THE GRAND PALACE

The heart and centre of the whole Peterhof ensemble is the Grand Palace and the two parks adjoining it - the Upper Park and the Lower Park. The names of the parks reflect their location. The Grand Palace was built on the brow of a hill; its southern facade faces the Upper Park which is the main approach to it from the town, while the northern facade overlooks the Lower Park which stretches along a strip of the coast.

GALA STAIRCASE. The staircase was designed by Rastrelli in Baroque style. Its main decorative features - the combination of white and gold colours, abundant gilded woodcarving, and two rows of windows providing much light - make it a typical Baroque interior. The vaults of the staircase are painted in the imitation of wood-carving. The walls are painted by Italian artist Perizinotti and several Russian artists. The staircase is decorated with vases and gilded wooden sculptures which represent the four seasons of the year (only the "Winter" is original). The ceiling painting "Triumph of Spring” (1751) by the Italian artist Tarscia was meant to glorify the Empress Elizabeth. The parquet floor is inlaid in oak, palm and birch- wood. Most of the decoration of the staircase was destroyed at the time of WWII. So it was almost made anew by restores, they used historic documents of the pre-war period. The original objects such as a statue of Winter and a vase were used as models to make new ones. Now we start walking upstairs, we are not supposed to stop on it, so that we will walk up slowly and you will have a chance to take pictures. While ascending, please do not touch the gilded wooden carving, just only hand-rail parts.

From the staircase, a door leads to the BALLROOM; the two sculptures above the door are allegories of Justice and Fidelity. We will see a part of the Ball-room interior later.

EXHIBITION ROOM I: In this first room we can see some photographs and documents connecting with the history of this palace. It was Peter the Great who founded this residence and planned to create a monument of the victory of the Russian army over Sweden in the Northern War. The original palace was constructed between 1714 and 1724 to the designs by Johann Friedrich Braunstein. So you can see a picture of Peter the Great on top of the right wall, as well as a picture of a small palace constructed by Braunstein for Peter the Great. The size of the palace was equal to the size of the grand Cascade.

Jean-Baptiste Le Blond and Niccolo Michetti in later years made considerable additions and alterations. In the 1730s the palace was reconstructed by a prominent Russian architect, Mikhail Zemtsov. When a daughter of Peter the Great Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1741, she found the palace too small and too modest for her, and from the mid-1740s to the mid-1750s Bartolomeo Rastrelli reconstructed and extended the palace, completed some of the most important changes which were made to the original design.

Rastrelli preserved the original division of the palace into a central part and galleries running out to side buildings, but he added side wings which looked south in the direction of the Upper Park. He removed the small wings which closed off the galleries at the eastern and western ends of the palace and built in their place the "Wing under the Coat of Arms" and the “Church Wing"; thus the architect successfully combined his favourite Russian Baroque style with the traditions of ancient Russian architecture.

After Rastrelli some palace interiors were designed by Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe (the Chinese Rooms) and Yuri Veldten (a number of rooms in Classical style). Further interior alterations were made in the mid-19th century by the court architect, Andrei Stakenschneider.

The palace was in the possession of the royal family till 1917, then after the revolution the palace was open to public as a museum. On the wall you can see two memorial plaques stating the nationalization of the palace and the first visitors to it in July 1918.

The palace had more than 50 gala rooms located mainly on the second floor. About 20 have been restored since the war.

The second EXHIBITION ROOM dealing with the history of the Nazi occupation of 1941-1944. When the war began in 1941 the curators of the museum tried to save the collection of the palace, they were able to evacuate 50 % of the collection. But in September 1941 the Nazi occupied the town, and soon the collection left by curators within the walls of the palace was stolen by Nazis. The Grand Palace was badly damaged, it lay in ruins after liberation, as the bomb shell destroyed the central part of the palace caused the destruction of the Grand Cascade as well. You may these horrible pictures on the wall. After the liberation of the town in January 1944, the restoration works began immediately. Here you can see a photo of restores, who made a tremendous work for reviving the palace from ruins embellishing it to the 18^th and 19^th centuries view.

