couple lived in Arkhangelsk, in the Big House, and then Tatyana Vasilievna wished to live separately from her husband and settled in the Kapriz palace, being mainly engaged in the affairs of the Kupavin textile factory owned by Yusupov. The reason for the departure was the extraordinary love of women of Prince Nikolai Borisovich. This trait was noted by many of his contemporaries, but the Moscow ladies forgave him, given the prince's scholarship and secular manners, and remembering his eastern origin. In his office, first in the Moscow Palace, and then in Arkhangelsk, there were three hundred portraits of women, whose favor he enjoyed. In the garden of Arkhangelsk, where everyone was allowed to walk, the prince showed special attention to the ladies, and if he met with a familiar or unfamiliar woman, he would certainly bow, kiss her hand and find out if she wanted anything.
Nikolai Borisovich knew Pushkin when the future poet was barely three years old. The fact is that from 1801 to 1803, the poet's father Sergei Lvovich rented an apartment on the second floor of the left wing of the Yusupov Palace on Bolshoy Kharitonevsky Lane in Moscow. This Moscow prince's house, granted to his grandfather by Emperor Peter II, was surrounded by the famous all over Moscow, the whimsical oriental Yusupov garden. Yusupov Garden Pushkin mentions in his autobiography. In the garden, for example, there was an oak, entwined with a gilded chain, along which a huge fluffy toy cat with green eyes, designed by Dutch mechanics, climbed up and down. The movement of the cat was carried out according to a specially developed algorithm; the cat also spoke, but in Dutch. Little Pushkin walked in the garden with his grandmother Maria Alekseevna or with his nanny Arina Rodionovna and, according to memoirs, then promised to translate the cat's stories into Russian. The prologue to Pushkin's poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila" was almost completely "copied" by the poet from the Yusupov Garden; at the same time, the child's perception is, of course, multiplied by the poet's brilliant imagination.
An interesting fact is that despite almost half a century difference in age, Yusupov and Pushkin became friends and were on friendly terms with each other. As you can see, they had something to talk about. Pushkin eagerly listened to the stories of the prince about the Catherine's century, about his travels in Europe and the East. Many of these stories were reflected in the poet's works in the Boldin autumn of 1830 that followed after their meeting. It is also interesting that Prince Nikolai Borisovich, for all his love interests, did not grow old at all; it was said that while in Paris he received the elixir of youth from the hands of the famous adventurer Count Saint-Germain.
Pushkin shared with the prince his plans for the upcoming marriage. His message contains an amazing description of the elderly nobleman: "You appreciate with delight both the brilliance of Alyabyeva and the beauty of Goncharova." Try to appreciate the delights of beautiful women in their eightieth year! Prince P.A. Vyazemsky tells about Yusupov: "He was well built in flesh and spirit, in everyday life and morality. His eternal holiday is on the street, in the house there is an eternal celebration of celebrations. On the windows there were pots with lush, fragrant flowers; on the walls there were cages with different singing birds; in the rooms the chime of the wall clock with ringing chimes rang out. Everything he had was radiant, deafening, intoxicating. Himself, in the midst of this radiance, this luxurious vegetation and melodiousness, he exhibited a ruddy, joyful face, blossoming like a double red peony. "
The Dictionary of Memorable People of the Russian Land, published in 1836, gives the following general description of Prince Yusupov: venerable old age brought tribute to the surprise of the fair sex. "
Many of the most beautiful girls in the prince's theatrical chapel were his mistresses. A portrait of 1821 of the serf singer Anna Borunova, sister of the architect I.E. Borunov, who was a "lordly lady". The eighty-year-old prince took the eighteen-year-old serf ballerina Sophia Malinkina as his concubine. Since 1812, N.B. Yusupova was supported by a talented ballerina, Didlo's student, Ekaterina Petrovna Kolosova. She was then 18 years old. She was told about her by a marble slab recently dug from the ground in the village of Spas-Kotovo (now the city of Dolgoprudny), where Prince N.B. Yusupov. On the slab there is an inscription in Latin letters - the name of the ballerina and the dates of her life. From Yusupov, Ekaterina Petrovna had two sons, Sergei and Peter Nikolaevich. The prince invented the surname Gireyskys for them - in memory of the Crimean khans Gireys, the ancestors of the princes Yusupovs. E.P. Kolosova died only 22 years old, and her sons are captured in a painting by the same Nicolas de Courteille in 1819, stored in Arkhangelskoye. Peter died at seven years old, and Sergei Nikolaevich lived comfortably, mainly abroad.
When Yusupov was the head of the Kremlin expedition, young A.I. Herzen. In Past and Thoughts, Herzen tells in detail how Prince Yusupov sent him for three years to study at Moscow University. In 1826, a young girl Vera Tyurina, sister of the architectural assistant to the Kremlin expedition E.D. Tyurin, who worked a lot in Arkhangelskoye. The prince offered her 50 thousand rubles on the condition that she surrender to him. The girl left, saying that she didn’t need even a million. And when, a year later, her two brothers were arrested for participating in the student secret organization of the Cretan brothers, Prince Nikolai Borisovich again offered Vera Tyurina to belong to him in exchange for the release of her brothers. The girl refused again. One brother was imprisoned in the Shlisselburg fortress, and the other was exiled.
Pushkin married N.N. Goncharova and gave a ball for close friends in his new apartment on the Arbat. Prince N.B. Yusupov got into his gilded carriage and set off along the winter road from Arkhangelskoe to Moscow, invited by Pushkin. Moscow post director Bulgakov wrote to his brother in St. Petersburg: “The glorious Pushkin gave a ball yesterday. Since the society was small, I also danced at the request of the beautiful hostess, who engaged me herself, and at the order of old Yusupov, who also danced with her: "And I would have danced if I had the strength," he said. "
Prince Yusupov died in 1831 in his beloved Arkhangelsk, and not at all from old age, but from cholera, which was then raging in the Moscow region. This news extremely upset Pushkin. "My Yusupov is dead," he says bitterly in one of his letters. A nobleman of such a high rank and state could be buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow or at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. But the prince bequeathed to bury himself next to the grave of his mother in the small estate near Moscow Spas-Kotovo, which is on the Klyazma River. There, in their arms, the peasants carried his coffin from Arkhangelsk, and there, in a stone tent attached to the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands, he was buried. The grave and the church have survived near the current Vodniki station of the Savelovskaya railway.
With the death of the grandson of Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov Jr., the former vice-director of the Public Library in St. Petersburg and an honorary member of the Paris and Rome Conservatories, the male line of a glorious family was cut short. The only heiress was the beautiful princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova. Under her, at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, artists, artists and musicians again began to gather in Arkhangelskoe. She was the wife of the Moscow Governor-General Count F.F. Sumarokova-Elston, and her portraits were painted by the famous artists Serov and Makovsky. So that the glorious family did not die out, the count was commanded to be called also Prince Yusupov. Their son, Prince Felix Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston, was married to the niece of Emperor Nicholas II and is known as the organizer of the assassination attempt on Rasputin in December 1916. He died in exile in Paris in 1967. Nowadays, his granddaughter Ksenia Nikolaevna lives in Greece, married Sfiri, whose only daughter Tatyana no longer speaks Russian.
The life of Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov was brilliant. His great-granddaughter Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna shone with a bright star in the cultural life of Russia. And the family, glorious in history, died away.
A rich man, clever, courteous and courteous, Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov was also very handsome. Therefore, the ladies liked it extremely. However, he lived to be forty years old, and still was not tied by the bonds of Hymen. No, possessing a gentle and loving heart, he did not shy away from female society at all, moreover, there were rumors about the prince's numerous novels. But somehow everything did not work out ...
And then the great empress took over the business of arranging the personal happiness of her old friend, who, among other wonderful qualities, had a rare ability to be sincerely friends. She found Nikolai Borisovich a bride. And what!
Jeweled Necklace of the Serene One
The bride was Tatiana, the youngest of the five nieces of Prince Potemkin. His Serene Highness called the orphaned daughters of his sister "a necklace", which he "hung" around his neck. He took care of the Engelgard girls, was engaged in the arrangement of their destinies. And in the future, the loving uncle did not leave the family of his relatives without care - he looked to see if they had anything in need.
True, there was a tail of gossip behind the necklace. They said that the patronage of a brilliant uncle, who declared himself the "father" of young adorable girls, was accompanied by very dubious circumstances and feelings that were very far from paternal. After all, then Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin himself was in his prime and beauty.
Chevalier de Corberon, a diplomat at the court of Catherine, who collected all the gossip and rumors, gladly informed Versailles about the scandalous fall of morals in Russia. Indeed, in gallant France, of course, they have never heard of anything like this since the creation of the world!
But, to be honest, in our time, such a relationship seems extremely unusual. But what is really there! Just shocking! But for contemporaries this was not the case.
It never occurred to anyone to perceive them as something exceptional, beyond the bounds of what is permitted. For example, Empress Catherine, who was well aware of everything, did not faint and did not remove the girls from herself. The gossip in society was rather promoted by the fact of their defiant openness.
The Engelhardt girls were all nice, very clever, pretty faces. For each rich uncle gave a good dowry. In addition, marriage with the niece of the favorite of Catherine II guaranteed the happy spouse a promotion, and also promised to receive awards and ranks. In general, not one was left without a husband.
The youngest of the Engelgartov girls
Of course, no one knows exactly what happened behind closed doors in the palace of Prince Potemkin. The degree of his closeness with each of the nieces is shrouded in darkness, but it is believed that the youngest of them - Tatiana - has never been the mistress of the "dear uncle".
Friendly, feminine, possessing, as the same Corberon said, “that bizarre appearance that attracts more beauty,” she somehow immediately aroused a feeling of affection and affection, which in many developed into affection for her.
Russian tour of the Duchess
Relatives of the English royal dynasty still rarely visit St. Petersburg.
