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| Russian coins Emperor Nicholas I Commemorative Silver Rouble 1859 |
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| Russian coins - Nicholas I Monument Commemorative Silver Ruble |
Russian coins of Alexander II - Nicholas I Monument Commemorative Ruble.
This beautiful silver coin was struck in 1859 to commemorate the unveiling of the monument to Nicholas I in St. Petersburg.
Obverse: Bare bust of Nicholas I of Russia left. Engraver´s signature (A.ЛЯЛИН / A.Lyalin) at bust´s truncation.
Legend: "НИКОЛАЙ I ИМПЕРАТОРЪ И САМОДЕРЖЕЦЪ ВСЕРОССIИС."
Reverse: Side view of the monument to Nicholas I in St. Petersburg. Value ("Rouble") in exergue.
Legend: "ПОВЕЛ ИМПЕР АЛЕКСАНДРА II ВСЕЯ РОССІИ САМОДЕРЖЦА ІЮНЯ 25 ДНЯ 1859 ГОДА"
Exergue: ".РУБЛЬ."
Mint Place: St. Petersburg
Reference: Davenport 209, Bitkin 566, Severin 368, Uzdenikov 4194, Harris 403, KM-28. R!
Weight: 20.67 gram of silver; Diameter: 35 mm
The monument to Emperor Nicholas I was designed by sculptor Peter Klodt on the Monferran’s project (the pedestal of the monument) and set in 1859. It was the first equestrian monument in the city, which has only two fulcrums. In order to balance the hollow bronze statue had to intensify a weight of a back part of the six-meter horse, through the whole pedestal to the base of the pass pillars from the back of the hoofs of the horse. It is the eleventh, the last and the most beautiful horse created by Klodt.
The monument was installed on the pedestal with bas-reliefs glorifying the reign of Nicholas I. Multi-level pedestal consists of 118 individual stones, such as the Finnish red and dark-grey Serdobolskiy granite, purple porphyry and Italian white marble.
At the personal request of his successor Alexander II, Nicholas was represented as a prancing knight, "in the military outfit in which the late tsar was most majestic". The emperor is depicted in the Horse Guards’ parade uniform. On the pedestal there are 4 allegorical figures reflecting the main features of his reign: Power, Wisdom, Faith, Justice, modelled on Nicholas I's daughters. The statue faces Saint Isaac's Cathedral, with the horse's posterior turned to the Mariinsky Palace of Nicholas's daughter, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna of Russia.