Exhibition "Suppliers of the Court of His Imperial Majesty" at the Central House of Artists - report. Exhibition “Suppliers of the Court of His Imperial Majesty From the police chronicle

Becoming a supplier of goods to the king was not easy. The candidate had to prove the merits of his product during the 8-year “probationary period”. Many brands became famous due to the fact that their quality was appreciated by the emperor and his family.

The title of the court "Supplier" and the form of the sign were introduced at the beginning of the reign of Emperor Alexander II in 1856. Since 1862, selected manufacturers, artists and craftsmen have been allowed to use the state coat of arms on their signs and products.

Partnership A.I. Abrikosov and sons

This is one of the oldest Moscow enterprises, now it is a confectionery factory named after. P.A. Babaeva. In 1804, the former serf Stepan Nikolaev, nicknamed Obrokosov, appeared in Moscow, where he founded a confectionery establishment. The partnership became a supplier to the Court of His Imperial Majesty in 1899. Abrikosov paid special attention to advertising. In 1891 alone, 300 thousand rubles were spent on it. The pastry chef filled the whole city with his leaflets.

Cars Russo-Balt

By May 1913, Nicholas II's vehicle fleet consisted of 29 cars. Among them were Russo-Balt cars, the quality of which was confirmed by participation in numerous rallies.

Since 1909, the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant in Riga began producing them. Soon "Russo-Balt" made its debut in the St. Petersburg - Berlin - Prague - Rome - Naples - Vesuvius motor rally. In January 1912, a special sports modification C 24-50, driven by Andrei Nagel and Vadim Mikhailov, took the “First Prize of Routes for Distance” and the “First Prize of Tourism for Endurance” at the Monte Carlo Rally, covering 3500 km on winter roads.

"Russo-Balts" were famous for their reliability, and large orders for them came from the military department. Soon the automobile department of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works was named Supplier to the Court of His Imperial Majesty.

Singer sewing machines

The American company Singer entered our market back in the 1860s through the general European distributor, the German Georg Neidlinger, with a head warehouse in Hamburg and 65 “dealer” centers in Russia. In 1897, the joint stock company Singer Manufacturing Company was founded. And then the success of Russian sales prompted Singer management to think about creating its own production in Russia.

In 1902, a plant opened in Podolsk, producing cars with the Russified Singer logo (to which was soon added the then “quality mark” - the inscription “Supplier of the Court of His Imperial Majesty”). These cars were not only widely distributed throughout Russia, but were also exported to Turkey and the Balkans, as well as to Persia, Japan and China. By the beginning of the First World War, the plant annually produced 600 million cars. They were sold directly in 3,000 company stores, as well as through the “goods by mail” system.
One remarkable fact speaks of the breadth of coverage of the pre-revolutionary Russian market. One of the sons of the famous jeweler Faberge, Agafon Karlovich, was a passionate philatelist.

Having learned that the St. Petersburg representative office of Singer was moving to another address, he figured out how to become the owner of one of the most complete collections of rare Zemstvo stamps in the world. Faberge Jr. offered the company to remove for free its huge and seemingly no longer needed archive, which occupied two railway cars. It was based, as you might guess, on letters of order from Russian cities and villages with stamps pasted on the envelopes. Later, Agathon's son Oleg Faberge lived comfortably on interest from his father's collection pledged in one of the Swiss banks, which eventually went at auction for 2.53 million Swiss francs.

Alcohol producer Shustov N.L.

Nikolai Leontievich Shustov achieved this title for a total of 38 years. He went down in history as the creator of Russian cognac of the highest quality. During his 20 years of service, the entrepreneur accumulated a fortune that allowed him to open a small vodka factory in 1863. In 1880, he bought a plot of land on Bolshaya Sadovaya, where he moved his enterprise.

By the end of the 19th century, the range of products began to differ in diversity - zubrovka, tangerine liqueur, Caucasian mountain herbal, liqueurs of Russian steppe herbs and Crimean. The Shustovs’ unique view of promoting their products changed the consciousness of the Russian consumer market of the 19th century.

Before him, advertisers addressed society as supplicants, but Shustov taught his sons to demand. Through his acquaintances, Nikolai Leontyevich found several students who, for a good fee, went to taverns and demanded that Shustov vodka be served everywhere. Students were even allowed to have a little rowdy behavior - no more than 10 rubles.

