"San Anton Palace Malta" Early 20th Cent. Garden and Fountain Watercolor by Nicholas Krasnoff

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A significant early 20th century landscape watercolor of the paradisical gardens at San Anton Palace in Attard, Malta by Nicholas … Read more A significant early 20th century landscape watercolor of the paradisical gardens at San Anton Palace in Attard, Malta by Nicholas Krasnoff, 1920 (Russian, 1864-1939). This beautiful piece is a wonderful example of the renowned Russian architect's prized watercolors, created while he was exiled to Malta in the early 1920's. Depicting a lush garden full of blooming, colorful flowers and a stately fountain at the San Anton Palace in Malta, one can see the deft hand and attention to detail rendered by the proficient artist and architect's hand.

Signed "N. Krasnoff" lower right. Titled and dated "Malta, St. Antonio 1920".
Unframed.
Measures 10.25"H x 14.25"W.
Right corner has a crease from being bent.


Nikolay Petrovich Krasnov, also known as Nicholas Krasnoff or Peter Nicholas Krasnoff, was a Russian Serbian architect and painter. He served as Chief Architect of Yalta, Crimea (1887-1899). From 1922 he lived and worked in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and was a key figure in the architectural development of Belgrade. Attending the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in 1876, aged 12. As a young artist he received patronage from Sergey Tretyakov, brother of the founder of Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery, and entrepreneur Petar Gubonyin.

In 1887 Krasnov became Chief Architect in Yalta. At the age of 23, Krasnov had large responsibility for the rapid growth of the city. He expanded the promenade, which by 1913 became the city's main street, before creating a new city plan in 1889 (including a new sewer system, planning regulations, new streets, prevention of unregulated construction, a school and children's hospital, and the construction of the Pushkin Boulevard). Two concrete bridges were built over the river, and the embankment strengthened. Krasnov also ran a private practice in Yalta until 1911. Among his most famous work is the Livadia Palace, later the location of the 1945 Yalta Conference. Designed over 60 buildings in Crimea, blending a modernist style with local traditions. Also of note: Dulber Palace, Koreiz (1895-97), Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Yalta (1902), Yusupov Palace, Koreiz (1909), Kokkoz Jami Mosque, Sokolyne (1910).

In 1913, he presented a collection of illustrations he had produced of his works to the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, where he held the title of academician. An opponent of the Russian Revolution, he left Yalta with his family in 1919 for Malta, alongside the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna, sister of Queen Alexandra, and over 600 members of the Russian aristocracy. Nikolay was in a group housed in the empty Villa St Ignatius, which had been a Jesuit college and then a hospital during World War I. To earn money, Nikolay painted many scenes of Malta, signing his paintings as N. Krasnoff. He is known as Nicholas Krasnoff in Malta. In May 2016 MaltaPost issued a commemorative set of stamps in his honor.

In 1922 Krasnov moved to Belgrade, then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, where he became head of the Department of Monumental Architectural Developments and Monuments. His building designs in Serbia number around 60, and were created under the name Nikola Krasnov, as a mark of respect to his adopted homeland.
His key works in Belgrade include: Ministry of Forestry building (now Ministry of Foreign Affairs) (1923) which bears a memorial plaque to Krasnov; the Serbian National Archive Building (1928); and the Yugoslavian Ministry of Finance Building (built 1926-29). He also created the artistic interiors for St. George's Church royal mausoleum in Topola, the villa of the Old Palace in Belgrade, and the House of the National Assembly (completed in 1936).

He died in Belgrade on 8 December 1939, and is buried in the Russian section of the New Cemetery in Belgrade. In 2016 a street in Belgrade was renamed in his honor. See less