BLUE RECEPTION ROOM. The name of the room is due to the colour of its wall upholstery which used to match the colour of the uniform of the officers of the royal army who stayed on duty here and registered the visitors. The room was used also by a secretary who registered the names of those who wanted the audience with the tsar. In the center of the room there is his table and writing set.

The walls are hung with the views of Peterhof. There is one picture on the left hand-side wall near the window painted by a famous Russian marine painter Aivazovsky.

The ceiling painting by an unknown mid-18^th century French artist represents the "Introduction of Venus on Olympus".

The “zigzag” pattern of the inlaid parquet floor is typical of the mid-18th century interiors, and is made of oak, palm and maple wood.

The large French window leads to the gallery connecting the main body of the palace with the "Wing under the Coat of Arms".

The tiled stove in the corner was an important element of most interiors designed by Rastrelli in the Russian Baroque style. Once it was faced with Delft-tiles, today is imitation.

CHESMA ROOM. The room was decorated by Veldten in Classical style in the 1770s. It was the first memorial interior in the Russian architecture. It was meant to commemorate a naval battle between a Russian squadron and the Turkish fleet in June 1770 in the Chesma Bay in the Aegean Sea. The battle resulted in a resounding victory for the Russians: it was so wonderfully organized that only 11 Russian sailors were killed while the Turks lost 11,000. The paintings on the walls, 12 in total (by the German artist Philippe Hackert), glorify Russia’s victory over Turkey in the war of 1768-1774.

Hackert was commissioned to paint the pictures illustrating different episodes of the Battle of Chesma, basing on the narration of Count Alexei Orlov (who had commanded the Russian squadron in the battle) and of the officers who took part in the battle. All the canvases were painted in 1771-1772. When they were shown to Count Orlov (a favourite of Catherine II) he greatly approved of all but one - the scene of the explosion of the Russian ship "St Stephen" which had caught fire after a Turkish ship. Hackert replied that he had never witnessed an explosion scene (he was not a battle painter). So a special show was set up for him: with the sanction of Catherine II, the Russian frigate "St Barbara” with 60 cannons on board was packed with gunpowder and blown up seven miles off the coast of Livorno in Italy (where a number of Russian ships at Orlov's command stood at anchor). The German poet Goethe noted that this was the most expensive model that had ever been used for artistic reproduction. All these 12 paintings are original, they were safely evacuated.

The ceiling painting “Sacrifice of Iphigenia” ['IfJGinaI] was painted by the outstanding Dutch decorative painter Terwesten in 1690. Its subject was borrowed from a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides which treats the events of the war of Troy. The action of the tragedy took place on the shores of the Aegean Sea where the Battle of Chesma was won by Russia in the 18th century. The painting was borrowed from one of the former mansions in St Petersburg to replace the original ceiling painting which had perished in the fire during the war.

The mouldings depict the trophies of the Battle of Chesma (Turkish weapons, turbans, and plumes) and dolphins - symbols of calm sea.

There is a silver ink-pot which belonged to Catherine II. She is represented sitting on a bench in the Garden. There is also a view of the palace on the low-front board of the bench. They say this ink-pot was so heavy about 150kg, so it has not been ever replaced from this spot.

THRONE ROOM. This is the largest room of the palace (about 400 sq.m (3,500 sq.ft). It was meant for official ceremonies and receptions (foreign ambassadors were received here, too). The room was originally decorated to a design by Rastrelli, and later re-designed by Veldten in the Classical style in 1770. 28 windows provide an abundance of light; the room is illuminated by 12 bronze chandeliers with crystal and amethyst glass and bronze wall lights of Russian workmanship.

The walls are decorated with modeling, flower bas-reliefs from scenes of Russian history. There sculptures of Justice and Law.

There are four more paintings from the scenes of the Chesma-bay battle of the Russian-Turkish War of 1768-1774 painted by English artist Paten.

Above the four doors of the room there are gala portraits of the Russian tsars - Peter I, Catherine I, Anna I (Peter I’s niece) and Elizabeth I (Peter I’s daughter). Between the windows there are 12 portraits of Peter l's relatives. One is worth mentioning: it represents Peter’s elder son Alexei, who was at the head of the plot against Peter’s reforms. Peter the Great disclosed that plot, imprisoned his son in the Peter and Paul Fortress and sentenced him to death in 1718 thus showing a lesson to every one who dared revolt against Peter’s actions.