Their earnings were a percentage of orders received by the company from catering and drinking establishments that they “acquired.” Thus, in a short time, all Moscow taverns learned about the existence of very good and relatively cheap vodka.

Einem comrades

In 1850, a German citizen, Theodor Einem, arrived in Moscow and opened a candy-making workshop on Arbat. Julius Geis became his companion. Entrepreneurs made good money by supplying syrups and preserves to the Russian army during the Crimean War, which allowed them to build a factory building on Sofiyskaya Embankment, opposite the Kremlin, in 1867.

In 1878, after the death of the founder, the factory went to Geis, but retained the name "Einem" (now "Red October"). The company produced about 20 types of products; “sweet baskets” for brides were especially popular. In 1913 the company received the title "Supplier to the Court of His Imperial Majesty".

Vodka magnate Smirnov

The company of Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov enjoyed particular fame, who in 1862 began his own production of alcoholic beverages at a small vodka factory on Pyatnitskaya Street.
Table wine “N 21”, as well as tincture “Nezhinsky rowan”, have gained the greatest popularity among consumers. These products helped the company acquire the right to depict the State Emblem and the title "Supplier of the Court of His Imperial Majesty and Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich."

The cost of products produced per year reached 17-20 million rubles. The tax that went to the treasury from Smirnov's enterprise was equal to half of the pre-war budget of the Russian army.

Trading house "Eliseev Brothers"

The Eliseev Brothers trading house was created in 1857, and in 1874 it already became a supplier to the Court of His Imperial Majesty. Grigory Eliseev’s bold idea was to create a network of stores offering customers a full range of high-quality food products and wines.

The first large "Eliseevsky" stores appeared in St. Petersburg and Kyiv towards the end of the 19th century. Five departments were opened in the Moscow Eliseevsky: grocery, confectionery, colonial-gastronomic goods, Baccarat crystal and the largest fruit department. The grocery store introduced the residents of the capital to overseas delicacies: special olive oil was brought from Provence, French truffles, oysters, coconuts, and bananas were sold there.

In addition to overseas products, delicacies from all over Russia were sold here: hams, balyks from white and sturgeon fish, the best caviar. Eliseevsky had a huge selection of tea and coffee. "Eliseevsky" was not a store exclusively for wealthy customers; in addition to delicacies, one could buy food here at regular prices.

The grocery store monitored product quality very strictly. The salaries of the employees were very high, but the requirements were also appropriate. In addition to a huge selection of goods, Eliseevsky was distinguished by a huge range of its production. There were bakeries, oil-pressing, salting and smoking shops, and the production of jams, marmalades, roasting coffee beans, bottling wines, drinks, etc. was established.

At the corner of Pyatnitskaya Street and Ovchinnikovskaya Embankment there is a mansion that seems frozen in time. This house was built in the middle of the 19th century by the merchant Morkovkin. Almost nothing is known about him, except that he came from the peasants of the count.

The main history of the house is connected with the wine and vodka king of the Russian Empire. The inscription “Supplier to the Court of HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY Petr Arsenievich Smirnov” still adorns the side of the house.

Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov came to Moscow in 1860, when he received his freedom, and immediately opened a small wine shop with nine employees. His dream was to launch the production of high-quality vodka instead of what was drunk in taverns and taverns at that time. In 1863, he built a small vodka factory near the Chugunny Bridge on Ovchinnikovskaya Embankment, which immediately began producing good quality goods and quickly became widespread.

Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov bought this three-story house from the merchant Morkovkin in 1867. Smirnov got a good-quality house with a large yard, several outbuildings and a deep basement where barrels of wine could be kept. The mansion on Pyatnitskaya was purchased specifically so that Pyotr Arsenievich himself could control the quality of beverage production, since he valued his reputation very much. Nine years later, he rebuilt the building according to the design of the architect N. A. Heinz. The entrance was decorated with a cast-iron canopy with double-headed eagles, exactly the same as on the labels of Smirnovskaya vodka. During the Soviet years, this canopy was demolished and the entrance blocked. And only at the end of the 1990s it was restored again.

