8 Morskogo Desanta Street, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 198516
The Marly Cascade, or the "Golden Mountain" cascade, is located in the western part of the Lower Park in Peterhof. It was built modeled after a similar structure in France. Peter I saw a similar fountain near the residence of the French king. The Peterhof project was developed based on the cascade type in "Marly-le-Roi." The "Golden Mountain" cascade consists of 22 steps made of natural marble, flanked on both sides by walls. Statues of ancient deities are placed on the walls. On the upper wall, you can see three main figures: Neptune with a trident, Bacchus, and Triton. Below each statue are gilded bas-reliefs. The side walls of the fountain are also decorated with sculptures. After Peter I visited the French king’s residence in 1717, he was obsessed with the idea of creating a fountain similar to the one in "Marly-le-Roi." Architect Miketti developed the cascade project according to the detailed instructions of the tsar and taking into account the terrain relief; however, due to Peter’s death, the project was never fully realized.
Initially, the statues of the deities were made of copper, and the marble steps were not gilded. The gilding on the steps appeared when architect Zemtsov took over the project in 1724. Lead sculptures were replaced with marble ones in 1870 under the direction of Benois, during the reconstruction of the "Golden Mountain" cascade.
Subsequent work was carried out under the supervision of architect M. Zemtsov. The cascade was supplemented with gilded marble and lead statues of ancient gods and heroes, and the steps were finished with white marble. The vertical walls of the steps were covered with gilded copper sheets, creating an interesting play of light through the mirror of falling water and giving the Marly cascade its second name – "Golden Mountain." The appearance of the cascade was finalized by 1732, with further changes only affecting the sculptural decoration.
In the 19th century, the lead statues that had lost their former luster were replaced with copies brought from Italy, carved from Carrara marble and modeled on ancient originals. The sculptural decoration of the "Golden Mountain," as well as the design of the Grand Cascade, reflects the theme of Russia’s maritime dominion. At the center of the attic crowning the staircase stands a statue of Neptune, lord of the seas, holding a trident. On either side are Triton, blowing a sea shell, and Bacchus, the god of wine and merriment. The facade of the attic is decorated with three gilded mascarons of sea monsters, from whose mouths water begins to flow down the steps. The combination of gold, white marble, and the dark green of the fir trees growing on the slope gives the Marly cascade an extraordinary effect.
One of the finest statues in the cascade’s sculptural decoration is the marble "Andromeda" fountain by Baratta, an 18th-century Italian master. Water from the cascade steps flows into a marble basin where stands a statue of Flora, the goddess of spring and nature’s renewal. During the war years, most of the sculptural decoration was saved, though the cascade itself suffered serious damage. Post-war restoration returned it to its historically established appearance. From 1973 to 1980, a major restoration of the cascade took place. After an engineering survey in 2012, most of the structures were deemed to be of limited or no operability. Restoration work began in 2013 and was completed in September 2015.
Sources:
https://peterhofmuseum.ru/objects/peterhof/kaskad_zolotaya_gora
