Elizabeth of Russia - Arts and Culture at Court

Arts and Culture At Court

Despite Elizabeth’s volatile, often violent reactions in regards to her appearance, the Empress was ebullient in most other matters particularly when it came to Court entertainment. Elizabeth was renowned throughout and beyond Russia for the balls she held and her fierce commitment to the arts, particularly music, theater, and architecture. It is reported that Elizabeth threw two balls a week. One would be a large event with an average of 800 guests in attendance, most of whom were the nation’s leading merchants, members of the lower nobility, and guards stationed in and around the city of the event. The other ball was a much smaller affair reserved for Elizabeth’s closest friends as well as members of the highest echelons of nobility. These smaller gatherings began as masked balls but evolved into the famous Metamorphoses balls by 1744. At these Metamorphoses balls, guests were expected to dress as the opposite sex, with Elizabeth often dressing up as Cossack or carpenter in honor of her father. The costumes not permitted at the event were those of pilgrims and harlequins, which the Empress considered profane and indecent respectively. Most members of court thoroughly disliked these balls since most looked ridiculous but Elizabeth adored them. As Catherine the Great’s advisor Potemkin posited, this adoration was due to the fact that she was “the only woman who looked truly fine, and completely a man… As she was tall and powerful, male attire suited her.” Though the balls were by far her most personally beloved and lavish events, Elizabeth often threw children’s birthday parties and wedding receptions for those affiliated with her Court, going so far as to provide dowries for each of her ladies-in-waiting. The other court pastimes most enjoyed by Elizabeth and therefore most revered in Court were theatre, music, and architecture. The Empress’s had a longstanding love of theatre and had a stage erected in the palace to enjoy the countless performances she sanctioned. Though countless domestic and foreign works were shown, the French plays quickly became the most popular, often being performed twice a week. In tandem with Elizabeth’s love of theatre, music came to be of high importance in Court. Many attribute its popularity to Elizabeth’s relationship with Alexei Razumovsky, a Ukrainian Cossack and the supposed husband of the Empress, who reportedly relished music. Regardless of the reasoning behind its introduction, Elizabeth transformed “her court into the country’s leading musical center.” She would spare no expense in its regard, importing leading musical talents from Germany, France, and Italy. As to the Empress’s love of architecture, she financed many construction projects during her reign. Her most famous creations were the Winter Palace, which she commissioned and oversaw the construction of but died before its completion, and the Smolny Convent. The Convent, built when Elizabeth considered becoming a nun, was one of the many religious buildings erected at her behest and on her (the nation’s) dime. According to Robert Nisbet Bain, “No other Russian sovereign ever erected so many churches.”