The artist is unknown
The picture represents the “Tsarskoye Selo Carousel”, held on May 23, 1842-to the 25th anniversary of the marriage of the sovereign Emperor Nicholas I and Empress Alexandra Fedorovna. A knightly motorcade, consisting of 16 ladies and 16 cavaliers, came from the arsenal site. Almost the whole family of the emperor participated in the Knight’s Cavalcad. All participants in the presentation (their names are listed on the bar attached to the frame) were dressed in genuine armor from the Tsarskoye Selo arsenal. Accompanied by heralds and musicians of the Life Guards of the Kirasir Regiment, a picturesque procession passed through the park and stopped at the Alexander Palace. Carousel was performed here – the type of equestrian competition that replaced with knightly tournaments. The knights moved in a circle and performed a number of exercises on the whole gallop. This action responded to the diary records of members of the imperial family and people close to it.
The picture belonged to Empress Alexander Fedorovna (1798–1860), was in the Alexander Palace and after her death was bequeathed to her son – Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich. According to the catalog belonging to the Empress Alexander Fedorovna, there was a signature on the canvas: “A. R.”And it was called” Carousel in front of the New Tsarskoye Selo Palace “. Monogram “a. R.”Can be deciphered as” Alexander Romanov “. The amateur nature of the painting, as well as the fact that the picture was stored in the Empress’s office next to the works of her other daughter, Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, suggests that this work was performed by Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna (1825–1844) according to his own impressions. All the children of Nicholas I took lessons and amateurly engaged in painting. The paintings of Alexandra Nikolaevna were also in the collection of her father – in the lower office of the Winter Palace hung “Landscape with a bridge through a stream”, “View from the window of the Tsarskoye Selo arsenal” and others.
N. X. Unknown artist. SPb, 2012. With. 246.