The throne chair made by Russian craftsmen is original. It is said to belong Peter the Great himself.

Above the throne chair there is a portrait of Catherine II on horseback (painted by the Danish artist Eriksen in 1762). It depicts the Empress dressed in the uniform of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, making for her Peterhof summer residence at the head of the royal regiments just after the palace coup which resulted in dethroning her husband Peter III and enthroning her instead. She is on horse back of her favorite horse Brilliant. She liked that portrait very much. She was 34 in this portrait, and coincidentally she reigned for 34 years, since 1762 till 1796.

AUDIENCE ROOM. The room was decorated by Rastrelli in the Russian Baroque style: abundant woodcarving, mirrors in gilded frames, two rows of windows (some of them “false" plate-glass windows) are typical of Rastrelli's interiors. The mirrors are used to extend the space, so if you stand in front of any mirror, you will get an illusion of the suite-of-rooms, they say one can see 21 rooms, at least. The gilt wood carved sculptures are symbolic representations of different crafts, sciences and arts.

Most of the ornamental woodcarving was destroyed during the war and had to be restored by hand, using the pieces which had survived and Rastrelli’s original sketches.

The ceiling painting by the Italian “historical” artist Ballorini was painted in 1754 to the subject of the famous poem "Jerusalem Liberated" by the 16th century Italian poet Torquato Tasso. The painting depicts the final episode of the poem - the meeting and reconciliation of the Christian knight Rinaldo and the Moslem princess Armida. The Russian commissioners of the canvas attached symbolic significance to the subject: the victory of Christianity over Islam, and the victory of Russia in her age-long struggle with Turkey for an outlet to the Black Sea. (The original painting perished in the fire of 1941. It was recreated in 1979 after a white-and-black picture of the original, which had survived in the archives.)

The two vases made of china are of Chinese workmanship of the 18^th century: they acquired their present-day appearance in the early 19^th century when they were set in bronze after a sketch by the prominent Russian architect Voronikhin.

WHITE DINING ROOM. The room was decorated by Veldten in the Early Classical style in the 1770s. The white mouldings represent fish and animals ("Hunting Trophies"), playing cupids, musical instruments, and garlands of flowers and fruit.

The gilded crystal chandeliers (with a touch of amethyst) were made in Russia in the 1770s. They were preserved during the war. To produce such shade of crystal the workers added a little manganese.

The ceremonial table is laid for 30 persons in a typical 18th century fashion. The 196-piece porcelain dinner service was specially commissioned in England by Catherine II in the 1760s; it was made by the famous English master Wedgwood in 1768-1779. Part of the pieces was executed at the Russian porcelain factories. The meals used to last for 5 to 6 hours. So that the double plates are made on purpose, as the bottom plates used to be pored with boiled water just to keep food warm. The vase in the center was meant for aromatic herbs, it is incense-burner made in the 18^th century in Copenhagen.

The white tiled stoves made after Veldten's sketches are decorated with reliefs “Music” and "Painting".

The next room we are going to enter is of a special artistic value. We can’t stop there and take pictures, as the walls are decorated with lacquered panels bought in China in the early 18^th century. Please do a favor to me: we are just to pass the room.

WESTERN CHINESE STUDY. This is one of the two twin Chinese rooms placed on both sides of the Portrait Room. The rooms in Chinese style (such rooms were often included in the interiors of 18th century European palaces) were decorated to a design by the architect Vallin de la Mothe in the 1760s.

The walls are faced with lacquered panels painted in gold and silver. The panels as well as the doors and the ceiling were painted by the Russian craftsmen in Chinese style after the war. However, two genuine lacquered panels were evacuated before the occupation. This panel is on the far left wall at the window side. The other genuine Chinese lacquered panel is in the Eastern Chinese room also in the same location. So we are walking through the room slowly without stopping and talking, they say that even human breathing can deteriorate the genuine lacquered panel.

