Peter the Great -- Deptford, Greenwich, London, UK
N 51° 29.002 W 000° 01.145
30U E 706968 N 5707793
An oddly creepy statue of Peter the Great, his favourite Court Dwarf, and his traveling throne stands in Deptford, the gift of the people of Russia
Waymark Code: WMT4AY
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/23/2016
Views: 2
This oddly proportioned and somewhat disturbing statue of Peter the Great with a throne and a Court Dwarf stands in a pocket park near the Millenium Quay housing development in Deptford.
It was installed here in 1998 to commemorate the tercentenary of Peter the Great's time studying shipbuilding at the Royal Shipyard and the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.
Peter and a Dwarf with a throne stand on a platform of granite, framed by two plinths. The plinths are engraved with inscriptions, topped with bronze cannon, and fronted with grinning chimeric figures.
Peter the Great appears to be about 2 times life size, and the dwarf may be 1 1/2 times life size. The figures are cast in bronze, and wear fine period costumes with elaborate hats, the curly wigs that were in fashion at the time, and buckled shoes.
The dwarf is dressed elaborately in fine clothes that he might wear in a court visit with the Tsar. He wears a topcoat covered with bug beads, over a buttoned best and short knee-length breeches. His oval hat is lined with ribbon and is festooned with a flower. A cherub playing the flute sits on his shoulder, the dwarf holds an armillary sphere and what appears to be part of a scale.
Peter wears breeches that end at the knee, under a long 3/4-sleeve coat festooned with his badge of rank as Tsar. Underneath the coat, he wears a fine garment with what looks like studs or beads in the shape of crowns and tails. The garment is belted at the waist with a large buckle. Underneath that, he wears a blouse with ruffled sleeves, and a ruffled collar that cascades down his chest. he holds a curved pipe with a small bowl in his left hand, and a ship's spyglass in his right. His three-cornered hat is lined with ribbon and bears a badge of rank and a ribbon extending.
The monument is engraved in English on the left plinth and Russian on the right plinth. We will not transcribe the Russian inscriptions, but the English inscription reads as follows:
"Peter the Great
Russian Czar, Peter the Great, arrived in England in January 1698 and stayed in Sir John Evelyn's house, Sayes Court in Deptford for four months.
This monument is erected near the royal shipyard where Peter the Great studied the English science of shipbuilding.
The monument is a gift from the Russian people and commemorates the visit of Peter the Great to this country in search of knowledge and experience.
[Rear of left plinth:]
Sculptor Mihail Chemiakin, USA.
Architect Viacheslav Bukhaev, Russia."
Bronze reliefs of sea creatures and meals decorate the memorial, which also features two ornate cannons, and cannonball reliefs, on the two plinths.
Visit Instructions:
You must have visited the site in person, not online.