And in the 18th century, this happened even less often. And on the scale of Russia, the circle of immigrants from foggy Albion was then negligible and narrow. That is why in the summer of 1777 the St. Petersburg high society was choking with delight, meeting an English aristocrat of the most blue bloods. Even Catherine II cordially received the overseas guest, who was the Duchess Elizabeth Kingston, in her Tsarskoe Selo.
And the amazing lady threw dust in the eyes of the Russian nobles with her wealth, generosity, a collection of rare paintings, arranged receptions, gave dinners, charmed them with her sharp mind, ability to conduct a conversation on any topic.
Not immediately, but soon in Russia they will figure out that the reputation of a noble high-flying bird has been badly tarnished. She is followed by a train of grandiose scandals related to her bigamy. And then the duchess will have to leave Russia and go on a trip to Europe.
But that hasn't happened yet. While the lady dazzles Petersburg, she is treated kindly by the empress and spends a lot of time with Prince G.A. Potemkin. And then her attention is attracted by the youngest niece of the Serene Highness.
The Duchess is fascinated by the still fledgling Tatyana Engelhardt and wants to take her with her in order to educate the young lady, and in the future to make her the heiress of her enormous fortune.
It is scary to imagine what a young girl could learn from a quirky English lady who passed through fire and water. But, apparently, it was not for nothing that Tatiana was called “very smart”, since she refused such a generous offer.
Small digression
Uncle married his younger niece at sixteen.
For his distant relative - Mikhail Sergeevich Potemkin, who was 41 years old on his wedding day. Having been married for only six years, Tatiana lost her spouse in the year when the magnificent prince of Taurida unexpectedly died in the steppe in the south of Russia ...
After the tragic death of Uncle Grigory Potemkin, the thoughtful and serious Mikhail Sergeevich immediately went to Yassy to put in order the tangled financial affairs of his Serene Highness. But on the way he died under very suspicious circumstances. They whispered that the reason for this was his excessive honesty, which was not entirely appropriate where the sums of millions of rubles were circulating.
The young widow has two children left in her arms - a boy and a girl, the goddaughter of Catherine II. The daughter will grow up and marry Count Alexander Ivanovich Ribopier. A baby will appear in their family, who will be named after grandmother Tatyana. And now (just don't fall out of your chair!) - time will pass, and she will become the next Princess Yusupova. But let's not get ahead of ourselves yet ...
What is needed for family happiness?
So, in 1793, in the church of the Winter Palace, the wedding of the charming Tatyana Vasilyevna Potemkina with Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov, one of the most enviable suitors in Russia, took place. The newlyweds had everything one could dream of - nobility, beauty, health, wealth, the favor of the powers that be.
What else do you need to be happy in your marriage? Heir? A year later, this wonderful couple was happy with their newborn son Boris. Another boy will be born in the family soon! But that kid won't live long. And then Princess Yusupova will find out ...
Years passed, generations changed, but the curse came true unswervingly. The family has never been large. No matter how many children are born in one generation of the Yusupov family, only one heir has always crossed the fatal limit of 26 years of age. The ancient punishment continued to mow down the male line of the clan, as usual bypassing the women. But only for now ...
Did not work out…
Tatyana Vasilievna's family happiness did not last as long as she would like, and as she deserved. But why?
And again, scientists and we can only sigh with them sadly - get used to it, you will have to do it more than once! - in the papers that have come down to our time from the huge archives of the Yusupovs, there is nothing that could shed light on this obscure episode of the family history.
After 10 years, the couple began to live separately, each according to their own taste. But at the same time they remained friends.
It can be assumed that they were too different people. Tatiana Vasilievna spent her childhood, before the rapid entry of the famous uncle into favor, in provincial boredom and poverty. Perhaps that is why she preferred a secluded, measured life on the estate, raising children, and a reasonable and economical housekeeping to social life and entertainment.
Well, Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov - a descendant of an ancient and noble family, like a fish in water, felt himself at social receptions, adored balls, noisy festivities, loved theatrical performances, books. He did not spare money to purchase works of art for Arkhangelskoe, which became a kind of personal museum.
And he was extremely fascinated by the female sex in general and his serf actresses in particular. Until the last days, the temperamental prince had a stormy life with ardent amorous adventures.
The corner room closest to the prince's office in the Big House was his bedroom during Nikolai Borisovich's lifetime. Now it houses an exhibition of captivating female heads, and the hall is called the Rotary Salon after the artist who was fashionable in Catherine's times.
In the portraits, all the girls in the dresses of the villagers, they are young, charming and carefree ...
This fact served as the basis for the legend that in this way the prince immortalized the beloved persons from the serf "actors" whom he gave with his love.
The strange life of the princely couple Yusupov
Despite the difficult relationship, the prince and princess continued to be friends and help each other in every possible way. In the serious matter of managing vast estates, the prince had to keep a lot under personal control, while the practical Tatyana Vasilyevna provided him with significant assistance.
She delved into the calculations, dealt with the nomenclature of many of her husband's enterprises. And on trifles - it was the princess who decided with what works the serf musicians would greet their master from distant trips.
They even continued to exchange gifts. For example, in the Arkhangelskoye estate, which is replete with marble sculptures, not far from the Egyptian lions and next to the cannons there are such incredibly pretty sphinxes in female form.
Mighty paws with claws, a strong back, covered with a blanket, and a defenselessly naked girl's chest ... Curls of hair, covered with a handkerchief ... Delicate beautiful face ... On the neck there is a short thread of simple round beads, like peasant girls ...
This cute couple is Tatyana Vasilievna's gift to her husband. With a hint. They were placed right in front of the windows of the prince's office ...
In the prince's office
The office of Nikolai Borisovich is remote from the ceremonial apartments, devoid of special beauty and is businesslike. Along the wall there is a sofa, and from the depths of polished cabinets of Karelian birch books gleam with their golden spines. In the middle there is a massive writing desk in green morocco, on which an ink set and candlesticks have been standing since the time of Prince Yusupov.
It is interesting that under the table, on a figured bar - the so-called pronogue, which connects the legs of the furniture, also flaunts ... Well, of course, a sphinx woman!
In the office, the prince received the reports of the managers, from here his orders flew rapidly to the estates. Probably, in moments of reflection, he stood here by the window, looking at a quiet corner of the English part of the park and a beautiful present from his wife.
Weaknesses of Princess Tatyana Vasilievna Yusupova
And it is true that the tight-fisted and a bit stingy Tatiana Vasilievna had her own costly weakness. She loved stones, both precious and with carved emblems and mottos. She had many of them - famous stones, each with its own history. Some of them are gifts from Prince Nikolai Borisovich.
Among other things, Tatyana Vasilievna owned an amazing oval pearl that bore the name of Pelegrin. The young Felix Yusupov will sell it, which was the original adornment of the princess's collection, in a desperate moment of emigrant lack of money. Well, two of Rembrandt's masterpieces - to the heap. And the proceeds, which, with reasonable spending, could be enough for many years, will easily be let down ...
The amazing couple did not avoid each other at all. On the contrary, Nikolai Borisovich, firmly established in his beloved Moscow estate, when he came to Petersburg, he certainly stayed in the house of Tatyana Vasilievna. I don’t know how much it corresponds to reality, but in his memoirs Felix mentioned that the princess, for her stay in Arkhangelskoye, chose the park house Caprice.
Arkhangelsk Hermitage, which is not allowed
In the good old days of the 18th century, not a single large estate was unthinkable without "hermitages", or, as they were also called, "places of solitude." They were freestanding buildings that housed art galleries or some art collection of the owners.
In fact, no solitude was supposed to be in the Hermitage. It was just a place where a narrow circle of select guests were invited for dinner and entertainment. Ekaterina, adored by Nikolai Borisovich, had her own Hermitage next to the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. And there, too, were held masquerades and ceremonial dinners ...
In the western part of the park, the sun gilded the tall ship pines. They give off a thick scent of resin and pine needles ... Here is the Caprice - a miniature ensemble of the "privacy corner" of the estate.
The Small Palace is a long building with a two-storey central part. Under the noble prince Yusupov, it was luxuriously decorated, then it was in it that the female "heads" of Pietro Antonio Rotari were located. Caprice had his "own garden", once decorated with sculptures and flower beds.
Now the decor of the sculptures has disappeared somewhere, in the place of the charming garden there is only a modest flower bed, paint and plaster are crumbling from the historical walls, all of them dripping with rains. It looks like the building needs renovation for a long time, at least cosmetic.
And what has been preserved inside from the former picturesque decoration and in what state it is - we, mere mortals, do not know at all. But it is known what great hopes the director of the museum, Vadim Zadorozhny, is pinning on the reconstruction of the museum-estate Arkhangelskoye for its centenary, who, by the way, is also the owner of the nearby one.
Tea house and porcelain of the Arkhangelskoye estate
Another building, the so-called Tea House, adjoins the "Caprice".
One cannot but recall the exquisite services and charming painted plates that were exhibited in the Grand Palace. Beautiful dishes filled the princely sideboards ... All these miracles in the master's house were used for their intended purpose, except perhaps the precious dishes from the Main dining room served as decoration.
Although the exception is this plate, which depicts the battle of the gods with giants. After all, the 16th century ...
Moreover, the prince gifted his guests with items of Arkhangelsk porcelain - fortunately, they were produced right in the estate, where the "picturesque institution" worked.
The house is a preserved fragment of the library building. A fire that happened in 1829 destroyed its wooden parts, only the stone center survived. The small cube was restored, over time, for some unknown reason, received the name - Tea House, and also acquired a different purpose. On hot summer days, its through doors opened, and then the tiny round room inside became a cozy gazebo for relaxation.
At one time it was used as a warehouse - to store Antokolsky's sculpture (we will talk about this master's creation later!), What its purpose is at the present time is unknown, the doors of the pavilion are firmly locked.