In 1873, the hereditary honorary citizen Peter Smirnov decided to take part in the international industrial exhibition in Vienna, where he had incredible success and received a diploma and medal of the exhibition participant. From that moment on, real recognition of the business of merchant Smirnov began. After some time, Tsar Alexander III personally wished that the merchant Smirnov would become the Supplier of the Highest Court. In 1886, Smirnov was awarded the Order of Stanislav, III degree, and celebrated this event on his house: on the facade from Pyatnitskaya you can see the inscription “Supplier of doors.” His Imperial Majesty Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov."

The range of goods and their quality amazed even the most serious foreign connoisseurs of alcohol: “Cherry Vodka”, “Nizhyn Rowan”, “Figne Champagne”, not to mention everyone’s favorite table wine No. 21. Empress Maria Feodorovna was very fond of the “White Plum” liqueur. , which was produced exclusively by Peter Smirnov. At the end of the 19th century, the assortment of the Smirnovsky plant consisted of more than four hundred types of products.

After the revolution in 1918, the plant and the house near the Chugunny Bridge became “national property” and ceased operation. The son of Pyotr Smirnov sold the rights to the company “P. A. Smirnov" to an American citizen who began producing Smirnoff vodka, albeit using a completely different technology.

The house near the Chugunny Bridge on the corner of Pyatnitskaya Street and Ovchinnikovskaya Embankment is still a real symbol of P. A. Smirnov’s vodka. Now the mansion houses a trading house and a store where they sell drinks according to the recipes of the founder of the famous merchant family.

Russian merchant

At the age of forty, in 1863, he founded a family company - a small distillery on Maroseyka Street in Moscow.

Due to the limited capabilities inherent in any start-up company, for about two years the plant produced pure spirits and wines in small batches, but after a few years, all the efforts of the talented Russian entrepreneur were rewarded with an ever-growing circle of regular customers, and the excellent quality of the goods became the standard for the products competitors.

The Shustovs' outstanding triumph was the award of their signature cognac drink Grand Prix of the International Exhibition in 1900 in Paris and the right to use the name - cognac.

Here, the talented entrepreneur also took an unconventional approach. In advance, the younger Shustov was sent to one of the distilleries in the city of Cognac in France, he worked there and learned all the nuances of the production of French cognac, which he communicated to Nikolai Leontyevich. He, in turn, put all the subtleties into practice and incognito presented his creation to the world. This momentous event was followed by top honors in Glasgow in 1901, Turin in 1902, London in 1903, Paris in 1904, Liege and Milan in 1905, Bordeaux in 1907, Paris and London in 1909, Naples 1910, Turin 1911

From the police chronicle

“...This year, 1864, October, on the 13th, in the tavern “Spain”, policeman Peter Alekseev was detained and a student of the Moscow Commercial Academy, Prashchevsky Peter, was taken to the 8th district. This young man, 22 years old, is accused of entering a tavern while drunk and demanding that the policeman bring him a bottle of Shustov vodka. The polovoi, Andrei Smirnov, said that there was no such vodka now and offered to bring another, to which Prashchevsky began to swear and hit Andrei Smirnov in the face, after which he was grabbed by a policeman who arrived in time and taken to the neighborhood.

When asked about the reason for the fight, student Prashchevsky stated that he was angry at the deception of the tavern sign, on which it was written that this was one of the best establishments in the city, while the establishment did not serve Shustovsky vodka, which he, Prashchevsky, considers the best vodka in the world cannot in any way be considered the best. In accordance with the statute on civil penalties, a fine of 3 rubles was imposed on the student Prashchevsky Peter in favor of Andrey Smirnov.

Student Prashchevsky was released from custody under the guarantee of Ivan Tikhomirov on October 14, 1864, who was a clerk at the Shustov and Sons trading house. The same Ivan Tikhomirov paid the fine bills imposed on Prashchevsky.”

Condition Basics

Shustov Leonty Arkhipovich in 1802 he settled in Moscow, served as a sexton in the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Kosheli on Presnya, married a merchant’s daughter and enrolled in the third merchant guild. Leonty Shustov was famous for his passion for collecting recipes (instructions) for ancient Russian liqueurs and liqueurs, of which many were preserved in monasteries and among zealous housewives; made them, improved them, invented them himself. Thick books with recipes became his main legacy to his grown-up son Nikolai, the future founder of the N.L. Partnership. Shustov with his sons.”

