Teffi - "Rasputin"

[R. M. Cleminson]

What Jan Zieliński has provided a link to is an oriel window; that this is indeed the meaning of окно-фонарь could easily have been ascertained by looking up фонарь in Dal's dictionary.  I confess I do not really understand the meaning of зеркальное in this context, unless it simply means that one could see one's reflection in it.

As for "растушеванный карандашный мазок", this is rather "smudged pencil shading"; as Seelangers will recall from an earlier exchange, карандаш is graphite, which, in English at least, is pencil, not crayon.

----- Pôvodná správa -----
Od: "Anne Marie Jackson" <annemarie.jackson at ROCKETMAIL.COM>
Komu: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU
Odoslané: sobota, 20. júl 2013 10:50:54
Predmet: [SEELANGS] Teffi - "Rasputin"

Dear everyone

I wonder if anyone can make sense of the 'зеркальное окно-фонарь' referred to in the text below, taken from the beginning of Teffi's account of meeting Rasputin.



   Петербургская оттепель. Неврастения.

   Утро не начинает нового дня, а продолжает вчерашний, серый, тягучий вечер.

   Через большое зеркальное окно-фонарь видно, как на улице унтер- офицер учит новобранцев тыкать штыком а соломенное чучело. У новобранцев сизые, иззябшие сыростью лица. Баба с кульком, унылая, уставилась и смотрит.


Might this be a skylight?  But if it is, then how is it that Teffi is able to see down onto the street?  Are the sides mirrored, and the soldiers on the street reflected in the mirror(s)?  Or is there a less complicated explanation?  Might the зеркальное окно-фонарь be a bay window?  

Whatever it is, what exactly is mirrored?  

Thank you for any ideas!!

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