The Chinese rooms were meant as kind of "architectural caskets" for displaying Oriental rarities. They are decorated with original Chinese objects d’art, 18th and 19th-century West European furniture in Chinese style as well as Chinese and Japanese porcelain of the 18^th and 19th centuries and Chinese lacquered caskets.

The parquet floors of the Chinese rooms are inlaid with 13 rare varieties of wood (sandal, amaranth, lemon, ebony, plane (платан) and others).

PORTRAIT ROOM. This room is one of the oldest palace interiors. It is the central room of the palace (sometimes even called the Central Room owing to its location). It was originally decorated in the early 18^th century (the room was known as the Italian Salon then) and was the largest gala room of Peter I’s original palace.

The room occupies the whole width of the palace and overlooks both the Upper Park and the Lower Park. It offers a splendid view of the Sea Canal, the fountains and the Gulf of Finland.

The ceiling painting by the Italian artist Tarscia (1726) is an allegory glorifying Peter I. The hero is crowned with a laurel wreath - a symbol of glory; the Russian banner with the Imperial double-headed eagle is streaming in the wind. The hero is surrounded by more than 30 persons - the antique gods Themis ['TJmIs] [Фемида (богиня правосудия)], Ceres ['siqrJz] [Церера (богиня земледелия у древних римлян; соответствует греческой Деметре)], Mercury; Cupids; allegorical figures (Eternity - the winged woman with a ring; Truth striking Ignorance; Vice (зло, порок) escaping from Light).

In the mid-18th century Rastrelli added to the room ornamentation, decorating the walls and doors with gilded woodcarvings. In 1764 Vallin de la Mothe replaced the individual pictures and tapestries which originally decorated the walls with 368 portraits by Pietro Rotari set in the tapestry-like manner. The main idea was symmetry, paintings were selected of the similar size and they cover the whole wall. The whole collection of portraits was acquired by Catherine II from the painter's widow. During the war the pictures were preserved and after the restoration of the room put back in their original places.

The portraits represent young women dressed in different national costumes. About 5-6 girls were seated for the artist. They are not of great artistic quality, but the collection is interesting as a catalogue of period costume. The room is also called the Study of Fashion and Grace; the girls are in different costumes: Turkish, Hungarian, Italian and other countries. On the easel is the artist's self-portrait.

So from 1764 the former Italian Salon became known as Rotari's Gallery or the Portrait Room, and later, as the Room of Fashions and Graces (owing to the girls depicted in the portraits).

Before entering the next room, please have a look at the sea-canal out of the window. Once it was used as a transportation canal for small boats to sail straight forward the palace. At the end of the canal there is a pier where one can ride a hydrofoil boat to St Petersburg.

EASTERN CHINESE STUDY. The walls are faced with lacquered panels painted in Chinese style by Russian masters (only two panels are original; the rest of the panels in the Chinese Rooms had to be made anew after the war). The panel on the right wall is a multi-figure composition depicting the "Military Training in China”. Other panels depict Oriental landscapes and people.

The decorative stove is faced with coloured tiles depicting Oriental scenes.

The walls are upholstered with crimson silk, designed with baskets of flowers. The ceiling painting depicts mythological birds and insects among them peacocks, the symbol of female character. In the left corners there are two decorative chasings of copper representing hen and rooster, they are symbols of longevity in Chinese life.

PARTRIDGE DRAWING ROOM was called so because the silk which covers the walls is ornamented with pictures of partridges. The original silk upholstery dated from the 18th century and came from Lyons in France; it is known that the pattern was made by the prominent French artist Philippe de LaSalle, who made the sketches for silk upholsteries of all European royal residences in the second half of the 18^th century. The original silk became decrepit in the 19th century and was replaced by the silk woven according to the original pattern at the Sapozhnikov factory in Moscow. During the war this upholstery was burned, but after the war the restorers were lucky enough to find an extra roll of this same silk which they used on the left wall of the room and which had been preserved by pure accident. The other walls are upholstered in silk which was woven after the war with handlooms at the Research Textile Institute in Moscow; but even this silk took a long time to weave, with the most highly skilled weavers producing only about 1 sq. in (6-10 sq. centimeters) of the material per day.