Despite temporary setbacks, the Shustov empire moved forward. They used original, easily recognizable packaging and bottles, even now, with the serious development of technology in printing and design, there is a lot to learn from them. Nowadays, printing house specialists are engaged in the production of labels. Various printing methods have become possible: , and , .

Label printing in the EGF printing house involves the use of all available technologies using various types of papers, including self-adhesive papers and film. At the time of the Shustovs, labels were predominantly rectangular or oval-shaped; there was no choice of papers. Therefore, the innovations introduced by the Shustovs in the form of a symbol - a bell with gold embossing and unconventional, at that time, label design, set their products apart from their competitors. It is difficult to imagine large circulations of labels at that time, but today, you can order labels in any quantity.

The Shustovs received large incomes from the production of vodkas and their signature liqueurs: “Zubrovka”, “Spotykach”, “Zapekanka”, “Erofeich”, “Riga Balsam”, “Rowan on cognac”, “Tangerine”, “Caucasian Mountain Herbalist” and many other.

The brilliant rise in 1912 was crowned title of Supplier of the Court of His Imperial Majesty. This was preceded by a story of rare determination on the part of an enterprising merchant. At the Easter celebration in the palace, he achieved the honor of being invited among the close persons.

As soon as I entered the hall Nikolay 2, Shustov, not paying attention to the fact that he was violating palace etiquette, rushed towards him with a tray on which stood a glass of cognac of his own making. The emperor had no choice but to try some cognac, so as not to offend his enterprising subject.

With the outbreak of the First World War, the activities of the Shustov Empire began to decline - the sale of alcoholic beverages was prohibited. On June 20, 1914, the Odessa Cognac Factory was closed, and later, when cognac factories were nationalized by a special decree of the Bolshevik government, the Shustov brothers, in order to return at least some money, were forced to process an emergency supply of century-old cognac spirits.

During the troubled times of the October Revolution and during the formation of the new government of Russia, the Shustov brothers did not leave the country. Nikolai Nikolaevich Shustov died on January 19, 1917, Sergei Nikolaevich Shustov worked in the Centrosoyuz, and Pavel Nikolaevich Shustov published the book “Grape wines, cognacs, vodkas and mineral waters” in 1927.

The inimitable style of promoting his product produced the desired effect. It took fourth place among the world's cognac producers and first among liqueurs and liqueurs. Among which are well-known to many: Rowan on cognac, Riga balsam, Zubrowka, Slivyanka. Undoubtedly, the leading role belongs to the impeccable characteristics of alcoholic products. At all times, quality has been decisive when it comes to the longevity of a business. And in the time of the Shustovs, the “Merchant Name” mattered more than financial resources.

On March 13, 2017, the opening of the exhibition “Suppliers of the Court of His Imperial Majesty” will take place at the House of the Russian Historical Society, which tells about the fate of outstanding representatives of the pre-revolutionary confectionery and wine production. The winners of international exhibitions - the Eliseev Brothers partnership, the Beckman & Co. company, the Georges Borman confectionery and other legendary domestic brands of the turn of the 19th-20th centuries will be represented by numerous exhibits and extensive photographic material from the Abrau-Durso funds and the Museum collection history of Russian chocolate - “M.I.R. chocolate”, Museum of the History of Russian Vodka - “M.I.R. vodka."

The event was organized as part of a joint project of the Russian Historical Society and the all-Russian public organization “Business Russia” with the support of the History of the Fatherland Foundation and the Faculty of History of Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov.

Part of the exhibition is dedicated to the most significant masters of the confectionery business: A.I. Abrikosov, the founder of the famous confectionery factory “Partnership A.I. Abrikosov's sons" (now the Babaevsky concern), Georges Bormann - the founder of the confectionery company and the trademark of his name, Ferdinand Theodor von Einem - the founder of the "Einem Partnership" (now "Red October"), the Trading House "A. Siu and K" (now the Bolshevik factory).