Prince Yusupov - nobleman and collector
Nikolai Borisovich enthusiastically collected works of art. His collection of paintings is the largest private collection in Russia. It would be strange not to find works of the portrait genre in it. After all, it is always interesting to see how people of bygone eras looked like, and especially the powerful of this world?
Perhaps it is not out of place to recall that Nikolai Borisovich devotedly served - one after the other - to four Russian emperors and was very closely acquainted with three other European monarchs. Portraits of Russian sovereigns hang in the Imperial Hall. This is a necessary symbol of loyalty and a sign of affection for the house of the Romanovs of Prince Yusupov, which more than once hosted the Arkhangelskoe kings and their family members in his estate near Moscow.
For thirty years, the prince traveled extensively in Europe. Not in the least financially constrained, he acquired many paintings. For the sake of large paintings by Robert and Tiepolo, it was even necessary to rebuild the premises of the Grand Palace. The halls are filled with porcelain vases, bronze clocks, figurines and sculptures that he bought.
In the spacious and light Antique Hall, tall mirrors in carved frames reflect marble sculptures, antiquity originals and good copies of finds from the 1st – 3rd centuries.
The famous library of the prince at the time of the death of Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov consisted of 30 thousand folios in different languages. It contained a lot of manuscripts, early printed and simply rare editions. There were a significant number of cookery books, because the prince was a famous friend of the stomach.
By the way, the design and interior arrangement of bookcases is the personal development of Nikolai Borisovich.
Now the library occupies several rooms on the second floor of the Grand Palace, and under N.B. Yusupov, most of his books and some of the collection of paintings were housed in the western wing. Whereas in the eastern one, where renovation is now underway, there was a kitchen with service premises. The main building was connected with the outbuildings by passages along double colonnades.
Portraits of the Yusupov princes of that generation
Probably, you can't wait to get a visual representation of the heroes of our story? In the Arkhangelskoye estate museum near Moscow, anticipating a similar desire of visitors, images of the former owners are kept, although not all portraits are represented by originals. But is it not fundamentally important for us?
In the 18th century, only those portraits painted by foreign painters were quoted in high society. It was a kind of mark of belonging to a chosen circle. Before us is a portrait by Heinrich Fuger, in which the young prince Yusupov is presented in the romantic form of a Spanish grandee - a scarlet cloak, lace, a black hat with a feather.
The portrait was not the result of a fashionable fad, it was simply painted at a time when the Russian diplomat Nikolai Borisovich, the owner of an excellent artistic taste, was engaged in the selection of works of art for the collection of Empress Catherine II in Rome.
And this is the work of the Austrian artist Johann Baptist Lampi, one of the best portrait painters of his time. By order of the owner, copies of this painting, which became a kind of official image of Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov, were supposed to decorate all the estates that belonged to him.
Many famous masters painted a sweet woman - Princess Tatyana Vasilievna: J.L. Monier, I.B. Lumpy. A portrait of her was made by the brush of Jean-Louis Voil when she was Yusupov's bride.
It so happened that Marie Elisabeth Louise Vigee-Lebrun, one of the greatest painters of the 18th century, turned out to be the favorite portraitist of the royal family. During the horrors of the French Revolution, it was a dangerous closeness! When the unfortunate Marie-Antoinette ended her life under the knife of the guillotine, the artist managed to flee the country from the raging crowds. By the will of fate, Vigee-Lebrun ended up in St. Petersburg, where she lived for almost seven years ...
The portrait of the prince's wife wearing a wreath of roses is the work of Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun. With a special attractive aura, it adorns one of the halls of the Big House in the Arkhangelskoye estate.
And this is an image of little Boris Yusupov in the image of Cupid, also painted by the same French artist. The adorable baby, mama's favorite, everyone liked. And how could it be otherwise: “Laughter shone in his face. As if apples were full, his cheeks were burning ".
Tatyana Vasilievna Yusupova arranged home performances for the guests, in which all her children took part. The youngest of the sons - Borinka - at that time was Cupid and made a splash. And the poet Derzhavin immediately wrote these poetic lines with inspiration ...
RSS, EmailThe Yusupovs, Part 5 Nikolai Borisovich. "The brilliant Catherine's grandee"
Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov
Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov (October 15 (26), 1750 - July 15, 1831, Moscow) - statesman, diplomat (1783-1789), art lover, one of the largest collectors and patrons of art in Russia, owner of the Arkhangelskoye and Vasilievskoye estates near Moscow.
Official positions held: chief manager of the Armory and the Expedition of the Kremlin structure, director of the Imperial theaters (1791-1796), director of the Hermitage (1797), headed the palace glass, porcelain and tapestry factories (from 1792), senator (from 1788), actual privy councilor ( 1796), Minister of the Department of Appanages (1800-1816), member of the State Council (from 1823).
The exact date of birth of Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov has not yet been established by historians, despite the fact that the biography of this, perhaps, the brightest representative of the dynasty has been studied for more than two hundred years. In the two-volume collection of Prince N. B. Yusupov Jr. "On the family of the Yusupov princes" the following date of birth of the prince is given - October 15, 1751.
The first years of his life were spent under the close influence of his father, who was very concerned about the future of his only son. In the eighteenth century, in the society of the Russian nobility, male infants were almost immediately enlisted in the army, as they used to say - “in the regiment”. Children from influential families ended up in the Life Guards regiments.
Father - Prince Boris Grigorievich Yusupov
The Yusupov family was also no exception. Hardly anyone could have guessed that Kolenka Yusupov would grow up as a brilliant diplomat and radiant scientist in the humanities. Nikolai Borisovich was enrolled in the Life Guards Horse Regiment, and while listening to lullabies, he began serving the ruler Elizaveta Petrovna, which he continued until her death. In 1755, the little prince received the rank of a cornet. This was the first significant event in his life. On this occasion, a portrait was painted from him, where he appears in the form of a cornet. A small cornet, dressed in a uniform, proudly posed for the artist. Surprisingly, since childhood, Kolenka did not like to play with toy soldiers and other toys. Indeed, rarely any boy does not adore it!
Nikolay Yusupov as a child
At court, the Yusupov family was classified as adherents of the Western way of life, but in everyday life and everyday life they preferred the customs of their dear antiquity. This had to do with both Nikolai and his sisters. In the first years of their lives, nannies were their faithful companions, then, from the age of six, tutors and foreign governesses were engaged in their upbringing. The services of foreigners were resorted to not only because of the high value of upbringing abroad in Russia, but also due to the fact that at that time foreign languages were used daily in court society, as well as in high society.
Religious and moral education of children in Russia was usually done by the mother, the keeper of the family hearth. Princess Irina Mikhailovna Yusupova was an amazing woman. She was characterized by modesty, gentleness, a simple disposition, but, at the same time, firm, especially in matters relating to faith, character.
Between mother and son, Irina Mikhailovna and Nikolai Borisovich, there was an incredibly touching and warm relationship. She selected books for him, ordered his children's portrait, in which he is depicted in an officer's uniform. And already years later, when Nikolai Borisovich was in old age, he bequeathed to his descendants to be buried next to his mother.
Princess Irina Mikhailovna Yusupova, nee Zinovieva
Irina Mikhailovna was a very wise woman. She spent a long time reading this or that book. Apparently, this quality was passed on to her son from her. In addition, she instilled in him a love and deep reverence for faith.
Nikolai Borisovich had a brilliant education, which was not limited to communication with the tutors. His father, who often took advantage of his official position, as well as the respect of the cadets and teachers of the Cadet Corps, often invited them home to share with Nikolenka "sciences" and other knowledge. The young prince's teachers were many immigrants from Holland, who, as you know, in their time influenced Peter the Great, and the formation of new Russia, and St. Petersburg with its way of life. And in truth there was a lot to learn from them. Nikolai Borisovich took from these lessons not only colossal knowledge and skills, but such character traits as punctuality, perseverance, perfectionism. This allowed the prince, at a relatively young age, to be fluent in five languages.
Nikolay Yusupov as a child
Nikolai Borisovich never stopped studying throughout his long life; he had an unusually inquisitive mind. He was also fluent in Russian, both literary and colloquial. The Russian language was taught to Yusupov, according to the custom of the time, by a deacon. This is probably why in the princely orders, which he wrote on his own, traces of possession of Church Slavonic are clearly felt. Of considerable importance in the education of the young prince Yusupov were books that entered his life and consciousness early. Parents managed to lay a good foundation for his future library, which is still striking in its scale. Irina Mikhailovna, knowing about the hobbies of her child, often indulged him with book gifts.
F. Titov. "Princess Irina Mikhailovna Yusupova unfolding cards." October 30, 1765 Bas-relief. GMUA.
The prince's military career developed in parallel with home schooling. In 1761, Nikolai Borisovich was transferred from cornet to second lieutenant of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment. When he was sixteen years old, Yusupov entered active military service. In 1771, Nikolai Borisovich was recommended as a lieutenant, and at this stage his military service ended.
F. Titov. "Life Guards Cavalry Regiment Second Lieutenant Prince Nikolai Yusupov." October 6, 1765 Bas-relief. GMUA.
The civil service of a still young and inexperienced in the affairs of state chamber-junker of the Imperial Court, Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov, began in 1772. He chose the Collegium of Foreign Affairs as his service. And, I must say, he was in his place - knowledge of five European languages, the rules of etiquette, court manners, the ability to understand various political intrigues and vicissitudes made the prince a most valuable employee.
Kamer-junker, artist Vitaly Ermolaev.
In 1774, one major event took place in the life of Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov. At twenty-three, he became a member of the St. Petersburg English Club, which at that time had existed for less than five years.
