The Summer Garden has opened today after a three-month self-isolation regime. We decided to add a little retro and posted on our page a watercolor by Anna Petrovna Ostroumova-Lebedeva “Summer Garden. Bellona”, which was painted in 1918. It depicts the Bellona marble sculpture, created in the early 18th century by the Italian master Alvise Tagliapietra.

Bellona – the ancient Roman goddess of the protection of the fatherland – was considered the wife of the god of war Mars. During the creation of the Summer Garden, the Great Northern War was going on, which ended with the victory of Russia in 1721. Therefore, Peter I ordered sculptures in Italy glorifying military valor – “Glory”, “Minerva”, “Bellona”, “Mars”. And, of course, the sculptural group “Allegory of the Nystadt Peace. Peace and Victory”, which was commissioned by Peter after the end of the war with Sweden.

A modern photograph shows a copy of the Bellona sculpture. The original of the sculpture is in the Mikhailovsky Castle.
Enjoy your walks in the Summer Garden, and let’s hope that there will be no more such breaks.

#gardensoftheRussianMuseum #MikhailovskyGarden #summerGarden #RussianMuseum #rusmuseum_gardens #igardens