In the second half of the 19th century, confectionery production in Russia grew and developed at a rapid pace. All over the country, small and large partnerships and artels arose for the production of chocolate, sweets, caramel, candies and other various sweets. Competition contributed to expanding the range of products, improving the quality of goods, and creating interesting and vibrant advertising, which was often the product packaging itself. The real chocolate king of the Russian Empire was Alexey Ivanovich Abrikosov, who came from a merchant family. In 1849, Alexey Ivanovich started his own confectionery enterprise, which constantly expanded, becoming by the end of the 19th century the largest confectionery enterprise in Russia, Supplier to the Court of His Imperial Highness. He was not only the largest manufacturer of confectionery products, but also an active public figure: for his outstanding services he was awarded the highest awards: from the Gold Medal on the Annin Ribbon to the Order of St. Vladimir of the third degree, inclusive, and the rank of Full State Councilor. Another famous owner of a confectionery company is Grigory Nikolaevich Borman, founder of the confectionery brand “Georges Borman”, merchant of the 2nd guild, hereditary honorary citizen of St. Petersburg. His activity began in 1866 with the purchase of a chocolate factory on English Avenue from the German confectioner Heinrich Pfeiffer. Since 1876, Bormann was awarded the title “Supplier of the Court of His Imperial Majesty” with the right to depict the State Emblem on his products.

The second part of the exhibition is dedicated to the wine masters of pre-revolutionary Russia, both famous and undeservedly forgotten. Among them: the Eliseev Brothers trading partnership, the N.L. Shustov with Sons", vodka distillery "Beckman and Co", vodka distillery "Keller and Co", the company "Heidsieck & Co" and some others. Of particular interest among the exhibits are authentic drinks for emperors and grand dukes, which have become invaluable evidence of great art in the production of domestic wine and vodka products. Separately, the exhibition presents the history of the revival of the famous champagne wine producer Abrau-Durso.

The history of the domestic production of high-quality drinks has many glorious pages. In 1892, at the World Exhibition in Paris, the Eliseevs received the highest award for aging French wines, and at all subsequent international exhibitions, French wines from the collection of the Eliseev Brothers trading house were accepted only out of competition - it was recognized that they had no equal in level and range. Already in 1900, at a grandiose exhibition, which was visited by more than 50 million people, including representatives of royal families, the collection of the best French wines “RetourdeRussie”, exhibited out of competition, presented by the Eliseev Brothers trading house, became a world sensation, for which Grigory Eliseev was awarded Order of the Legion of Honor. Another notable victory of the Russian manufacturer is the Grand Prix of the N.L. Shustov and his sons" for the "Fin-Champagne Selected" cognac. The jury conducted a blind tasting and awarded victory to the sample, which turned out to be Russian. This is how the product became famous all over the world. To promote the drink in Russia, the entrepreneur resorted to a trick: bribed young dandies who demanded “Shustov’s cognac” to be served in the best establishments, indignantly left the establishment if this drink was not available, thereby forcing restaurant owners to purchase it.

These and other bright and entertaining episodes from the history of the activities of suppliers to the Court of His Imperial Majesty will be told at the exhibition. Entrance to the exhibition is by ticket. You have a unique opportunity to combine a visit to a temporary thematic exhibition with a sightseeing tour of the estate and the House of the Russian Historical Society, including the Alexander, Okhotnichiy, and Streletsky halls.

How to visit the exhibition?

The exhibition takes place in the House of the Russian Historical Society at the address: Moscow, st. Vorontsovo field 13с1

Dates:

16.03.2017 - 17.04.2017

Exhibition opening hours:

Tuesday, Thursday: Group I 17:00 - 18:00, Group II 19:00 - 20:00. Saturday: Group I 12:00 - 13:00, Group II 14:00 - 15:00

Tickets:

Ticket price is 150 rubles. Preliminary electronic registration

Children under 12 years old are free.

Majesty is an honorary title for a number of brands in the Russian Empire.

Watches from the St. Petersburg factory of Pavel Bure

Characteristic

Merchants who constantly supplied goods to the court received the right to be called “Supplier of the Court of His Imperial Majesty.”

Since 1862, the use of the state coat of arms on signs and products has been permitted for manufacturers, artists and craftsmen who supplied the items they prepared to the Highest Court or carried out orders for the Court over a period of 8-10 years.

