Joking Fountains "Benches," Alexandriyskoye Highway, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 1985–10
The Catherine Wing was built during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna and consisted of two buildings connected by a gallery: a stone wing for hosting balls and receptions, and a wooden residential wing. It was in this wing that Catherine the Great lived during her time as the wife of the heir to the throne, Peter Fedorovich. It was from here that she set off for St. Petersburg to proclaim herself Empress on the day of the palace coup on June 28, 1762. This is how the wing got its name.
The Catherine (Elizabethan) Wing, adjoining the western wing of the "Monplaisir" Palace from the south, was erected between 1747 and 1755 according to the design of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, replacing the orangery that previously stood there. It is connected by an arch to the Monplaisir Palace. It was built for Empress Elizabeth Petrovna by the architect Rastrelli in the mid-18th century. The palace, designed in the Baroque style, was intended for court balls, receptions, and banquets. At that time, it was called the "Stone Wing." The name "Catherine" came later and is associated with the memory of the palace coup that placed Catherine II on the Russian throne. As a grand duchess, she lived in the rooms of the wooden wing attached to the "Stone Wing." It was from there on the morning of June 28, 1762, that she departed for St. Petersburg to lead the conspiracy to overthrow her husband, Emperor Peter III. This historic event is commemorated by a marble statue of Catherine II in the palace vestibule. Upon ascending the throne, Catherine II commissioned architect D. Quarenghi to redesign the lavish Baroque chambers of the Elizabethan "Stone Wing" in the style of noble classical restraint. The new wall colors gave the rooms their names: the Yellow Hall, the Blue Drawing Room, the Green Reception Room. The only room in the palace that has preserved Rastrelli’s original decoration unchanged is the Warming Room.
The interior decoration was finally completed during the reign of Alexander I. In the 19th century, guests stayed in the wing, and balls were held there.
The shaping of the palace interiors continued over several decades. The last stage is associated with Emperor Alexander I and the significant events of his reign. The victory over Napoleonic France created favorable conditions for the flourishing of Russian Empire style. At this time, the palace interiors featured Empire-style paintings of a martial character, inspired by the art of the mighty Roman Empire. In Alexander I’s study, there are commemorative items related to the Patriotic War of 1812: a reduced copy of the marble obelisk erected on the Borodino field, a paperweight with authentic cannonballs from the site of the Battle of Borodino, bas-reliefs on military themes and the Russian army’s foreign campaigns. Displayed in a showcase are porcelain cups and glasses with portraits of heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812.
The museum boasts a first-class collection of domestic furniture made from poplar, Karelian birch, and mahogany, crafted according to sketches by Rossi, Voronikhin, Stasov, and Rusk. The furniture exemplifies characteristic Empire forms: a boat-shaped bed, trough-shaped armchairs, a sofa with legs shaped like sphinxes, which became a popular decorative element after Napoleon’s Egyptian campaigns.
The collection of decorative bronze in the "Catherine Wing" includes works by outstanding French masters. These are various clocks, candelabra, candlesticks, and incense burners, which were indispensable decorations of the Empire interior.
A tapestry commemorating the founder of Peterhof, "Peter I Saving Fishermen During a Storm on Lake Ladoga," woven at the famous Paris manufactory, is on display. The tapestry was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte but completed under King Louis XVIII, who gifted it to Alexander I.
The pride of the "Catherine Wing" is the famous ceremonial Gurevsky service presented in the Yellow Hall. Made at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St. Petersburg, it comprised about 5,000 pieces and was used only on especially solemn occasions. Its artistic design praises Russia and the peoples inhabiting its vast expanses. The plates feature dozens of images of the peoples of Russia, and the wine coolers depict views of St. Petersburg, Moscow, and their surroundings. The splendor of the service is emphasized by crystal ordered by Emperor Paul I at the end of the 18th century in England.
Throughout the 19th century, receptions for female graduates of the Smolny Institute were held in the Yellow Hall on their graduation day. After the revolution, a museum of domestic palace furnishings from the 18th to early 19th centuries was opened in the "Catherine Wing."
Sources:
https://peterhofmuseum.ru/objects/peterhof/muzei_ekaterininskiy_korpus
https://www.citywalls.ru/house19324.html
https://rusmuseumvrm.ru/data/collections/painting/17_19/zh-2684/index.php
