Prokofiev Nikolay Dmitrievich

He was born into a naval family: his father served in the navy as a captain of the 2nd rank, and his grandfather was a hero of the Turkish campaign and distinguished himself in battle on the brig Mercury. While still at school, he took part in finishing work on S.P.’s house. Derviz, the interior decoration of the Imperial yacht "Polar Star" and the art industry in general by the architect N. Nabokov (1886-90). After graduating from the Nikolaev Real School in 1885, he entered the Academy of Arts, where he prepared for “landscape art.” In 1888 he transferred to the architectural department, and a year later he was admitted to composition. He began working independently in 1890, finishing what he started together with the architect Gr. Karpov built the cathedral of the Valaam Monastery and the monastery hospital. He also performed other works for the same monastery: he built and decorated the inside of the hermitage church on the islands of the Tikhvin Mother of God and St. Herman; drafted designs for a monastery chapel in St. Petersburg (on the 16th line of Vasilyevsky Island) and a courtyard with a church and residential buildings in Moscow. In 1892 he passed a competition for a small gold medal, and in 1894 for a large gold medal and was awarded the title of class artist of the 1st degree. He was a teacher of technical drawing at the vocational school of Tsarevich Nicholas. In 1895 he was appointed a pensioner and went abroad for two years, where he visited Germany, Switzerland and northern Italy. In Zurich, he did practical work with the architect Ernst, on whose order he completed the design of a large hotel for the Riviera - Hotel a Pavillon (Pegli). On the instructions of the Academy, he reproduced the works of various masters destroyed by five fires in the Palazzo Ducale in Venice. These works, acquired by the Academy as property, earned him the title of academician of architecture in 1902. In 1902 he entered service in the economic administration of the Holy Synod, which he later combined with service in the First Russian Insurance Company and at the Baltic Shipyard, where for about five years he was engaged in finishing and decorating ships. It was used to process the bow and stern and complete the interior decoration of the battleship "Emperor Alexander III"; the exterior and interior decoration of the cruiser "Almaz" was completed, drawings and drawings were completed for the Imperial yacht "Alexandria". In 1902, he supervised the construction in Kyiv (by a local architect) of the house of the First Russian Insurance Company, in whose service he served for about 15 years; designed and built a house for the branch of the Russian Foreign Trade Bank in Riga. Architect of the Court and stables part. He supervised the watercolor processing of diploma projects at the Institute of Civil Engineers. In addition to architecture, the deceased was also engaged in painting. Being a full member of the St. Petersburg Society of Russian Watercolorists, he almost annually participated in exhibitions of the society, mainly with works of marine species.