In total, at the beginning of the 20th century, there were 30-40 companies that had this title. Cognac producer Shustov N.L. achieved this status for a total of 38 years. Other well-known suppliers of the court were the progenitor of the Smirnoff brand, P. A. Smirnov, chocolate manufacturer Theodor Einem, founder of the Einem factory ( see confectionery factory "Red October"), confectionery establishment Abrikosov ( see Babaev's confectionery factory), manufacturer of sewing machines "Singer", car manufacturers Russo-Balt and Mercedes, jewelry house Faberge, grocery store Eliseevsky, watch manufacturers Pavel Bure, Tissot and Breguet.

After the Bolsheviks came to power, former suppliers to the imperial court were subject to nationalization, and many production facilities stopped. "Singer" resumed work in 1923 under the brand name "Gosshveymashina", then - "Podolsk Mechanical Plant". The founder of the Smirnov brand emigrated to France, after which the French spelling of the brand (“Smirnoff”) spread, and the production of Russo-Balt cars ceased.

Sign

In 1901, a new image of the Supplier's sign was approved. Under the shield there was a ribbon indicating the status of the Supplier ( “The Highest Court” - “Supplier of the Court of His Imperial Majesty”, “Empress Maria Feodorovna”, “Empress Alexandra Feodorovna” or Grand Dukes and Duchesses). The year the title was awarded was indicated, and a special certificate was issued from the Chancellery of the Ministry of the Imperial Household, with a color image of the sign.

List

The indicated year is the time of obtaining the title.

A

B

Glass and crystal production enterprise - Bakhmetev plant
Becker, Jacob- “Piano Factory Jacob Becker” (since 1867)
Bloom, Johan- jeweler
Bock, Karl Ivanovich- Trading house of master jeweler K. Bok
Borman, Grigory Nikolaevich- pastry chef, "Georges Bormann". See Kharkov confectionery factory, modern. Biscuit-Chocolate.
M. P. Borodina and comp.- trading house; stationery; owners: Rosset Felix Feliksovich and his wife Rosset Elizaveta Pavlovna (since 1905)
Bure, Pavel Karlovich- watch
Heinrich Brocard- Partnership for perfumery production "Brocard and Co."

IN

G

D

E

Z

AND

TO

L

Lamanova, Nadezhda Petrovna- fashion designer
Lagidze, Mitrofan Varlamovich- mineral water. Modern Tikhvin lemonade factory.
Fast Printing Association A. A. Levenson(since 1896)

M

N

ABOUT

P

R

WITH

T

R

"A. Ralle and Co.- perfumes

F

C

Zimmerman, Yuliy Genrikhovich- musical instruments

Sh

SCH

A. Shcherbakov, I. F. Yates- paper. See Assumption Paper Mill (execution 1994)

E

I

Iisakki Järvenpää(Iisakki Järvenpää) - puukko knives, since 1888
Yakovlev P.D. - crews

B

C

L

T

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Literature

V. V. Skurlov and A. N. Ivanov “Suppliers of the Highest Court.” St. Petersburg, 2002

Notes

An excerpt characterizing the Supplier of His Imperial Majesty's Court

“I think no one was courtisee [the object of courtship] like her,” said Vera; - but never, until very recently, did she seriously like anyone. “You know, Count,” she turned to Pierre, “even our dear cousin Boris, who was, entre nous [between us], very, very dans le pays du tendre... [in the land of tenderness...]
Prince Andrei frowned and remained silent.
– You’re friends with Boris, aren’t you? - Vera told him.
- Yes, I know him…
– Did he tell you correctly about his childhood love for Natasha?
– Was there childhood love? - Prince Andrei suddenly asked, blushing unexpectedly.
- Yes. Vous savez entre cousin et cousine cette intimate mene quelquefois a l"amour: le cousinage est un dangereux voisinage, N"est ce pas? [You know, between a cousin and sister, this closeness sometimes leads to love. Such kinship is a dangerous neighborhood. Is not it?]
“Oh, without a doubt,” said Prince Andrei, and suddenly, unnaturally animated, he began joking with Pierre about how he should be careful in his treatment of his 50-year-old Moscow cousins, and in the middle of the joking conversation he stood up and, taking under Pierre's arm and took him aside.
- Well? - said Pierre, looking with surprise at the strange animation of his friend and noticing the look that he cast at Natasha as he stood up.
“I need, I need to talk to you,” said Prince Andrei. – You know our women’s gloves (he was talking about those Masonic gloves that were given to a newly elected brother to give to his beloved woman). “I... But no, I’ll talk to you later...” And with a strange sparkle in his eyes and anxiety in his movements, Prince Andrei approached Natasha and sat down next to her. Pierre saw Prince Andrei ask her something, and she flushed and answered him.
But at this time Berg approached Pierre, urgently asking him to take part in the dispute between the general and the colonel about Spanish affairs.
Berg was pleased and happy. The smile of joy did not leave his face. The evening was very good and exactly like other evenings he had seen. Everything was similar. And ladies', delicate conversations, and cards, and a general at cards, raising his voice, and a samovar, and cookies; but one thing was still missing, something that he always saw at the evenings, which he wanted to imitate.
There was a lack of loud conversation between men and an argument about something important and smart. The general started this conversation and Berg attracted Pierre to him.

