Monument to Krylova IA: animals speak for the fabulist

In the Summer Garden, in the heart of the picturesque playground, there is an interesting and unique monument to Krylov. On the 3.5-meter granite pedestal, decorated with fable characters, sat a bronze statue of the famous Russian fabulist.

History of the monument

The monument to Krylov in St. Petersburg was erected in 1855 for private donations. Summer garden was not chosen by chance: it was here that the fabulist loved to walk.

The author of the monument, sculptor P. Klodt, initially wanted to portray Krylov in the Roman toga, this mood was inspired by the idealistic style of the times of Pushkin and Belinsky. However, in the end, he stopped at the life-image of the great fabulist.

Bronze statue of Ivan Krylov

When you look at the monument to Krylov, it seems that a slightly tired Ivan Andreyevich, in his favorite long coat, which he wore in the last years of his life, sat down to rest on a stone.

In the features of his face there is a special spirituality. It seems that he is about to start writing a new fable in his book. In the guise of I. Krylov, there is no pretentiousness and embellishment, only a calm pensive face, on which the sculptor skillfully displayed the writer's mind and talent.

Granite pedestal

Of particular interest is the square pedestal, decorated with heroes of fables. P. Klodt created figures of animals from life. In his workshop there lived a whole zoo: a bear with cubs and a tamed wolf, a monkey brought by AP Bogolyubov from the island of Madeira, lambs, an ass, a crane and other birds and animals. Perhaps, therefore, the animals on the monument are depicted very realistically.

Only to the goat the sculptor experienced an inexplicable dislike. Neighbor's grandmother brought her little goat every day to the pose shop. Keep a shy animal near the wolf and the bear was not so simple. However, the owner's great desire to immortalize his pet in bronze brought fruit: the grandmother coped with the stubborn animal, the figure of the goat on the pedestal turned out plausible and natural.

Characters fables

Before creating a monument to Krylov, the sculptor read all his works and depicted the characters of 36 fables. Both adults and children remember half-forgotten stanzas from the depicted animals. This explains the lively interest, which invariably causes people to memorial Krylov. Photos of fragments of the pedestal resonate with the lines of famous fables. Here is a mischievous monkey and a topless teddy bear. Did you recognize the "Bremen Town Musicians"? And here "... Crane his nose to the neck Tucked to the Wolf in the mouth ..."

The fence, made in the fashionable eclectic style for those times, organically combines with the monument. Established it 20 years after the end of work and the opening of the pedestal in order to avoid damage to the bas-reliefs.

Once Ivan Andreevich said that his beasts from fables speak for him. Probably, therefore, on the pedestal it is very modestly written: "Krylov 1855". And really, nothing to add, it remains only to consider the monument to Krylov and remember the memorable lines of instructive, not devoid of humor, fables.