For many years, Prince Yusupov lived away from his homeland, abroad. But all this time, he managed not to leave the club's membership, paying the due annual fee on time, so that after each return he would not subject himself to new elections to the club and not languish in anticipation of a vacant vacancy to join.
Facade of the English Assembly mansion on the Palace Embankment. Photograph. 1910s
English Assembly (English Club), "Anglichesky Klob" - one of the first club institutions in Russia - was founded on March 12, 1770 with the permission of Empress Catherine II by F. Gardner and K. Gardiner, English entrepreneurs modeled on English clubs, as a "collection of pleasant interlocutors ".
F. Gardner
For a whole year, that is, two consecutive terms, the prince pledged to perform the troublesome duties of the club foreman, and this despite the fact that at that very time he already held more than one responsible state position that required a lot of time and effort. This happened after Nikolai Borisovich returned from Europe, performing diplomatic service.
The prince for 57 years, taking into account small breaks, was in the English clubs of the capitals of Russia, where he spent time in club halls. He dined there, was fond of card games, and had lively conversations with acquaintances. Companions in the club sometimes turned to Nikolai Borisovich with requests for help in the service or in other matters. And, I must say, the prince almost never refused, trying to help everyone. The only exception was money - Nikolai Borisovich did not lend.
One of the living rooms of the St. Petersburg English Club, designed for a card game. Photograph. 1910s
Large dining room of the St. Petersburg English Assembly. Photograph. 1910s
Another interesting fact from the life of Prince Yusupov: he did not shy away from the society of the Masonic lodge. Moreover, Freemasonry in Russia at the end of the eighteenth century remained a relatively closed phenomenon for a wide segment of educated society. Many representatives of the younger generation, mostly of noble, to be more precise, of noble origin, tried to join the box, find out what its secret is, warm up their nerves with mysterious and sometimes terrifying Masonic rituals. Freemasonry was also interesting to people of a more conscious age. Empress Catherine the Great, having familiarized herself with all the available Masonic materials, wrote to her permanent correspondent Grimm: “Having reread in print and manuscripts all the boring absurdities that the Masons are engaged in, I was more educated, not more prudent. Who does good for good, what need is there for vows, eccentricities, and attire absurd and strange? ".
Of course, there is no reliable information about the degree of initiation of Nikolai Borisovich, but many details of his biography confirm the fact that Nikolai Borisovich had a very high degree. It is just that, most likely, he did not reach this degree through the Petersburg lodges, where an audience like Radishchev lived. The most probable story is Yusupov's membership in the Masonic Order of Malta, where the prince could have entered during his first overseas stay. Given this circumstance, one can build a logical scheme for the promotion of the order in Russia under Paul I, and also guess about the true reason for awarding Nikolai Borisovich the highest and very rare difference in the structure of the order - “ commandery "... For the history of our state, it is not the fact or the method of Yusupov's entry into the Masonic lodge that is of exceptional value, but the immediate result - Prince Nikolai Borisovich used his high Masonic connections only for the good of the state.
The history of what is meant by the phrase “ secret diplomacy "... Nikolai Borisovich held relatively low government positions for quite a long time. But for some reason it was he who was entrusted with the execution of the most difficult, sometimes delicate diplomatic tasks. Actively using his Masonic connections, Yusupov invariably carried out the assignments entrusted to him with the highest dignity. True, at the same time, the prince tried not to forget about himself, replenishing his own already rather large art collection with unique masterpieces, through familiar artists-Masons, which in another case and under other circumstances would have been impossible to order even for huge amounts of money.
K. Lorrain. "Abduction of Europa"
David. Sappho and Faon by Jacques-Louis David
Some historians believe that Nikolai Borisovich was not a representative of the Masonic lodge, because history has not preserved documents confirming this fact. But, apparently, the Russian prince agreed with some of the ideas of the Brotherhood of Freemasons. As a rule, these ideas were directly related to the aesthetic ideals of the Enlightenment, and they also corresponded to his patronage activities. It is also known about the orders by the prince of paintings of a frankly Masonic meaning and content, on which the most famous Masonic artists worked. It is also interesting that for Nikolai Borisovich the doors of the workshops of the most famous masters of painting and sculpture, who were in the boxes, were always open. It is logical that to break through to such creative people with an order, and even a simple foreign nobleman without staying in a long line of his own kind, was considered something beyond the realm of possibility. We can only guess and draw conclusions on our own ...
Rembrandt. "Lady with an ostrich feather"
Correggio. "Portrait of a Lady"
In 1774, the prince filed a petition to leave the country. The archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire contains the Petition of Prince Yusupov addressed to Empress Catherine II for permission to leave for foreign lands to continue her studies: “Most Merciful Empress! Even if I did not have before my eyes examples of my ancestors who served their Sovereigns with zeal and zeal, then my gratitude for all the mercies of Your Imperial Majesty aroused in me a most ardent desire to make myself capable of serving Yours. For a year and a half now, as by Your Highness Imperial Majesty's permission, I have been practicing to acquire knowledge of foreign affairs; and since my own review of European courts can greatly help me in this, I can boldly ask Your Imperial Majesty to dismiss me for four years both for study in Leiden and for travel. At that time I can see all the European courts and take advantage of the directions and guidance of your ministers residing there ... ”.
J. de Samçois “Portrait of Prince N.B. Yusupov "1st half of the 1760s. Miniature GMUA
The empress approved the prince's request. Having received letters of recommendation from her, in the spring of 1774 Nikolai Borisovich decided on his first long journey across Europe. With short interruptions it lasted almost twenty years, although who could think about it on those spring days ...
Miniature of Evdokia Borisovna Yusupova, Rokshtul Aloisy Petrovich (1798-1877)
During his trip, Yusupov spent some time visiting his sister in Mitava, and in the summer of 1774 Nikolai Borisovich went to Leiden with the goal of listening to certain scientific courses at the local university. The road from Courland to Holland was then a rather long, but unique journey. For the young prince with his inquisitive and flexible mind, this was an excellent opportunity for development and personal improvement. Yusupov visited Danzig, Berlin, The Hague, as well as other European cities that he met along the way.
Leiden, Bartholomeus Johannes van Hove
Studying in Leiden was not motivated by a desire to get closer to fashion or to emphasize their own prestige. On the contrary, the university gave Nikolai Borisovich exactly the knowledge to which he had long aspired and which he then used throughout his not short life.
At the university, Prince Yusupov attended lectures on law, philosophy, political history, natural history. In addition, he studied botany, physics, chemistry, mathematics, anatomy. Moreover, he devoted a lot of time and attention to foreign languages: Latin, Ancient Greek, Italian, English. And, of course, being an unusually creative nature, passionately interested in art, Nikolai Borisovich was fond of painting and music. During his student days, Yusupov finally strengthened his long-standing interest in antiquity, generally characteristic of representatives of the Enlightenment.
Leiden, J. Carabain
In those days, a foreign student needed to have letters of recommendation. The French academician Villuson wrote to L.K. Falkenard about his diligent student with extraordinary benevolence. He also handed Yusupov a letter of recommendation to Copenhagen to Justice Counselor Treskov, in which he asked to help Nikolai Borisovich during his trip to Denmark. These were the words: “Prince Yusupov, who will give you this letter, is a Russian master ... I will not repeat what I already had the honor to tell you about the breadth and depth of his vast knowledge, especially in the Greek language ... This is one of the most outstanding people of Europe ". And some time later, in confirmation of these flattering words, in 1779 the Society of Antiquities in Kassel, which was founded by the Landgrave of Hesse Frederick II, elected “ famous for his knowledge Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov as his honorary member.
Frederick II of Hesse-Kassel
Kassel Frederick Square in 1783, Johann Heinrich Tischbein the Elder
England was on the route plan after Holland. It is known that Russian society in the middle of the eighteenth century adored everything English no less than everything French. Counts Vorontsov were considered the most important Anglomaniacs in Russia. So, Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov, spent several years as the Russian ambassador to England and stayed to live there even after his resignation. In England, Yusupov was attracted by the famous Oxford. There he was able to learn a lot of useful and interesting things.
Upon arrival in London in March 1776, Prince Nikolai Borisovich was soon introduced to the royal society. Among the number of his new acquaintances was Beaumarchais. During the several months they spent in this city and in this high society society, Beaumarchais and Yusupov developed very warm friendly relations.
Painting by the Italian artist Canaletto "Thames and the City". 18 century.
In 1781, the prince was granted the position of acting chamberlains of the Imperial Court. It is worth noting that quite serious requirements were imposed on the applicant for such a high rank of chamberlain of the Imperial Court. By the way, this applicant did not have outstanding external data and, as they delicately expressed in the time of Catherine the Great, not “ got into a case "... The prince just met these requirements both with his education, wealth, family status, age, and outstanding appearance. All of the above qualities gave him reason to act as a legitimate contender for the title of a court official of the highest rank. Apparently, it was during that life period that a story happened to Nikolai Borisovich, which was bashfully pointed out by one painting with a mythological plot from the prince's collection.
Emperor Paul I was very respectful of Prince Yusupov. He was well aware that there are not many state people of such a high level in Russia. Therefore, once on the throne, he turned to Yusupov with a request: to hide " away»One of the paintings of the princely collection. It was about the plot, which symbolized the union of the ancient gods Venus and Apollo. But in a strange way, the images of half-naked celestials very much reminded Prince Yusupov and Empress Catherine the Great herself. Pavel Petrovich often felt a sense of shame for his mother, especially since some of her favorites were suitable for her sons by age. Nikolai Borisovich fulfilled the imperial request, but not without bewilderment. In the time of Catherine, in the era of the Enlightenment, not such canvases were opened to the eye of an enthusiastic viewer ...
F. Boucher. Hercules and Omphale. Gallery of the book. Yusupova
The reason for writing an ambiguous picture on an antique plot was the fact of Nikolai Borisovich's return from abroad.
