Economic Management for the Academy Buildings

The Economic Management for the RAA buildings
2a Third Line of Vasilievski Island
199034, St. Petersburg, Russia
Tel/Fax: 812 323 6558
Director: Larisa Terskova

     In accordance with the Regulations on the Economic Management for the RAA Buildings, the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Arts shall coordinate and supervise the activities of the Economic Management for the RAA buildings within its competence.
     The structure of the Economic Management for the RAA buildings includes such divisions as a mosaic workshop; workshop for art glass manufacture and  workshop for production of plaster moulds.

Mosaic Workshop
2a Third Line of Vasilievski Island
199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
Tel: 812 328 1414

The mosaic workshop specializes in the manufacture of mosaic icons, creates  mosaics and stained glass from a wide variety of materials for individuals, interior designers, contractors and architects as well as restores original mosaic works.

Workshop for Art Glass Manufacture 
 2a Third Line of Vasilievski Island
199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
Tel: 812 323 1316

The workshop manufactures smalt of more than 10000 shades of color including the golden and silver ones, high quality stained glass, souvenirs of art glass and smalt. 

Workshop for Production of Plaster Moulds
2a Third Line of Vasilievski Island
199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
Tel: 812 325 2483

Art Salon: Monday – Friday 10.00 – 18.00

Our craftsmen produce plaster moulds from the original master copy of a sculpture, artworks of plaster, custom-designed ornamental moldings for interior decoration and plaster casts for students and teachers to use.   
Historical background
    
     The flourishing of the mosaic art in the second half of the 19th century is closely connected with the construction of St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The idea to replace  painting by mosaic in the Cathedral’s interior decoration occurred to its designer Auguste de Montferrand after his trip to Europe when he saw Italian mosaics.  In 1847,  Russian Emperor Nicholas I, who also appreciated mosaic icons in Roman cathedrals, ordered to set up the Imperial Mosaic Workshop in St. Petersburg.       
     Four Russian pensioners of the Imperial Academy of Arts V.E. Raev, E.G. Solntsev, I.S. Shapovalov and S.F. Fedotov went to Rome to study the mosaic technique in the workshop of M. Barbieri.  In 1851, the Italian masters of  mosaic R. Cocci and I. Rubicondi moved with their pupils to St. Petersburg. Also invited were the smalt makers brothers Justiano and Leopolde Bonafede.  After training in Italy the Russian mosaic makers brought home the mosaic works they completed.
     In 1851 Emperor Nicholas I approved the status and Regulations on the Imperial Mosaic Workshop. In 1864, the construction of a new building for the Imperial Mosaic Workshop  was completed in the Academy’s garden.
     The mosaic workshop created at the Imperial Academy of Arts manufactured smalt. Workers from the St. Petersburg Glass Factory and engineer-chemist  Peter Mikhailov were among the first to be involved in mastering the technology. The Russian smalt makers achieved significant technological successes that increased their ability to reproduce the original pictures as precisely as possible. 
    The Workshop presented its mosaic works at numerous Russian and International exhibitions and received high awards. In various years, it was headed by such  talented masters as F.A. Bruni (1866-1875), F.I. Jordan (1875-1883),  A.N. Frolov (1883-1890), P.P. Chistyakov (1890-1912), N.A. Bruni (1912-1914).
     Among the most distinguished works manufactured in the Workshop are mosaic icons for St. Isaac’s Cathedral (St. Petersburg), Cathedral on Spilled Blood (St. Petersburg), Chudov Monastery (Moscow), mosaic ornaments for the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (Moscow) and many other state and private commissions.

     The Workshop for Production of Plaster Moulds at the Imperial Academy of Arts was founded in the 18th century. The present Workshop was set up in 1947 simultaneously with the establishment of the USSR Academy of Arts. Here, there were produced plaster moulds from the original master copies of sculptures by prominent Soviet sculptors: M. Anikushin, V. Pinchuk, B. Plenkin, A. Kerbel, V. Tsygal and others.  

Read more www.mrah.ru

print version