The Grand Palace is the main building of the palace and park ensemble "Peterhof," located in the eponymous town on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland in the Petrodvorets district of the federal city of Saint Petersburg. It was almost completely destroyed during World War II and restored in 1952.

Originally a rather modest royal palace, built in the "Petrine Baroque" style between 1714 and 1725 according to the designs of Braunstein, Leblon, and later Miketti, it was rebuilt (1745–1752) by Elizabeth following the model of Versailles (architect Francesco Rastrelli) — in the so-called mature Baroque style. The length of the sea-facing façade is 268 meters. The view of the Grand Palace façade from the Upper or Lower Parks is impressive, but the palace itself is quite narrow and not as large as it appears. It contains about 30 halls, including richly decorated ceremonial halls plastered to imitate marble, with painted ceilings, inlaid parquet floors, and gilded walls. The main entrance is located in the western wing of the palace. This design allowed Rastrelli to arrange an enfilade of ceremonial halls aligned along the axis of the façade (this principle was most fully realized by the architect in the next large palace built — the Catherine Palace). The square hall with a two-story staircase is one of the most striking interiors of the palace, distinguished by its ceremonial and luxurious decoration. In it, Rastrelli achieved the maximum synthesis of the arts, employing almost every possible decorative technique: oil painting on the ceiling, tempera wall paintings, stucco, wood carving, and wrought metalwork. The staircase interior features a variety of sculptural forms: bas-reliefs, cartouches, statues, rocaille, and vases.

But the main decorative element, traditional for Rastrelli’s interiors, is gilded wood carving. The work dates back to 1751; the team of Russian craftsmen was led by Iosif Shtalmeier. The lower part of the staircase is adorned with carved caryatids, recreated in the postwar years. The most noticeable sculptures in the upper part are allegorical representations of the seasons, decorating the upper landing of the staircase. Spring, Summer (on the railings), Autumn, and Winter (placed in niches opposite the first) are depicted as young girls. The sculpture "Winter" was evacuated during the Great Patriotic War and survived. The door portal leading to the Dance Hall is designed in the form of a triumphal arch. The monumental door surround is decorated with two carved figures, "Fidelity" and "Justice."

The walls are richly painted in tempera; the ornaments intertwine floral garlands and other plant motifs, double-headed eagles, and the monograms of Elizabeth Petrovna. Painted figures of Apollo, Diana, and Flora are set into illusionistic niches; the trompe-l'œil effect emphasizes the airiness and lightness of the interior (works executed by Antonio Perezinotti with assistants). This effect is also enhanced by eight large two-tiered windows that flood the staircase with abundant light. The upper tiers feature characteristic Baroque mirrored false windows designed to enhance the sense of spaciousness through light effects.

The ceiling of the Ceremonial Staircase is decorated with the ceiling painting "Allegory of Spring" by Bartolomeo Tarsia (1751). Since its creation, this painting has been perceived as a glorification of Elizabeth Petrovna and her reign, marked by the flourishing of arts, sciences, and crafts. The overall symbolism of the interior is interpreted similarly: it unfolds as an allegory of the prosperity of the Russian state and its flourishing under the aegis of the arts. The major and solemn mood of the ceremonial staircase continues in the Dance Hall. The Dance (or Merchant) Hall, covering about 270 square meters, occupies the entire western wing of the palace. In terms of decorative furnishings, it is the most lavish interior of the palace, designed in a special festive style. It was created in 1751–1752 and has fully preserved Rastrelli’s original concept. A feature of the Dance Hall is the false mirrored windows occupying the main space of the solid western and northern walls. On the opposite walls are real, large two-tiered windows. The piers between both real and false windows are occupied by huge mirrors. The abundance of mirrors creates the effect of multiplied space. Gilded wood carving dominates the decoration. In the piers between the windows, above the mirrors, are tondi on themes from Virgil’s "Aeneid" and Ovid’s "Metamorphoses" (works by Giuseppe Valeriani; currently four originals remain; the other twelve are copies recreated to replace those lost during the Great Patriotic War). The coves, creating a smooth transition from walls to ceiling, are decorated with painted medallions and stucco brackets. The ceiling painting "Apollo on Parnassus" (Bartolomeo Tarsia, 1751), created especially for the hall, occupies the entire vault. The ornamental pattern of the inlaid parquet floor made of maple, walnut, light and dark oak complements the interior.

A small room connected to the Dance and Chesme Halls also has an exit through glass doors to the gallery linking the main part of the palace with the Armorial Corps. It is named after the wall covering: the walls are draped with blue silk damask. This auxiliary room served as a kind of office; secretaries and chamberlains were permanently stationed here, who recorded the palace chronicle in special journals (noting the arrival or departure of important persons, couriers, as well as the delivery of furnishings, etc.). The interior was created by Rastrelli and has not undergone changes since. The current museum exhibition in the Blue Reception Room features mid-19th-century furniture in the "Second Baroque" style, bronze items, and vases from the Imperial Porcelain Factory in the Empire style. The walls are adorned with paintings; one of them is by Aivazovsky, depicting a Peterhof landscape ("View of the Grand Palace and the Grand Cascade"). The reception room stands out for its multiple perspectives, characteristic of the closing room in Baroque layouts: from the windows, the Upper Garden and Lower Park are visible, and through the glass doors, the gallery to the "Armorial Corps."