The story with the plot of the picture is nothing more than another love impulse of the prince's loving and tender heart, and not at all a subtle political and calculating move. It didn't take long for Catherine to appreciate her mental strengths and talents. one of the most outstanding people in Europe. " And men with simple dignity and without that surrounded her everywhere.
Kalinovskaya Ekaterina Foundation of the Hermitage
Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov for many years was not only the empress's confidant, but also a good friend. She could, with complete confidence and calmness, entrust the prince with the most delicate and responsible diplomatic missions. Moreover, Yusupov was her personal agent on the acquisition of art exhibits to replenish the Hermitage and other palaces. Catherine corresponded with the prince. Their dialogue was moderately friendly and flirtatious, which testifies to a lot.
Balobanova Ekaterina Sergeevna, "Catherine the Great. Creation of the Hermitage."
The surviving portraits of the prince, depicting him young and handsome, unfortunately, are few. On them, he looks like a slightly arrogant young man. It is well known that the Empress easily fell under the spell of youth. It was not for nothing that her last favorite was Count Zubov, who was distinguished by his beauty, as well as youth, while the queen was far from being a young person. So in the case of Yusupov, we can say that everything just coincided: Nikolai Borisovich was the greatest statesman of his time, and the empress could entrust an impeccable diplomat to resolve any issues. Exactly what circumstances contributed to the possible rapprochement of the prince with Catherine is an unknown secret. But the fact that their friendship lasted until the last days is a fact.
G.F. Fuger. Portrait of Prince N. B. Yusupov, 1783 (fragment) State Hermitage (St. Petersburg)
And no matter what community or club Nikolai Borisovich was in, he always used his connections for the good of the country.
In 1783, the diplomatic career of the prince began with the rank of envoy. Catherine II signed the "Decree" of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs "On the appointment of the chamberlain of Her Majesty's Court, Prince N. B. Yusupov, as the extraordinary envoy and plenipotentiary minister at the royal Sardinian court." The prince was gifted by nature with a sharp analytical mind, a strong will, a rare grip, sophistication, the ability to find a way to the mind and heart of any person. Stunning intuition and prudence passed on from ancestors and the ability to prevent undesirable developments, as well as the ability, if not by force, then patience and cunning, to achieve the set goal.
Turin, Bernardo Bellotto
The listed qualities helped the prince not only in ordinary life, but also in professional diplomatic activities. One more important point should be added to this - the brilliant education of Prince Yusupov, as well as fluency in five European languages.
The few Russian travelers who happened to meet Nikolai Borisovich in Italy noted with some irritation that, even while abroad, he led his usual way of life - he constantly attended the opera, concerts and balls. Also, according to contemporaries, Nikolai Borisovich was considered an excellent ballroom dancer. It is easy to imagine him in dance - an elegant, perfectly moving, almost ideal partner, somewhat like a French marquis, and not at all a Tatar prince, as some believed.
Theater in Turin, Giovanni Michele Graneri (Torino, 1708-1762)
It is not surprising that Nikolai Yusupov in Italy was always surrounded by the most beautiful and interesting women. Temperamental and free from prejudice, they looked with pleasure at the seeming violation of possible decency. And their husbands were not scattered about this, because no one forgot about the prince's gratitude.
He often left the Turin courtyard: listen to new music, unwind in a pleasant female company. In fact, people who did not know Yusupov assumed so. In reality, the prince did not have fun, but performed important state tasks. The Empress entrusted him with work on serious diplomatic assignments of a rather delicate nature, the essence of which was that it required " legal cover "- the post of ambassador in a small state. But the most important and serious were Yusupov's negotiations with the Pope himself.
Stupinigi Royal Hunting Palace, outskirts of Turin. Lithograph by Demetrio Festa after a drawing by Enrico Gonin
In 1785, Count Andrei Kirillovich Razumovsky, who had the most direct relation to the salon of the Moscow English Club on Tverskaya, showed himself at the Court of the King of Naples ugly and unbecoming of his status. The born prince Yusupov was forced to appear at the court and correct the matter in order to rehabilitate himself before the king. Otherwise, a serious diplomatic scandal threatened. The Neapolitan royal family was outraged. Nikolai Borisovich, not without difficulties, achieved an audience with King Ferdinand the First, to whom he conveyed the most sincere apologies of Tsarina Catherine II. The case was fixed.
Ferdinand I and His Family (1783) Angelica Kaufman
In 1788, Yusupov was destined to return to Naples. He was involved in very difficult negotiations with the Royal Court over the deteriorating relations between Russia, Sweden and Turkey. Russia needed the neutrality of European states. Its observance directly depended on the notorious “ public opinion". Negotiations between the prince and diplomats from England and Austria turned out to be difficult. But in the evenings, Nikolai Borisovich had an excellent opportunity to visit his favorite theater, La Fenice.
Ferdinand I, Naples, artist unknown
In 1784, Nikolai Borisovich visited the Vatican, he received an audience with Pope Pius the Sixth himself. This reception was preceded by a secret instruction received from Empress Catherine II: “Noble, beloved to us! Departing from the Turin Court, direct your path to Rome, where you will appear as the Knight of Our Court, who has a special commission to the Local Owner, and not at all in the image of a Characterized Minister, so that otherwise there is no need to establish a new ceremonial, therefore, you will not find in case of any difficulty with your stay in Rome ... ".
Casper van Vittel
Portrait of Pope Pius VI (1717-1799), Pompeo Batoni
To solve difficult problems of foreign policy, the post of temporary envoy in Rome did not provide Yusupov with special opportunities both in the political and diplomatic sense. It was here that the prince's personal Masonic connections came to the rescue. Nikolai Borisovich, as a private person, not only received a papal audience, but also achieved the location of the Papal court: “... a separate independent existence in the Russian Empire of the Roman Catholic flock, he thanked for the gift of the Mogilev archbishop Sestrentsevich of the palladium, close to the Russian imperial house, and the elevation of the cardinals of the former in Russia papal ambassador Arcotti. " In addition, the empress, through Yusupov, expressed her desire to elevate Sestrentsevich to the cardinals.
Archbishop Stanislav Bogush-Sestrentsevich
Church of St. Stanislav in the village of Moliatichi, built by order of S. Bogush-Sestrentsevich as a miniature copy of St. Peter's Basilica
To everyone's surprise, the Pope received Yusupov so generously that he even allowed the prince to arrange a copy of the best picturesque decorations of the Vatican. Before Nikolai Borisovich, no one could get such permits in such volumes. It is worth noting that after too.
In Italy, Nikolai Borisovich managed to collect a huge collection of works of art. Painting and sculpture took a special place in it. Yusupov visited the workshops of almost all famous artists, bought up the works of old masters, but at that time they were already considered a great wonder. They often tried to sell to the Russian aristocrat old copies passed off as genuine works of artists. Over time, everything became clear - the Yusupov collection has long been recognized as the largest private collection in Europe.
Nicola Lancre. Society at the edge of the forest. End of the 1720s. Canvas, oil. Pushkin Museum
S. Ricci. The childhood of Romulus and Remus. 1708-1709. Canvas, oil. GE
Upon his return to Russia, Nikolai Borisovich became a prominent figure in the outgoing decade of the reign of Empress Catherine the Great. During this time, he actually headed the Russian artistic life, being the official and unofficial trendsetter of Russian artistic life. Once in Petersburg, Yusupov looked in the eyes of his compatriots as a person who had something to learn from and who wanted to imitate.
I.B. Lampi Sr., J.F. Hackert. "Portrait of Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov with a dog." Between 1786 and 1789 GE. The portrait was painted by order of N.B. Yusupov in Italy.
Returning from Europe, the prince visited the Court every now and then, entered the intimate circle of the Empress, which took place in the Winter Palace without any special ceremony. He, among the few courtiers, was allowed to come to Catherine without any preliminary invitations. Perhaps this attention was also due to the fact that Prince Yusupov always remained a very pleasant, mannered and gallant person in communication.
Unknown Italian (?) Artist, based on a drawing by M.I. Makhaeva. View of the Winter Palace
Upon his return to his homeland, the prince did not find his seriously ill mother, Princess Irina Mikhailovna, alive. A couple of months before her death, on January 20, 1788, Irina Mikhailovna wrote and sent Nikolai Borisovich the last letter filled with the warmest feelings and maternal love, as well as pride in her adored and only son, whom, as she herself expected, she would never see again succeeded. Obviously, Yusupov was physically unable to come from Italy to Russia for the funeral of his mother - the journey would have required at least a month. Even diplomatic mail was not delivered without difficulty.
F. Titov. "Portrait of Princess Irina Mikhailovna Yusupova embroidering." 1765. GMUA.
In October 1792, Yusupov became the head of the Imperial Porcelain Factory, which soon glorified the imperial family, as well as Russian art. Nikolai Borisovich managed to organize porcelain production so wonderfully that during the first half of the nineteenth century the factory did not even have worthy and serious competitors among the numerous private enterprises throughout Russia. Could not withstand competition with the Imperial plant and his own, Prince Yusupov, which appeared in the next century.
"Imperial Porcelain Factory"
Prince Nikolai Borisovich was also known as a brilliant " production organizer". He skillfully succeeded in identifying and placing competent, competent and proven people in the most responsible posts. Of course, it was not without mistakes, but it rarely happened. Over the years, Nikolai Borisovich perfectly knew human nature, easily determined the strengths and weaknesses of one or another interlocutor, was condescending to the shortcomings of his neighbor. He always tracked the result of his work personally. Directly " production process"He was practically not interested. By their "Proxies", as they say, the prince valued them very much, helped them in every possible way, asked for ranks, titles, pensions, state apartments, firewood and even candles and much more. In that era, such "Caring The relationship between the boss and the subordinates seemed more than strange. Most often they surprised the younger contemporaries of Nikolai Borisovich in the nineteenth century, when he lived in Moscow and commanded the Kremlin officials.
Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov
We can say that the prince managed to live not one, but several lives. He was an aristocrat, a nobleman of the empress, a rich man, a state dignitary, an excellent economist. However, the happiest and longest was Yusupovskaya “ life in art". It was incredibly versatile and contained a focus on music, drama and ballet theaters, symphonic music and musical compositions. Nikolai Borisovich was extremely passionate about collecting works of art, representing such genres as painting, sculpture, decorative and applied art, the development of landscape gardening ensembles, literature, work with translations of antiquity figures, books. And this is not a short list that includes not all of the prince's hobbies, to which he devoted most of his attention and to which he was carried away quite professionally.
(1849-11-06 ) (55 years)
Biography
Born into the family of a prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov and Tatiana Vasilievna, niece and heiress of Prince Potemkin. At baptism, the successor (godfather) was Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich. Even as a child, Borenka, as he was called in the family, received the Order of Malta, and the hereditary command of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. His younger brother died in infancy (about 1796).
He received his initial education in his parents' house under the supervision of his mother, and then spent several years in a fashionable French boarding house, which was headed in St. Petersburg by the famous Abbot Carl Nicole, who later was the director of the Richelieu Lyceum in Odessa. Having passed the exam at the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Institute, Prince Yusupov from August 1815 began to serve in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1817 he was awarded the title of chamberlain.
Service
Untold wealth made Yusupov completely independent; there was no need for him to resort to hypocrisy; he did not value service and constantly quarreled with important persons, incurring their displeasure with his sharp witticisms and ridicule. According to Count M.A.Korf, Prince Yusupov had:
Private life
After the death of his father in the summer of 1831 from cholera, Boris Nikolayevich got a huge inheritance - 250 thousand acres of land, more than 40 thousand peasants in different provinces of Russia, and at the same time a colossal debt of about 2 million rubles. Prince Yusupov, who was a revelry in his youth, became a calculating man over the years. He was not as sociable as his father, and considered all his hobbies a useless waste of money and lordly manners.
Living permanently in St. Petersburg, Yusupov almost never visited Arkhangelsk, beloved by his father. To distribute debts, he farmed out ponds for fishing, sold a botanical garden to Moscow University, and began to transport the priceless collection from the estate to his St. did not devastate.
A good business executive, Yusupov betrayed his freedom as a serf and by this act, strange in the eyes of those around him, in a short time eliminated all his own and paternal debts. Moreover, he became a secret money-lender and the family's fortune increased tenfold by buying up the factories and mines of Donbass. The evil-speaking prince P.V. Dolgorukov wrote:
Prince Yusupov owned estates in seventeen provinces, tried to visit them regularly, and they flourished under him. On his estates, he opened hospitals, supplied them with medicines, kept doctors and pharmacists with them. During the cholera in the Kursk province, he was not afraid to come to his village Rakitnoe, where there was an epidemic; without fear of infection, he walked everywhere in the village. During the terrible crop failure that befell Russia in 1834-1835, when rye was sold eight times more expensive than the usual price, Yusupov fed up to 70,000 people on his estates, without resorting to government benefits. In a letter to one of the governors, the prince wrote:
Prince Yusupov devoted his morning to office and business affairs, during the day he received his friends and acquaintances, and in the evenings he always visited the theater. The pragmatic Boris Nikolaevich shunned luxury in his home life, this feature was noted by many of his contemporaries. He was often the object of ridicule in the light. Prince A.M. Meshchersky called Yusupov an extremely calculating person with a peculiar character.
The magnificent balls that Yusupov gave, the writer V.A.Sollogub found "Devoid of a touch of innate panache and lordship", and ascribed to the prince himself “ legendary stinginess", Forcing him at the meeting of the Sovereign and Empress to immediately give economic orders in the manner of "Their majesties were given two glasses of tea, and the coachman one" .
Donated 73,300 rubles to the Board of Trustees of public charity institutions in St. Petersburg for city almshouses.
Last years
In 1845, Prince Yusupov was awarded the rank of hofmeister. In the summer of 1849, he was appointed Chief Director of an exhibition of industrial works in St. Petersburg. The term for the opening of the exhibition was short, he had to take care of the preparation of the place for the exhibition and all the orders for its placement and opening at the same time. Wanting to speed up the work, Boris Nikolayevich spent whole days in the vast halls among the crowd of workers, giving them orders for all parts of the exhibition. His health, already upset by the cholera he had suffered, could not bear the dampness and cold this time. Not paying attention to the signs of illness, Yusupov did not cease to dispose of the works until the end of the exhibition, and the victim of his zeal, underwent typhoid fever.
Prince Yusupov died on October 25, 1849 in St. Petersburg, his body was transported to the village of Spasskoye-Kotovo near Moscow, where he bequeathed to be buried in the Church of the Savior next to his father. On his tomb was an inscription carved by him during his lifetime: “Here lies a Russian nobleman, Prince Boris, Prince Nikolaev, son of Yusupov", Date of birth and death, and under them was written in French his favorite saying: "Honor is above all."
Prince Nick. Bor. Yusupov. - The wealth of the Yusupov family. - Prince Grigory Yusupov. - The village of Arkhangelskoye. - Prince Golitsyn, nobleman of Catherine's times. - Theatre. - Wealth of greenhouses. - The prudence of the Yusupov princes. - Directorship. - Yusupov's land wealth. - Anecdotes from the life of Yusupov. - T. V. Yusupova. - Prince B.N.Yusupov. - Ancestral home of the Yusupov princes in Moscow. - The working life of Prince B. N. Yusupov. - Countess de Cheveaux.
One of the last grandees of the brilliant century of Catherine II was also in Moscow Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov. The prince lived in his ancient boyar house, donated for service to his great-great-grandfather, Prince Grigory Dmitrievich, by Emperor Peter II.
This house stands in Kharitonevsky lane and is remarkable as an old monument of architecture of the 17th century. Here his grandfather treated the crowned daughter of Peter the Great, Empress Elizabeth, during her visit to Moscow.
The wealth of the Yusupovs has long been famous for its colossal nature. The beginning of this wealth dates back to the time of Empress Anna Ioannovna, although even before that time the Yusupovs were very rich. Their ancestor, Yusuf, was the sovereign sultan of the Nogai Horde. His sons arrived in Moscow in 1563 and were granted by the tsar from wealthy villages and hamlets in the Romanovsky district (Romanov-Borisoglebsky district of the Yaroslavl province). The Cossacks and Tatars settled there were subordinated to them. Subsequently, some more palace villages were given to one of Yusuf's sons. Tsar Theodore Ivanovich also repeatedly granted Il-Murza lands. False Dmitry and Tushinsky thief granted Romanovsky Posad (the district town of Romanov, Yaroslavl province) to his son Seyush.
Upon accession to the throne, Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich left all these lands behind him. Yusuf's descendants were Mohammedans during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Under this sovereign, the great-grandson of Yusuf, Abdul-Murza, was the first to accept Christianity; at baptism he received the name of Dmitry Seyushevich Yusupovo-Knyazhevo.
The newly baptized prince soon fell into royal disgrace on the following occasion: he took it into his head to regale Patriarch Joachim with a goose at his dinner; the day turned out to be fast, and the prince was punished with batogs for this violation of the church statutes on behalf of the king and all his property was taken from him; but soon the king forgave the guilty and returned the seized.
There is the following anecdote about this case. Once the great-grandson of Dmitry Seyushevich was the duty chamber-cadet during dinner at Catherine the Great's. A goose was served on the table.
- Do you know how, prince, to cut a goose? - asked Ekaterina Yusupova.
- Oh, the goose must be very memorable to my name! - answered the prince. - My ancestor ate one on Good Friday and for that was deprived of several thousand peasants, granted to him when he entered Russia.
“I would take away all his property, because it was given to him on the condition that he did not eat anything slow on fasting days,” the Empress comically remarked about this story.
Prince Dmitry Yusupov had three sons, and after his death all wealth was divided into three parts. Actually, the wealth of the Yusupovs was initiated by one of the latter's sons, Prince Grigory Dmitrievich. The descendants of the other two sons did not grow rich, but disintegrated and fell into decay.
Prince Grigory Dmitrievich Yusupov was one of the military generals of the times of Peter the Great - his intelligence, fearlessness and courage brought him the emperor's favor.
In 1717, the prince was appointed, along with other persons, to investigate the abuses of Prince Koltsov-Masalsky in salt collection in Bakhmut. In 1719 he was a major general and in 1722 a senator. Catherine I promoted him to lieutenant general, and Peter II appointed him lieutenant colonel of the Preobrazhensky regiment and the first member of the Military Collegium. He was also entrusted with the search for Solovyov, who transferred millions belonging to the prince to foreign banks. Menshikov.
He also carried out an investigation about official things hidden by the chief chamberlain Prince I. Dolgoruky. In addition to this, according to Karnovich, he was engaged in the extremely lucrative provisions and quartermaster part of the time, and also built ships. Peter II presented him in Moscow with a large house in the parish of the Three Saints, and in 1729 he granted him the eternal hereditary possession of many of the villages of Prince Menshikov that had been deducted to the treasury, as well as the estate with a suburban settlement that had been signed off from Prince Prozorovsky.
The Spanish ambassador Duc de Liria characterizes Prince Yusupov as follows: “Prince Yusupov of Tatar origin (his brother is still a Mohammedan), a well-bred man, very well served, quite familiar with military affairs, he was covered with wounds; The prince loved foreigners and was very attached to Peter II - in a word, he was one of those people who always walk the straight path. " One passion darkened him - a passion for wine.
