H495+9P Gatchina, Leningrad Oblast, Russia
The Pavilion of Venus, or Treillage, is a pavilion in the Palace Park of Gatchina, located at the tip of the Island of Love, on the shore of the White Lake.
The idea of constructing the pavilion arose in the late 1780s after Pavel Petrovich’s trip abroad. In Chantilly, he saw a pavilion on the Island of Love, and later its images were used in designing the Gatchina pavilion. The design of the Pavilion of Venus was developed in 1791. The construction of the pavilion dates back to 1792–1793. The pavilion consists of two equally sized parts: an elongated rectangular large hall with chamfered corners and a small rectangular antechamber (vestibule) with semicircular niches on the short end sides.
The main facade is decorated with a four-column Ionic order portico on a high plinth. A wide two-leaf paneled door with a semicircular glazed transom is framed by a profiled archivolt. The transom is emphasized by an enlarged keystone in the form of a console with a relief acanthus leaf and an impost, on which the name of the island and pavilion is written. The portico is crowned by a classical entablature and a triangular pediment. In its tympanum is a carved relief emblem of Cupid — a crossed quiver full of arrows, a burning torch, and branches of laurel and rose.
The decoration and composition of the entablature continue around the perimeter of the pavilion’s facades. Above its covering runs a low ribbon parapet decorated with a treillage lattice. The other facades and the tall semicircular projections on the sides of the vestibule are similarly designed. They have profiled framing and are topped with a shaped keystone. The rhythm of decorative divisions is enhanced by relief medallions located between the arches. The light green color of the pavilion harmonizes with the character of the facade treatment, sheathed horizontally and diagonally with wooden shingles. The vestibule of the pavilion is executed with ascetic strictness and is illuminated only through the door transom.
The large hall is rectangular in plan with chamfered corners, measuring 10 meters in length and 8 meters in width. Five window-doors face the lake. The pavilion’s lighting is enhanced by mirrors installed in the chamfered corner piers, their semicircular frames topped with carved gilded wreaths and garlands. Above the mirrors are painted panels depicting flowers, flaming hearts, and quivers with arrows. The piers on the sides of the mirrors are decorated with ornamental compositions imitating stucco. They are executed in glue paint on plaster in grisaille style on a yellow-golden background. In the same manner, but on a blue background, are the panels above the hall doors. The hall’s ceiling is framed by a rich cornice with symmetrically arranged stucco brackets connected by relief decoration. The grisaille-painted vault serves as a frame for the painted ceiling “The Triumph of Venus,” which was painted in 1797 by the artist Mettenleiter.
The interior of the hall is enriched by four marble fountains located opposite the glazed doors and reflected in the wall mirrors. In 1887, part of the parquet flooring from the White Hall of the Grand Palace, made according to a design by Antonio Rinaldi in the form of large circles and garlands of oak leaves, was transferred to the Pavilion of Venus. Before that, the pavilion floor was possibly made of artificial marble.
During the Great Patriotic War, the pavilion suffered significant damage. The parquet, wall paintings, and the painted ceiling were damaged. The walls and columns were pierced by artillery shell fragments.
In 1963–1965, the pavilion was restored according to a project by architects-restorers of the Special Scientific-Restoration Production Workshops. The wall and ceiling paintings were restored by the artist Lyubimov. In 1974–1979, the pavilion’s interior was reconstructed according to a project by architect Kedrinsky based on drawings from the “Kushelevsky Album.”
In 2007, restoration of the pavilion began and was completed in the summer of 2010.
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