In this room ladies-in-waiting usually waited for the Empress to come out. The right wall is hung with a portrait of Nelidova, Catherine II's favourite lady-in-waiting (this portrait is a copy of the 18th century original by the prominent Russian artist Levitsky, exhibited in the Museum of the Russian Art in St Petersburg). The ceiling picture represents allegorical victory of Aurora.

The paintings on the opposite wall are by the outstanding 18th century French artist Greuze. The unique English cabinet below dates from the 1760s; it is inlaid with different types of wood, depicting musical instruments and notes. The cabinet is one of the oldest items from the Peterhof collection: there used to be only four like this in the country palaces around St Petersburg. Only two have survived (the second one is in Pushkin).

There is a 19th century English harp in the centre of the room made in the firm “Erar”. The objects d'art include some mid-18th-century Meissen porcelain and an 18^th-century French clock.

The chest of drawers was made in France in the 18th century.

In the showcase to your right are displayed personal belongings of Catherine II. On the first shelf is her fan, a hand- scratcher, two small ivory made boxes, known as flea-catches. In those days fleas in the court’s palaces were so much spread, therefore they invented these box-catches inside which some honey and a blood drop were added just to attract fleas, the way in the box was through the holes around the box, but out was no way, it was a trap. Some snuff boxes are on the second shelf. Catherine II used to sniff tobacco; it was a kind of fashion in those days. She used to take a pinch of tobacco from the box by her left hand, as the tobacco stained fingers with yellow color, so she kept her right hand unaffected for the ceremony of kissing her right hand by courtiers.

LOUNGE (or bed-room) was one of the state bedchambers. It was originally decorated by Rastrelli; in the 1770s Veldten contributed to the original design when this large Turkish sofa was brought into this room. This sort of large Turkish sofa was brought to Russia by Prince Potemkin in the late 18th century as a gift for Catherine II taken as a trophy in the Russian-Turkish War. The original sofa was burnt down during a fire of the palace; the present-day one dates from 1799 when it was made by the Russian craftsmen to imitate the original. The pillow cases and blanket cover were evacuated, so they are original.

The walls are upholstered in Chinese silk of the early 18th century painted in watercolors or tempera; it depicts rural scenes.

The furniture set was borrowed from the Winter Palace in St Petersburg (it is a copy of Marie Antoinette's blue furniture set).

The “Tete-a-tete” coffee set of 8 pieces was commissioned from the Vienna Imperial porcelain factory for Grand Dukes Konstantine and Alexander, Catherine II’s grandsons.

The porcelain figure of Catherine II’s favourite dog, Zemira, the life-size figurine, was made in the 1770s at the Imperial porcelain factory in St Petersburg by sculptor Rashettet. They say when the dog died; the empress was so much upset, even cried. Therefore the sculptor Rashettet made its life size figurine.

The vase by the Russian master Vinogradov dates from the mid-18^th century.

The portrait painting on the wall depicts the future Empress Elizabeth as a child in the image of the Goddess of Flowers Flora. There are two doors on the right; they lead to the southern suite of rooms of the palace, to the so-called Gentlemen’s side, as it was traditional to divide the palace into parts, respectively for ladies and gentlemen in the 18^th century.

DRESSING ROOM was intended for the morning toilet of the Empress. It was decorated in the middle of the 18th century to a design by Rastrelli. The walls are upholstered in mid-19th century Russian silk imitating the original 18th-century French patterns.

The gala portrait of the Empress Elizabeth painted in 1760 by a well-known French artist Van Loo, President of the Arts Academy of France, was a diplomatic gift from Louis XV of France. The portrait was painted without seeing the model: the artist used the small miniature portrait on top of a snuff box of the Russian Empress which was then available in France. When the portrait was presented in 1760, Elizabeth was 50; however, she looks quite young. Louis XV was a fiancé of Elizabeth. But she preferred her choir boy Alexei Razumovsky whom she secretly married. The pink gilded porcelain toilet service made in Russia in the early 19th century was commissioned especially for the palace. There is another portrait of Elizabeth on horse-back in the uniform of the Preobrazhensky Regiment; it is hung up above the sofa. In front of the sofa there is a table shaped in the form of a bean. Elizabeth used to keep in the drawer her fine-needle work. The chests of drawers were made in Germany between 1760 and 1770.