He died on September 2, 1730, at the age of 56 from birth, in Moscow, at the beginning of the reign of Anna Ioannovna, buried in the Epiphany Monastery 67 (in Kitai-gorod), in the lower church of the Kazan Mother of God. His gravestone inscription begins like this:
“Suggest, who passes, semo, this stone will teach you a lot. The general-in-chief was buried here, etc. "
Yusupov left three sons, of whom two soon died, and the only remaining son, Boris Grigorievich, received all his enormous wealth. Prince Boris was brought up at the behest of Peter the Great in France. He enjoyed the special location of Biron.
Under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, Yusupov was president of the Commerce Collegium, chief director of the Ladoga Canal, and for nine years ran the cadet land nobility corps.
During the management of this Corps, he was the first in the capital to start theatrical performances for his own pleasure and for the entertainment of a few dignitaries, who were detained against their will by the affairs of the service on the banks of the Neva. The yard was in Moscow at that time; cadet actors acted out the best tragedies in the Corps, both Russian, composed at that time by Sumarokov, and French in translations.
The French repertoire consisted mainly of Voltaire's plays, presented in a distorted form68. When the court returned from Moscow, the empress wished to see the performance, and in 1750, at the initiative of Yusupov, the first public presentation of the Russian tragedy of Sumarokov's work "Khorev" took place, and in the same year on September 29 the empress ordered Trediakovsky and Lomonosov to compose ... A month later, Lomonosov composed the tragedy "Tamir and Selim". As for Trediakovsky, two months later he also delivered the tragedy "Deidamy", the "catastrophes" of which "was the queen's lead to sacrifice to the goddess Diana." The tragedy, however, was not even worthy of being printed at the Academy.
But back again to Boris Yusupov. Empress Elizabeth, pleased with the management of his Gentry Corps, granted him an eternal hereditary possession in the Poltava province, in the village of Ryashki, a state cloth factory with all camps, tools and artisans and with a village assigned to it so that he would register Dutch sheep on this estate and brought the factory to a better device.
The prince undertook to annually supply the treasury with 17,000 yards of cloth of all colors, and then set 20 and 30 thousand yards.
The son of this prince, Nikolai Borisovich, as we said above, was one of the most famous nobles who ever lived in Moscow. Under him, his estate near Moscow, the village of Arkhangelskoye, was enriched with all kinds of artistic things.
He laid out a large garden there with fountains and huge greenhouses that could accommodate more than two thousand orange trees.
He bought one of these trees from Razumovsky for 3,000 rubles; there was nothing like him in Russia, and only two of them, who were in the Versailles greenhouse, were a match for him. According to legend, this tree was already 400 years old.
The village of Arkhangelskoye, Upolozy, too, is located on the high bank of the Moscow River. Arkhangelskoye was the ancestral domain of Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn, one of the educated people of Peter's time.
Under Empress Anna Ioannovna, the prince was exiled to Shlisselburg, where he died. During the time of disgrace, the prince lived on this estate; here he, according to I.E. Zabelin, collected an elegant library and museum, which in their wealth were second only to the library and museum of Count Bruce at that time. Most of the manuscripts from Arkhangelskoye were later transferred to the collection of Count Tolstoy and then belonged to the Imperial Public Library; but the best ones were plundered during the inventory of the estate - they were used, as Tatishchev says, even by the Duke of Courland, Biron.
At the time of the Golitsyns, Arkhangelskoye resembled the old village life of boyars in its simplicity and simplicity. The prince's courtyard consisted of three small rooms, actually eight-arshin huts, connected by a passage. Their interior was simple. In the front corners there are icons, against the wall there are benches, stoves made of yellow tiles; in one room there were two windows, in the other four, in the third five; in the windows the glass was still in the old-fashioned way in lead bindings or frames; oak tables, four leather chairs, a spruce bed with a feather bed and a pillow, in pied and grooved pillowcases, etc.
There was a bathhouse in the courtyard, and in the courtyard, fenced with a lattice fence, various services - a cook, a cellar, glaciers, barns, etc. Not far from the house stood a stone church in the name of the Archangel Michael, founded by the prince's father, boyar Mikhail Andreevich Golitsyn. But what did not correspond to the unpretentious, simple boyar life here then - these are two greenhouses, very unusual for that time; overseas trees winterized here: lavrus, nux malabarica, myrtle, cupressus and others.
Opposite the greenhouses was a garden 61 soot long, 52 soot wide, in it were planted: sambucus, chestnuts, mulberries, serengia (2 pcs.), 14 walnuts, God's trees, a little lily, etc .; on the ridges grew: carnation, catheter, lychnis chalcedony, blue and yellow iris, kalufer, isop, etc.
Opposite the choir, a garden was opened up to 190 soots in length, 150 fathoms in width, with promising roads along which maple and linden trees were planted. The last of the Golitsyns who owned Arkhangelsk was Nikolai Alexandrovich, who was married to M.A.Olsufieva. This Golitsyna sold Arkhangelskoye for 100,000 rubles to Prince Yusupov.
Upon the purchase of the estate, the prince cut down a lot of the forest and set about capital construction of the estate. The house was displayed in excellent Italian taste, connected by colonnades, with two pavilions, in which, as in the seventeen rooms of the house, 236 paintings were located, consisting of originals: Velasquez, Raphael Mengs, Perugini, David, Ricci, Guido Reni, Tiepolo and others ... Of these paintings, special attention was paid to Doyan's painting "The Triumph of Metellus"; from the marble of Arkhangelsk, the group of Canova "Cupid and Psyche" is remarkable and the chisel of Kozlovsky is the beautiful statue of "Cupid", unfortunately damaged during transportation in 1812. Yusupov has been collecting the picture gallery for thirty years.
But the best beauty of Arkhangelsk is the home theater, built according to the drawing of the famous Gonzago, for 400 spectators; twelve changes to the scenery of this theater were painted with the brush of the same Gonzago. Yusupov had another theater in Moscow, on Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street, which formerly belonged to Pozdnyakov and which gave French performances during the French stay in Moscow in 1812.
Yusupov's library consisted of more than 30,000 volumes, including the rarest Elzevirs and the Bible, printed in 1462. There was also a house in the garden called "Caprice". It was said about the construction of this house that when Arkhangelskoye still belonged to the Golitsyn, the husband and wife quarreled, the princess did not want to live in the same house with her husband and ordered to build a special house for herself, which she called "Caprice". The peculiarity of this house was that it stood on a small hill, but there is no porch with steps to enter it, but only a sloping path that slopes down to the very threshold of the door.
Prince Yusupov was very fond of old bronzes, marbles and all kinds of expensive things; At one time he collected so many of them that it was difficult to find another such rich collection of rare antique things in Russia: by his mercy, the money changers and junk dealers Shukhov, Lukhmanov and Volkov became rich in Moscow. Prince Nikolai Borisovich, in his time, received an excellent education - he was an envoy in Turin during the reign of Catherine. At the university of this city, the prince received his education and was a friend of Alfieri.
Emperor Paul at his coronation granted him the star of St. Andrew the First-Called. Under Alexander I, he was for a long time the minister of appanages, under Emperor Nicholas - the head of the Kremlin expedition, and under his supervision the Small Nicholas Kremlin Palace was rebuilt.
He had all the Russian orders, a portrait of the sovereign, a diamond code, and when there was nothing more to reward him with, he was awarded one pearl epaulette.
Prince Yusupov was very rich, loved luxury, knew how to shine when needed, and being very generous, he was sometimes very calculating; Countess Razumovskaya, in one letter to her husband, describes the holiday in Arkhangelskoye at Yusupov's, given to Emperor Alexander I and King of Prussia Frederick William III.
“The evening was excellent, but the holiday was the most deplorable. It would be too long to tell everything, but here is one detail for you, by which you can judge the rest. Imagine, after a snack, we went for a drive on terrible roads and damp, ugly places. After a half-hour walk we drive up to the theater. Everyone expects a surprise, and for sure - the surprise was complete, the scenery was changed three times, and the whole performance is ready. They all bit their lips, starting with the sovereign. Throughout the evening there was a terrible disorder. The august guests did not know decisively what they had to do and where to go. The King of Prussia will have a good idea of the Moscow nobles. The stinginess in everything was unimaginable. "
All the Yusupovs did not differ in wastefulness and tried to collect more wealth. So, giving brides out of their kind, the Yusupovs did not give much as a dowry.
According to the will, for example, of Princess Anna Nikitichna, who died in 1735, her daughter was assigned only 300 rubles a year, from household items: 100 buckets of wine, 9 bulls and 60 rams. When Princess Evdokia Borisovna was married to the Duke of Courland, Peter Biron, only 15,000 rubles were given as a dowry. with an obligation on the part of the bride's father to provide the future duchess with a diamond headdress and other shells with a designation of the price of each item. The princess bride was of dazzling beauty and did not live long with Biron.
After her death, Biron sent Yusupov as a memento her ceremonial bed and all the furniture from her bedroom; the furniture was upholstered in blue satin with silver.
Also interesting is the wedding agreement of Prince Dmitry Borisovich Yusupov with the okolnich Aktinfov, who undertook to pay him 4,000 rubles if he did not give his daughter to the prince by the appointed time. penalties - a very significant amount for the half of the 17th century.
The village of Arkhangelskoye has more than once been honored with the arrival of the highest persons; Empress Maria Feodorovna stayed for several days, and in the garden there are monuments made of marble with inscriptions when and which of the highest persons were there. It is very clear that when receiving royal persons, Yusupov also gave magnificent holidays.
The last of these holidays was given by Yusupov to Emperor Nicholas after his coronation. Almost all foreign ambassadors were here, and everyone was amazed at the luxury of this lordly estate. The holiday was the most luxurious and splendid.
On this day in Arkhangelskoe there was a dinner, a performance and a ball with illumination of the entire garden and fireworks.
