Palace Square, 8, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 198510
The construction of the fountain structure began in 1721 according to the drawings of Nicola Michetti, on the site of the Small Grotto built in 1716–1717. Peter the Great ordered the erection of the Marble Cascade in place of the grotto, modeled after the Small Cascade located in the residence of the French kings in Marly. Peter himself described the future fountain structure as follows: “At the top of the Small Marly Cascade opposite Montplaisir, make Neptune’s chariot with four sea horses, from whose mouths water will flow and cascade down the steps, and make tritons playing sea trumpets on the ledges, and these tritons would move water and create various water plays. Also, make a ruined structure or ruins...”
According to Peter’s design, Neptune’s chariot with four horses, from whose mouths water would burst forth, was to be installed at the top of the composition. Playing tritons and two three-story semi-ruined towers on the sides were to decorate the fountain, which Peter I conceived as a “Ruined” fountain, symbolizing the capture of Swedish fortresses by Russian troops. Architects Johann Braunstein and the Barattini brothers, Mikhail Zemtsov, and Timofey Usov participated in the creation of the Marble Cascade. The water supply was laid by fountain master Vasily Tuvolkov. However, Peter’s plans were not destined to be fulfilled during his lifetime. After six years of persistent work, due to a shortage of materials and water, the Marble Cascade was never completed. Neptune’s chariot, cast from lead by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, was installed in the Upper Park.
In 1737, construction resumed according to a new project developed by Mikhail Zemtsov. The cascade was decorated with dragon figures carved from wood, their wings covered with canvas and painted. Water bursts from the dragons’ jaws and flows down drainage ledges lined with lead sheeting. Since then, the cascade has been called Dragon Mountain. In the 1730s, the cascade’s appearance changed and began to resemble the impregnable dwelling of three winged dragons guarding the entrance to the upper grotto. Created from models by K. Osner, the fantastical brightly colored dragons gave the cascade another name — “Dragon Mountain.” Barin their fanged jaws, the dragons spew streams of water. It slides down four waterfall slopes and forms a lace-like curtain covering the entrance to the lower grotto.
Marble sculptures made by Italian masters were installed on its sides.
In 1769, the drainage slopes were painted with black and white squares, and the cascade became known as Chess Mountain.
In 1875, the dragon figures were replaced with metal ones.
At the same time, on the initiative of Pavel Baumgarten, head of the Peterhof Palace Administration, an eagle figure found at the Chopin bronze factory in St. Petersburg was installed on the wall of the Upper Grotto, and in the basin at the base of the fountain — a sculptural group of Satyr and Nymph created by sculptor Peter Stavaser. During the war, the statues of the eagle and dragons, as well as the Satyr and Nymph, were stolen by German invaders. Fortunately, the marble sculptures had been buried in the ground and the Germans did not find them.
After the war, the hidden marble statues were restored to their original places, and the dragon figures were recreated based on surviving 18th-century drawings. In 1953, the composition was fully restored to its historical appearance, without Baumgarten’s later additions.
Currently, the composition includes the Upper and Lower Grottos, as well as four rectangular slopes covered with a thin sparkling layer of water resembling huge mirrors. The massive door to the Upper Grotto is closed, guarded by three fierce dragons. Water bursts from the beasts’ jaws and, running 32 meters, falls into the basin, forming a water curtain that covers the entrance to the Lower Grotto. To the left and right of the steps are two staircases, on the outer sides of which are installed five white marble sculptures each, brought from Italy in 1724:
On the left side, from bottom to top — Priestess, Olympia and Jupiter, Flora, and Neptune.
On the right side — Pluto, Flora and Vulcan, Adonis, and Ceres.
The white statues stand on tall gray pedestals and represent a valuable collection of 18th-century park sculpture.
Sources:
https://peterhofmuseum.ru/objects/peterhof/kaskad_shahmatnaya_gora
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Шахматная_гора_(каскад)
https://www.spb-guide.ru/page_18183.htm
http://love-gorod.ru/peterhof/obj/kaskad-shahmatnaya-gora