The next day, Prince Andrei went to the Rostovs for dinner, as Count Ilya Andreich called him, and spent the whole day with them.
Everyone in the house felt for whom Prince Andrei was traveling, and he, without hiding, tried to be with Natasha all day. Not only in Natasha’s frightened, but happy and enthusiastic soul, but in the whole house one could feel the fear of something important that was about to happen. The Countess looked at Prince Andrei with sad and seriously stern eyes when he spoke to Natasha, and timidly and feignedly began some insignificant conversation as soon as he looked back at her. Sonya was afraid to leave Natasha and was afraid to be a hindrance when she was with them. Natasha turned pale with fear of anticipation when she remained alone with him for minutes. Prince Andrei amazed her with his timidity. She felt that he needed to tell her something, but that he could not bring himself to do so.
When Prince Andrey left in the evening, the Countess came up to Natasha and said in a whisper:
- Well?
“Mom, for God’s sake don’t ask me anything now.” “You can’t say that,” Natasha said.
But despite this, that evening Natasha, sometimes excited, sometimes frightened, with fixed eyes, lay for a long time in her mother’s bed. Either she told her how he praised her, then how he said that he would go abroad, then how he asked where they would live this summer, then how he asked her about Boris.
- But this, this... has never happened to me! - she said. “Only I’m scared in front of him, I’m always scared in front of him, what does that mean?” That means it's real, right? Mom, are you sleeping?
“No, my soul, I’m scared myself,” answered the mother. - Go.
- I won’t sleep anyway. What nonsense is it to sleep? Mom, mom, this has never happened to me! - she said with surprise and fear at the feeling that she recognized in herself. – And could we think!...
It seemed to Natasha that even when she first saw Prince Andrey in Otradnoye, she fell in love with him. She seemed to be frightened by this strange, unexpected happiness, that the one whom she had chosen back then (she was firmly convinced of this), that the same one had now met her again, and, it seemed, was not indifferent to her. “And he had to come to St. Petersburg on purpose now that we are here. And we had to meet at this ball. It's all fate. It is clear that this is fate, that all this was leading to this. Even then, as soon as I saw him, I felt something special.”
- What else did he tell you? What verses are these? Read... - the mother said thoughtfully, asking about the poems that Prince Andrei wrote in Natasha’s album.
“Mom, isn’t it a shame that he’s a widower?”
- That's enough, Natasha. Pray to God. Les Marieiages se font dans les cieux. [Marriages are made in heaven.]
- Darling, mother, how I love you, how good it makes me feel! – Natasha shouted, crying tears of happiness and excitement and hugging her mother.
At the same time, Prince Andrei was sitting with Pierre and telling him about his love for Natasha and his firm intention to marry her.