Prince Nikolai Borisovich was a friend of Voltaire and lived with him in the Ferney Castle; in his youth he traveled a lot and was accepted by all the then rulers of Europe. Yusupov saw in full splendor the courtyard of Louis XVI and his wife Marie-Antoinette; Yusupov visited the old King Frederick the Great in Berlin more than once, introduced himself in Vienna to Emperor Joseph II and the English and Spanish kings; Yusupov, according to his contemporaries, was the most affable and sweet person, without any pomp or pride; he was exquisitely polite to the ladies. Blagovo says that when in a house he knew he used to meet on the stairs with some lady - whether he knew her or not - he would always bow deeply and step aside to let her pass. When he walked in the garden in his summer in Arkhangelskoe, then everyone who wanted to walk was allowed there, and when he meets, he will certainly bow to the ladies, and if he meets those who are known to him by name, he will come up and say a friendly word.
Pushkin sang Yusupov in his charming ode "To the grandee." Prince Nikolai Borisovich managed theaters from 1791 to 1799, and, like his father, who laid the foundation for the Russian drama theater in St. Petersburg, he also did a lot for art in this field; the prince had his own Italian opera-buff in St. Petersburg, which brought pleasure to the entire court.
According to biographer Nikolai Borisovich, he loved theater, scientists, artists, and even in his old age brought tribute to the surprise of the fair sex! It cannot be said that even in his young years Yusupov ran away from the fair sex; according to the stories of those who knew him, he was a big "ferlakur", as they called red tape back then; in his country house there was one room, where there was a collection of three hundred portraits of all the beauties, whose favor he enjoyed.
In his bedroom there was a painting with a mythological plot, in which he was represented by Apollo, and a person who was better known at that time under the name of Minerva was depicted by Venus. Emperor Paul knew about this picture and, upon his accession to the throne, ordered Yusupov to remove it.
Prince Yusupov, in his old age, decided to get into business and started a mirror factory; at that time all the mirrors were mostly imported and were at a high price. The prince did not succeed in this venture, and he suffered heavy losses.
The last years of his life, Prince Yusupov lived without a break in Moscow and enjoyed great respect and love for his purely aristocratic courtesy with everyone. Only one thing did a little harm to the prince, this is an addiction to the female sex.
Prince N. B. Yusupov was married to the native niece of Prince Potemkin, Tatyana Vasilievna Engelhardt, who was previously married to her distant relative Potemkin. Yusupov's wife brought enormous wealth.
The Yusupovs did not know the account of either their millions or their estates. When the prince was asked: "What, prince, do you have an estate in such and such a province and district?"
They brought him a memorial book, in which all his estates were written down by provinces and counties; he managed, and almost always it turned out that he had an estate there.
Prince Yusupov in his old age was very young and loved to mock his old peers. So, once, when he blamed Count Arkady Markov about his old age, he answered him that he was the same age as him.
“Have mercy,” the prince continued, “you were already in the service, and I was still at school.
“Why am I to blame,” objected Markov, “that your parents started teaching you how to read and write so late.
Prince Yusupov was friends with the famous Count Saint-Germain and asked him to give him a recipe for longevity. The count did not reveal the whole secret to him, but said that one of the important means is abstaining from drinking, not only drunken, but also everyone.
Prince Yusupov, despite his gallantry with women, when he was a theater director, knew how to be, when necessary, strict with the actresses subordinate to him. Once a singer of an Italian opera, on a whim, said she was sick; Yusupov ordered, under the guise of participation, not to let her out of the house and not to let anyone in except the doctor. This delicate arrest frightened the capricious artist so much that her imaginary illness vanished from her.
Prince Yusupov, as we said, was married to the widow Potemkina. In the life of this rich woman, as Karnovich mentions, one remarkable circumstance was imagined: the very odd Duchess of Kingston, Countess Worth, who arrived in St. all its myriad fortune. The Duchess came to Petersburg on her own magnificent yacht, which had a garden and was decorated with paintings and statues; with her, besides the numerous servants, there was a music orchestra. Tatyana Vasilievna did not agree to the proposal of the duchess and, being widowed, married Yusupov in 1795. The couple subsequently did not get along very well and did not live together, although they were not in a quarrel. The prince died earlier than his wife, the latter died after him, ten years later. They had one son. It is remarkable that in this line of the Yusupovs, as well as in the younger line of the Sheremetevs, only one heir remained constantly alive. Now it seems that this has changed - the Sheremetevs have several, and the Yusupovs have none.
Tatyana Vasilievna Yusupova was also not distinguished by extravagance and lived very modestly; she herself managed all her estates. And out of some kind of frugality, the princess rarely changed her toilets. She wore the same dress for a long time, almost to the point of perfect wear. Once, already in old age, the following thought occurred to her:
"Yes, if I keep to that order, then my female servant will have a few belongings after my death."
And from that very hour there was an unexpected and abrupt change in her toilet habits. She often ordered and put on new dresses made of expensive fabrics. All her family and friends marveled at this change, congratulated her on her panache and on the fact that she seemed to be younger. She, so to speak, dressed up for death and wanted to replenish and enrich her spiritual will for the benefit of her servants. She had only one dear passion, and that was collecting gems. The princess bought the famous Polar Star diamond for 300,000 rubles, as well as the tiara of the former Queen of Naples Carolina, Murat's wife, and another famous pearl in Moscow from the Greek Zosima for 200,000 rubles, called Pelegrina, or Wanderer, once which belonged to the Spanish king Philip II. Then Yusupova spent a lot of money on her collection of antique carved stones (cameo and intaglio).
The only son of Tatyana Vasilievna, Boris Nikolaevich, is known as a very active and caring person in the performance of his duties. According to the stories of his contemporaries, he was dying in the service and at the economic affairs of his vast estates, and the day before his death he was engaged in the affairs of the service. According to his biographer, "happiness opened up a brilliant field for him."
He was the godson of Emperor Paul and as a child received the Order of Malta, and from his father the hereditary command of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. After passing the exam at the Testing Committee at the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Institute, he hastened to enter the civil service.
As we said, hardworking activity was a hallmark of his character. The prince, owning estates in seventeen provinces, every year surveyed his vast estates. Even such terrible things as, for example, cholera, did not deter him from household worries; and at a time when the latter was raging in Little Russia, he was not afraid to come to his village Rakitnoe, where this epidemic was especially destructive; not fearing infection, the prince walked everywhere in the village.
In domestic life, the prince shied away from luxury; all morning it was devoted to business and business affairs.
But at lunchtime, he was always glad to meet his friends and acquaintances: he did not make analysis and distinction by rank, and, once invited by him, received access to him forever.
In conversation, the prince was playful and witty and knew how to deftly notice the strangeness of his acquaintances. In the evening, the prince was always at the theater, his love for which he inherited from his father, who had run theaters for a long time; the prince, however, only liked to be in Russian performances.
The prince played excellent violin and had a rare collection of Italian violins. Boris Nikolaevich did not like his Arkhangelsk and never lived in it for a long time; at one time he began to take a lot from there to his St. Petersburg house, but Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich, who remembered his Arkhangelsk, ordered the prince to tell the prince not to devastate his Arkhangelsk.
The prince never gave festivities on this estate and, coming to Moscow, usually stayed in his ancient boyar house, donated, as we said above, to his great-grandfather by Emperor Peter II.
This house in Zemlyanoy Gorod, in Bolshoy Kharitonevsky Lane, was a rare architectural monument of the late 17th century; before it belonged to Alexei Volkov. The two-story stone chambers of the Yusupovs with extensions to the east stood in a spacious courtyard; to their western side a one-story stone building adjoined, behind a stone storeroom, then there was a garden, which until 1812 was much larger, and there was a pond in it. According to A. A. Martynov, the first chamber of two tiers, with a steep iron roof with four slopes, or epancha, is distinguished by the thickness of the walls, made of 18-pound bricks with iron ties. Strength and safety were one of the first conditions of the building. At the top, the entrance door has partially retained its former style: it has a broken lintel in the form of a semi-octagon and a sandrik at the top, in the tympanum is the image of St. noble princes Boris and Gleb. This is reminiscent of the cherished pious custom of Russians to pray before entering and leaving a house. There was a boyar living room, dining room and bedroom; to the western side - a chamber with a vault, about one window to the north, apparently, served as a prayer room. In the lower floor, under the vaults, there is the same division; under it - cellars, where barrels with discharged fryazhsky overseas wines and with Russian put and free-flowing honey, berry kvass and so on were kept. Attached to the east, a two-story chamber, which used to be one chamber, is now divided into several rooms.
Here Prince Boris Grigorievich treated the sovereign daughter of Peter the Great, who loved her father's faithful servant. Above the chamber rises a tower with two windows, where, according to legend, there was a church; from it, in the wall, one can see a hidden cache similar to that located in the Faceted Chamber. This house in the Yusupov family is about two hundred years old; on major holidays, a crowd of thousands of peasants gathered in this house with bread and salt, according to the ancient custom, to bring congratulations. The mortal remains of Prince Yusupov were brought here in the hands of the same peasants for burial in the village of Spasskoye near Moscow. The Yusupov princes are buried in a special stone tent attached to the church; the following inscription, written by the deceased himself, is carved on the tomb of Boris Nikolaevich:
"Here lies the Russian nobleman Prince Boris, Prince Nikolaev, the son of Yusupov, was born in 1794, on July 9th, died in 1849, on October 25th", below is his favorite saying in French: "L'honneur avant tout" ...
A golden cross and an anchor are visible at the base; on the first there is an inscription “Faith in God”, on the second - “Hope in God”. Prince Boris Nikolaevich was married twice: his first wife was Princess N. P. Shcherbatova (she died on October 17, 1820); the second - Zinaida Ivanovna Naryshkina, born in 1810; in a second marriage to a foreigner, Count de Cheveaux. From his first marriage, the son of Prince Nikolai Borisovich, was born on October 12, 1817. The prince was considered the last of the family: he had no sons - there were only daughters.
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