Red Gate, Moscow — engraving

"The Red Gate" in Moscow.

Technique, Material: Woodcut / Paper
Artist: Alexandre-Pierre de Bar,  Engraver: Adolphe-François Pannemaker
Date, Publisher: "Voyages and travels, or, Scenes in many lands", Boston, 1884.
Size: sheet 20x13,8, image 15,5x12 cm.

This wood engraving depicts the Red Gate (Krasnye Vorota), one of the most remarkable architectural landmarks of old Moscow, which sadly no longer exists. The gate was a triumphal arch built in the early 18th century to commemorate Peter the Great's victory over the Swedes and later rebuilt in a magnificent Baroque style. It gave its name to the surrounding square and, later, to the metro station that still bears the name "Krasnye Vorota" today. The engraving captures the gate as it appeared in the late 19th century, a striking structure with its tall spire and red façade.

The engraving was created for the lavishly illustrated American edition "Voyages and travels, or, Scenes in many lands" (Boston: E. W. Walker & Co., 1887). The drawing was made by the French artist Alexandre de Bar (1821–1901), who specialized in topographical and architectural subjects. The wood engraving was executed by the renowned master Adolphe-François Pannemaker (1822–1900) , a member of a famous dynasty of Belgian and French engravers who was particularly known for interpreting the drawings of Gustave Doré.

This print is a fine example of the high-quality illustrations produced for this two-volume encyclopedia, which aimed to bring "scenes from many lands" to American readers through "eight hundred and fifty illustrations on wood and steel". The Red Gate, demolished in 1927 during the Soviet expansion of the Garden Ring, survives today only in such photographs and engravings, making this print a valuable historical document.