The Alexander Column, Litho — engraving

The Alexander Column in St. Petersburg.

"Alexanders Kolonn i St Petersburg", "Tr. hos Gjothstrom & Magnusson".

Technique, Material: Lithography / Paper
Artist: ,  Engraver: 
Date, Publisher: Gjöthström & Magnusson, Stockholm, 1826–1835.
Size: sheet 27x22, image 20x12.5 cm.

The engraving depicts the Alexander Column, one of the most recognizable symbols of St. Petersburg, located in the center of Palace Square. The monument was erected in 1834 by order of Emperor Nicholas I in memory of his elder brother Alexander I's victory over Napoleon . The project was designed by the French-born architect Auguste de Montferrand, who also built St. Isaac's Cathedral.

This is a unique engineering feat: the column stands 47.5 meters tall and is a single monolithic piece of red granite weighing about 600 tons, quarried from the rocks of Finland . Remarkably, the column is not fastened to the foundation or dug into the ground—it stands solely due to its own weight, thanks to precise calculations . The monument is crowned with a figure of an angel by sculptor Boris Orlovsky; the angel's face bears a strong resemblance to Emperor Alexander I himself . The angel tramples a serpent with a cross—a symbol of the triumph of good over evil and Russia's victory in the Patriotic War of 1812 . The pedestal is decorated with bronze bas-reliefs featuring allegorical figures of military glory and ancient Russian armor.

At the column's unveiling in 1834, a grand military parade involving about 100,000 people took place on Palace Square . The poet Vasily Zhukovsky wrote: "No pen can describe the greatness of that moment... the troops began their march in perfect formation—and in two hours this wondrous, unique spectacle concluded".