There are also portraits of Catherine II and Peter III painted during their lifetimes painted by Roseline.

STUDY. The Empress’ Study was meant for her receptions. The silk upholstery of the walls was woven by the masters of the Research Textile Institute who carefully reproduced the original silk of the curtains which has been preserved since the 19th century (the original silk was woven in St Petersburg in 1876 after the mid-18th century patterns made by the French artist LaSalle).

The walls are hung with portraits of Elizabeth I (by the Danish artist Eriksen), Catherine II, Alexander I (as a young man), Paul I and his wife Maria.

The landscape painting “Neptune’s grotto in Tivoli near Rome” on the left wall is by Philip Hackert.

The rosewood writing desk was made in France in the late 18th century. On top there is a writing set, diary books, quill (feather pen) of Catherine II’s time. The objects d’art exhibited in the room include a sandalwood casket which used to belong to Catherine II (made in India) and various articles of Meissen and Sevres porcelain.

The armchairs were made in the 18^th century by the famous furniture master Henri Jacob.

The candelabra of French workmanship date from the 19th century.

In the corners there are two busts of French philosophers: in the right corner –of Volter, in the left one of Denis Diderot, whom she invited for a visit to St Petersburg. She was in correspondence with them. After the death of Volter she bought his library, which you can find available in the National Public library in St Petersburg.

The Russian-made mirror between the windows dates from the 1760s.

The “Lyre” clock was made in France in the 1780s. Originally it was fixed to the wall of the Throne Room.

STANDARDS ROOM. The standards and banners of the royal regiments quartered in Peterhof used to be kept here. The walls of the room were originally upholstered in yellow silk with a purple pattern to match the colour of the Imperial Standard. Hence the name of the room.

The present-day silk upholstery was woven at the Research Textile Institute after the 19th century samples.

The state portraits on the walls represent Peter I with the goddess of wisdom Minerva (a copy of the original from the Small Throne Room in the Hermitage), Elizabeth I, Catherine II and Catherine I.

The most notable furniture piece here is a mid-18th century card table with its top decorated with a genre scene against the background of an architectural landscape, executed in the marquetry technique. This unique table has been kept in Peterhof for years.

Among the numerous objects d'art in this room there is a French 19^th century clock with beautifully sculptured figures depicting an episode from Homer's “Iliad” - the parting of Hector and Andromache. The clock master Pierre Tamire who made it was a supplier of Napoleon’s.

There are two early 19th century French candelabra and an early 18th century Russian-made chandelier.

CRIMSON ROOM (or Cavalier’s room). The guard of the Royal Cavalry Regiment which was traditionally patronized by the Empress was often quartered here: hence the original name of the room - Horse-guards' Room. Receptions of officers of the Royal Guards' Regiments also took place here, and distinguished persons were put forward for the Russian decorations.

The silk upholstery of the walls was woven at the Research Textile Institute after a sample of the original 19th-century Russian-made crimson silk which has been preserved. The modern weavers had to use 19th-century hand-operated looms.

The main interest here is the furniture designed by the famous English 18th-century master, Thomas Chippendale. Chippendale's style is noted for functionality and comfort combined with neatness of structure, elegance of line and highly elaborate patterning. The room also contains a number of chairs designed by Chippendale but made by Russian craftsmen, though it would take a specialist to distinguish the one from the other.

Most of the paintings here represent battle scenes; one (above the wardrobe) is from the workshop of Rubens ("Horrors of War").

We are passing by a small connecting room used by Ladies-in-waiting. The silk on the walls there is original of the 19^th century make by the Russian serfs.

BLUE DINING ROOM. The room, which originally belonged to Elisabeth I, is decorated with her monograms above the doors. Later, the room was furnished for Paul’s wife Maria.

The ceremonial portraits are of Paul I’s wife Maria, Catherine II and Alexander II’s wife Maria.

The “Banquet Service” on the table is the biggest one in the palace: the whole service comprises about 6,000 items. It was made by the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St Petersburg to imitate the famous “Cabbage Leaf” service of Sevres porcelain. The service was taken off to Germany during the war, but was found there after the war packed in boxes and returned to the palace.

