The Angel of Petersburg

There is Izmailovsky Garden in Petersburg – quiet alleys, dense trees, cozy benches. On a cozy bench, a reader is already sitting. This is him, the Petersburg angel, as this sculpture is called. A small bronze angel in a long, crumpled coat and a funny old-fashioned hat has perched on the back of the bench. He sits under a large maple tree, wrapped in a scarf and absorbed in reading. The angel is depicted as an elderly, intellectual person in an old hat, scarf, and coat, sitting on the back of the bench. He has closed himself off from the rain with an umbrella and is attentively reading his smart book.

This angel was conceived and brought to bronze life by the talented artist Roman Shustrov, creator of magnificent author’s dolls. Each doll has character, smart and kind, thoughtful and sad, cheerful and funny. The Petersburg angel is no exception. According to the artist, the sculpture symbolizes elderly Petersburg residents who survived war, hunger, suffering, and hardship, but preserved their zest for life and intellect, remaining childishly pure and bright.

Passersby involuntarily smile when they see this unusual “park visitor.” Children try to peek into his book to find out what angels read. Passersby put coins on his knees: “Maybe someone really, really needs them? Then let them take them from the angel…”

The sculpture is about 70 cm tall, unveiled on October 12, 2012.

The author of the sculpture, a kind doll maker, Roman Shustrov, passed away on May 14, 2020, at Mariinsky Hospital in Saint Petersburg from bilateral pneumonia caused by coronavirus. Blessed memory to the creator of the “Petersburg Angel.”

Sources:

https://www.ptmap.ru/monuments/132

https://iz.ru/1011346/2020-05-14/umer-skulptor-roman-shustrov