On this day, Countess Elena Vasilyevna had a reception, there was a French envoy, there was a prince, who had recently become a frequent visitor to the countess’s house, and many brilliant ladies and men. Pierre was downstairs, walked through the halls, and amazed all the guests with his concentrated, absent-minded and gloomy appearance.
Since the time of the ball, Pierre had felt the approaching attacks of hypochondria and with desperate effort tried to fight against them. From the time the prince became close to his wife, Pierre was unexpectedly granted a chamberlain, and from that time on he began to feel heaviness and shame in large society, and more often the old gloomy thoughts about the futility of everything human began to come to him. At the same time, the feeling he noticed between Natasha, whom he protected, and Prince Andrei, the contrast between his position and the position of his friend, further intensified this gloomy mood. He equally tried to avoid thoughts about his wife and about Natasha and Prince Andrei. Again everything seemed insignificant to him in comparison with eternity, again the question presented itself: “why?” And he forced himself to work day and night on Masonic works, hoping to ward off the approach of the evil spirit. Pierre, at 12 o'clock, having left the countess's chambers, was sitting upstairs in a smoky, low room, in a worn dressing gown in front of the table, copying out authentic Scottish acts, when someone entered his room. It was Prince Andrei.
“Oh, it’s you,” said Pierre with an absent-minded and dissatisfied look. “And I’m working,” he said, pointing to a notebook with that look of salvation from the hardships of life with which unhappy people look at their work.
Prince Andrei, with a radiant, enthusiastic face and renewed life, stopped in front of Pierre and, not noticing his sad face, smiled at him with the egoism of happiness.
“Well, my soul,” he said, “yesterday I wanted to tell you and today I came to you for this.” I've never experienced anything like it. I'm in love, my friend.
Pierre suddenly sighed heavily and collapsed with his heavy body on the sofa, next to Prince Andrei.
- To Natasha Rostova, right? - he said.
- Yes, yes, who? I would never believe it, but this feeling is stronger than me. Yesterday I suffered, I suffered, but I wouldn’t give up this torment for anything in the world. I haven't lived before. Now only I live, but I cannot live without her. But can she love me?... I'm too old for her... What aren't you saying?...
- I? I? “What did I tell you,” Pierre suddenly said, getting up and starting to walk around the room. - I always thought this... This girl is such a treasure, such... This is a rare girl... Dear friend, I ask you, don’t get smart, don’t doubt, get married, get married and get married... And I’m sure that there will be no happier person than you.
- But she!
- She loves you.
“Don’t talk nonsense...” said Prince Andrei, smiling and looking into Pierre’s eyes.
“He loves me, I know,” Pierre shouted angrily.
“No, listen,” said Prince Andrei, stopping him by the hand. – Do you know what situation I’m in? I need to tell everything to someone.
“Well, well, say, I’m very glad,” said Pierre, and indeed his face changed, the wrinkles smoothed out, and he joyfully listened to Prince Andrei. Prince Andrei seemed and was a completely different, new person. Where was his melancholy, his contempt for life, his disappointment? Pierre was the only person to whom he dared to speak; but he expressed to him everything that was in his soul. Either he easily and boldly made plans for a long future, talked about how he could not sacrifice his happiness for the whim of his father, how he would force his father to agree to this marriage and love her or do without his consent, then he was surprised how something strange, alien, independent of him, influenced by the feeling that possessed him.
“I wouldn’t believe anyone who told me that I could love like that,” said Prince Andrei. “This is not at all the feeling that I had before.” The whole world is divided for me into two halves: one - she and there is all the happiness of hope, light; the other half is everything where she is not there, there is all despondency and darkness...
“Darkness and gloom,” Pierre repeated, “yes, yes, I understand that.”
– I can’t help but love the world, it’s not my fault. And I'm very happy. You understand me? I know you're happy for me.
“Yes, yes,” Pierre confirmed, looking at his friend with tender and sad eyes. The brighter the fate of Prince Andrei seemed to him, the darker his own seemed.

To get married, the consent of the father was needed, and for this, the next day, Prince Andrei went to his father.
The father, with outward calm but inner anger, accepted his son's message. He could not understand that anyone would want to change life, to introduce something new into it, when life was already ending for him. “If only they would let me live the way I want, and then we would do what we wanted,” the old man said to himself. With his son, however, he used the diplomacy that he used on important occasions. Taking a calm tone, he discussed the whole matter.
Firstly, the marriage was not brilliant in terms of kinship, wealth and nobility. Secondly, Prince Andrei was not in his first youth and was in poor health (the old man was especially careful about this), and she was very young. Thirdly, there was a son whom it was a pity to give to the girl. Fourthly, finally,” said the father, looking mockingly at his son, “I ask you, postpone the matter for a year, go abroad, get treatment, find, as you want, a German for Prince Nikolai, and then, if it’s love, passion, stubbornness, whatever you want, so great, then get married.
“And this is my last word, you know, my last...” the prince finished in a tone that showed that nothing would force him to change his decision.