Re: Maple Room

[Michael HR]

Was not the AP open as a museum in the 20's and/or 30's and this would seem when the photo was taken, long after the IF had left. It was only the onslaught of the Nazi's that the staff had to dismantle as much as they could and hide it before the Nazi's took over the palace and did so much damage. 

[Sarushka]

This was taken in 1914. You can see the Kaulbach portraits of the children which Alix took to Tobolsk:




And this is from the 1930's. The Faberge eggs are still there, but the remaining paintings have been arranged to disguise the gap:



(You can just make out the Kaulbach portraits in this photo of Alix's drawing room in Tobolsk.)


I would guess Alexandre's photo was taken sometime after the museum era of the 1930's. Note sure if it could be after WWII, though. I don't know how much damage the Maple Room sustained during the Nazi occupation.

[Sweet_Angel]

I have wonder for some quite sometime about the height of the Maple Drawing room from the floor to the ceiling and has been trying to figure out, but has neither found any information on the actually height of the room and I hoped that someone here can help me with the answer to it? I am curious to find out, since I have been thinking about for a long time and not come to any conclusion that seem logic to the estimation of heights of the room.

Here is some pictures to show some views on the maple drawing room that might be able to help;

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/p206x206/531724_4506236820771_1978024968_n.jpg
https://sphotos-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/556992_4506236340759_331477264_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/564125_10200394355648239_197837553_n.jpg

Thanks in advance

[londo954]

The restoration of this room will take some work since the room was split in two sometime after WWII...... The Old Pavlovsk Palace website showed a MAPLE ROOM display that undoubtably came from the AP.... It contained sculpture and paneling and furnishings.... Is there any word whether Pavlovsk will return these elements???

[Greg_D]

Referring to the above post, I was in St Petersburg in May and having visited Pavlovsk took a photo of their maple room display and have tried to match up
any items there with old photos pre 1941......its difficult to see some item, but did find this rather beautiful Art Nouveau Jug which was definately present in the
original maple room.....

Perhaps on a separate thread it might be interesting to have photos of objects from the  Alexander Palace in their current whereabouts......

http://s1006.photobucket.com/user/gjdaubney/media/IMG_43152_zps6e9f6b6a.jpg.html

http://s1006.photobucket.com/user/gjdaubney/media/mapleroom_zps225d9370.jpg.html

[IvanVII]

Nice match. I do hope they do the Maple Room right.

[Forum Admin]

I can tell you that the Maple Room is on the "short list" of rooms to be restored in the near future. With the return of the autochrome color plates, it will be possible to restore the room precisely as it was in 1917, which is the goal of the Museum staff.

[Greg_D]

That will be amazing....lets hope the percentage of treasures saved from the Nazis was quite high, as it would be wonderful to compare when the rooms are restored

[lilianna]

Unfortunately, the percentage of the saved from the Nazis is very small. This exhibition at Pavlovsk did Anatoly Kuchumov. All of these items from the Alexander Palace. They are real. When I was in Pavlovsk (on the 3rd floor), I just stood there and watched knew that I was looking for something that was in the palace before the war. It was so nice at heart!

[Joanna]

I have no idea how I missed this incredible research publication by G.M. Semenov until now:

Plans held in RSHA - Meltzer 1902

Maple Room & New Study:
http://tzar.ru/Files/image/adm_003.jpg

Mezzanines in Maple & Study:
http://tzar.ru/Files/image/adm_004.jpg

Children’s Floor:
http://tzar.ru/Files/image/adm_006.png

Research publication including appendix 2 - Table showing rooms/location of objects today:
http://tzar.ru/science/research/adm_back2life

Joanna

[IvanVII]

Is it me, or do the plans for the maple room and study appear flipped?

[EmmyLee]

Looks correct to me, Ivan. Which one do you mean?

They are incredible, Joanna! Thanks for sharing your find.

[lilianna]

Joanna, you did not miss an article by Galina Semenova (see photo where she and I are in the Alexander Palace). This article was written recently. Galina Semenova works in the palace and the palace she knows EVERYTHING!

[IvanVII]

Looks correct to me, Ivan. Which one do you mean?

They are incredible, Joanna! Thanks for sharing your find.

The second link, "The Mezzanines". I believe the study had a mezzanine along the side and the Maple Room had a mezzanine along the back wall. But the plan posted has it the other way around

[EmmyLee]

Yes, you're right. I can't read Russian, but I assume that the largest print on the picture is a watermark. What does it say up on top? Is that where it's labeled wrong?