Russia, second half of the 19th century (after c. 1860)

This rare panorama of Moscow was drawn from the top of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Kremlin. It is printed on eight sheets, joined edge to edge into one continuous strip, and turns all the way round to give a complete view of the city.

Read from left to right, it begins at the Moskva River, with the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on the horizon. Next come the Great Kremlin Palace, with its green roof and the domes of the Palace churches, and then the gilded domes of the Kremlin cathedrals in the foreground. The view continues past the Trinity Tower and the Kremlin Arsenal to the Senate. Then it opens onto the wide Kremlin square, with the Spasskaya Tower and St Basil’s Cathedral, and Red Square beyond. From there it follows the Kremlin wall and its towers down to the river and the Moskvoretsky Bridge. It sweeps along the embankments and across the Zamoskvorechye district on the far bank, and closes with the golden onion domes of the Kremlin again.

The drawing is very precise, and it is enlivened by small figures, carriages and boats. Together they make a remarkable record of central Moscow in the mid-19th century.

Technique: Chromolithograph on wove paper, heightened with varnish
Inscriptions: Titled in Cyrillic in the lower left margin «ПАНОРАМА МОСКВЫ I», with sheets numbered I–VIII
Composition: 8 joined sheets
Image size: 22 × 212 cm
Frame size: 33.5 × 225 cm
Frame: Ebonised reeded wooden frame with a gilt inner slip, under glass

Condition: Good overall for its age. There is light foxing in the margins and even toning of the paper. The joins between the sheets are visible, as is normal for this kind of print. The colours are fresh and well preserved.

Comparison: An identical eight-sheet panorama of the same size (22.7 × 211.5 cm) is held by the “Collection” Museum in Moscow (inv. 4142/ИЗО). The museum dates it to after the 1860s, from buildings shown in the view.