Costume Ball in the Winter Palace under Nicholas I
Датируется по покрою костюмов и форме причесок. Early 1830s
One of the most important aspects of the life of the Russian nobility was balls. The main element of the ball was dancing. In the eighteenth century, balls traditionally began with a minuet. At the start of the nineteenth century, however, the opening dance was the polonaise, followed by the waltz. The waltz was a fashionable dance for young people, only permitted at balls as a tribute to the changing times. The centre and culmination of the ball was the mazurka. One of the concluding dances was the cotillion. Play and Passion in Russian Fine Art. St-Petersburg. 1999. P. 128.
Balls and festivities in the Winter Palace were major events in St Petersburg high society. In the centre of the hall there is a fancy - dress procession with many participants dressed in oriental costumes. This period, the age of Romanticism, was characterised by an interest in oriental culture. At one such festivity in 1821, the future Emperor Nicholas I was dressed as a Bokhara prince, and his wife, Charlotte of Prussia, as an Indian princess. Play and Passion in Russian Fine Art. St-Petersburg. 1999. P. 129.