Attribution Dispute
Nikolai Sheremetev managed construction himself, hiring architects at will; in addition to original architectural work, he reused drafts of Saint-Petersburg architects. Contemporary academic studies agree on the fact that, while certain parts and details of the palace can be attributed to specific architects (with different degree of probability), the palace as a whole - even its basic layout - has no single author apart from Sheremetev himself.
Of all architects involved in the project, Ivan Starov's input is least controversial; Starov's trademark palladian windows without impost columns were unique for the period, his work for Sheremetev in Saint-Petersburg and Moscow was thoroughly documented and studied. Modern studies also attribute specific palace interiors to Vincenzo Brenna. Shape of southern façade is usually credited to Francesco Camporesi.
Pyotr Argunov's role as a long-time construction manager is undisputed, but his actual creative input remains unresolved. Karl Blank, who died in 1793, consulted Sheremetev in the beginning of the project; later stages of construction (1794–1798) were influenced by Giacomo Quarenghi. Elizvoy Nazarov consulted Sheremetev throughout the project.
Igor Grabar attributed design of the palace to Vasily Bazhenov; this viewpoint is discarded by modern studies as unsubstantiated.
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View from across the pond
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The pediment still bears the Sheremetev arms
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A statue of Apollo in front of the palace
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The estate as seen from the Ostankino Tower
Read more about this topic: Ostankino Palace
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