The cupboards by the French master Barbidienne who made furniture for the Louvers contain pieces from the same service.

SITTING ROOM. The room contains furniture pieces and objects d'art from the suite of rooms fitted out by the architect Stakenschneider in the middle of the 19th century for Grand Duchess Olga, daughter of Nicholas I, as part of her wedding gift. (Olga’s portrait is in the next room.)

The walls are hung with portraits of Nicholas I and his daughter Grand Duchess Alexandra.

The bronze chandelier was made in Russia in the 19th century.

The following THREE ROOMS are part of the oldest (early 18th century) suite of rooms of the palaces which belonged to Peter I. There are some early 18th century paintings and objects d'art and some 18th century furniture.

In the second room in the southern suite of rooms there is a portrait of Olga, another daughter of Nicholas I.

In the third room there is a portrait of Alexander, the wife of Nicholas I, who was called “The white rose of Germany”, on top of the table there is her symbol, white rose. To marry her Nicholas I had to fight at the knight’s tournament, and he won the marriage.

The forth room is just opposite the Dressing room. It was used by guests who were honored to witness a morning procedure while Elizabeth was helped by her maidens to be full dressed. The invitation was very prestigious; the invitee had to have an invitation card. There is also a very interesting writing desk at the right wall: it has a regressing carve for a big stomach and for knees to sit comfortably. The table might be called a grand-father of the present writing desk.

CROWN ROOM. The room was decorated in 1770 to a design by Veldten. It was originally used as a state bedchamber. The name "Crown Room" goes back to 1799 when the room was used to keep the royal crown (on a special console under a crystal bell-glass) during the royal family’s visit to Peterhof.

The room was completely destroyed during the war (except for the silk upholstery which had been removed from the walls) and after the war had to be reproduced from circumstantial evidence as no drawings, plans or photographs existed of the room. The restorers decided to make use of Yuri Veldten's 1770 drawings for the interior decor of a completely different room.

The carved gilded four-poster bed which stands in an alcove was made in Russia in the 18th century in Louis XIII style.

The walls are upholstered in ornamental 17th century Chinese silk painted in watercolour, which depicts the process of china-making in great detail.

The ceiling painting depicts the mythological subject of Venus and Adonis; it is a work by an unknown 18^th century Italian artist from the Hermitage collection.

The furniture includes an 18th-century German chest of drawers and a decorative table made in St Petersburg.

The most notable objects d'art are 18th century English clocks and Chinese porcelain vases.

PETER I'S OAK STUDY. The room was meant for Peter's studies and diplomatic talks. Its interior decoration designed by the architect Le Blond in 1718-1720 has been preserved ever since without any alterations as a historical relic.

The main ornamentation of the room are the carved oak panels – the work of the famous French sculptor Nicholas Pineau. The themes on the panels were supposed to glorify Peter’s deeds, Russia's military affairs, the achievements of Russian science and arts. They also include the bas-relief portraits of Peter I (crowned with a laurel wreath of a military leader) and his wife Catherine I (portrayed as the goddess of wisdom Minerva). Of the 14 original oak panels, 8 have survived and the rest had to be restored (it took about 18 months to reproduce each panel). Today it is almost impossible to distinguish the panels which have been reproduced by the specialists from the 18th-century originals. But if you look at the walls carefully, you will notice that some panels are slightly lighter than others. These are the restored ones.

The furniture dates from the early 18th century. Among the exhibits there are the books from Peter I’s library; Peter’s original inkstand; his original traveling clock which was made in Augsburg (Bavaria) in the early 18th century, and an astrolabe.

So we have seen the palace. You have realized now that is not a monument of the 18^th century, but nevertheless, it shows great skills of our restores who contributed to the tremendous work of restoration.

We are going down. It would be a spiral staircase. Please hold the hand-rail, watch your step, do not hurry, the steps are very slippery. At the bottom of the staircase, please take off the slippers. Then you will have some minutes at your disposal to do a little shopping in the museums shops, or to pay a respect to WC-rooms. (We are meeting in 15-20 minutes at the exit door to have a strolling tour through the Lower Park to see fountains).

Date: 2015-01-29; view: 1014