The Memorial Hall of the Grand Peterhof Palace is the most famous of all the palace’s halls. It is named in memory of the Chesme Battle on June 25–26 (July 6–7 in the new style), 1770, in the Aegean Sea, during which the Russian fleet won a decisive victory in the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774. Catherine II, upon receiving news of the destruction of the Turkish fleet at the Chesme Battle, conceived the idea of immortalizing the glorious event in a series of paintings. In the same year, 1770, the German artist Jakob Philipp Hackert, reputed as a master landscape painter, was commissioned to create the cycle. The fleet was still on the "archipelago campaign" (which ended in 1774) when the work on the paintings began. Hackert was then living and working in Italy; to accurately depict the explosion and fire on a ship, the Russian fleet command, in the presence of thousands of spectators, blew up and sank the old 60-gun frigate "Saint Barbara" at the Livorno roadstead in 1771. This episode was needed for some of the paintings, including the most famous in the series, "Burning of the Turkish Fleet on the Night of June 26, 1770." Six of the twelve paintings in the series are directly dedicated to the Chesme Battle. The other paintings depict subsequent battles with the remnants of the Turkish fleet and various stages of the long campaign of the Russian squadron under the command of Spiridov and Orlov. The paintings were created based on documentary descriptions and diagrams by direct participants in the combat.

In 1773, the artist completed the paintings; their place was predetermined — the Antechamber of the Peterhof Palace. The hall’s reconstruction was supervised by Felten. From the original Rastrelli interior, only the parquet, mirrors in the piers, and the ceiling painting by L. Werner "Ceres Presenting Ears of Corn to Triptolemus" were preserved. Felten, creating the interior in a classical style, used minimal decorative elements: only a combination of white and light yellow wall colors, stucco ornaments of strict design on the ceiling cove, and bas-reliefs placed in the door surrounds. One of them, "Turkish Trophies," is directly related to the Chesme Battle theme; others develop maritime and heroic themes. In 1779, the large paintings (each about 3.2 x 2.2 meters) took their current place. Despite the radical remodeling, the hall’s purpose did not change; as before, courtiers, high officials of the empire, and foreign envoys gathered here before palace ceremonies.

During the Great Patriotic War, the interior was completely destroyed. The paintings were evacuated, but the ceiling painting could not be dismantled in time and burned. During restoration, it was replaced by Augustin Terwesten’s work "The Sacrifice of Iphigenia" (1690). Thematically, it fits even better into the Memorial Hall interior, as it is based on a story from the Trojan War, which unfolded on the shores of the Aegean Sea.

The appearance of the Memorial Hall specifically in Peterhof is no coincidence: Peter I arranged the maritime imperial residence as a monument to Russia’s victories in the Northern War; the theme of glorifying Russian arms was further developed in the Chesme Hall. It did not become the only monument to the glorious victory: at the place where Catherine received news of the burning of the Turkish fleet, the Chesme Church was erected; the Chesme Palace was built; in the Tsarskoye Selo park, the Chesme Column was erected; in Gatchina, the Chesme Obelisk; and later, the Chesme Gallery was arranged in the Gatchina Palace. The theme of the memorable battle was later revisited by Aivazovsky; his painting "Chesme Battle" was inspired by Hackert’s works.

The largest (330 square meters) and most solemn hall of the palace. Originally called the Great Hall, it had no clearly defined purpose. The interior was created by Felten in 1777–1778. From the previous Baroque interior designed by Rastrelli, only the parquet remained. The interior, interpreted in the Classical style but with Baroque volume, features restrained coloring dominated by white and monumental stucco decoration: large stucco ornaments of acanthus leaves on the ceiling coves, oak and laurel leaves (symbols of endurance and glory), emphasizing the ceiling structure; wreaths and garlands are executed in pronounced volume, projecting significantly from the surfaces and sometimes detaching from them.

The main decorative element of the hall is painting, which occupies the most significant places in the interior. The entire western end wall is almost entirely occupied by four canvases by Peton depicting episodes of the Chesme Battle, thus forming a narrative link with the previous hall. The English painter Richard Peton, upon learning of the battle, offered the Russian envoy in London, Musin-Pushkin, to paint several pictures on this theme. His proposal was favorably received, and in 1772, four paintings arrived in Petersburg. They were initially placed in the Winter Palace; later, during the creation of the Throne Hall, they were moved to Peterhof. Unlike Jakob Hackert, Richard Peton did not have precise information about the locations of the ships, so the paintings only approximate the battle events. Nevertheless, they were executed at a high professional level and possess undeniable artistic merits. Nearby, above the door portals, in stucco frames, are ceremonial portraits of Peter I and Catherine I; symmetrically opposite are portraits of Anna Ioannovna and Elizabeth Petrovna (all created by Heinrich Buchholz); in the piers between the second-tier windows are 12 portraits of Peter I’s relatives.

The central place on the eastern wall is occupied by an equestrian portrait of Catherine II, the largest painting in the hall. The painting, called "Procession to Peterhof," was created in 1762 by Eriksen. Catherine is depicted in the uniform of a colonel of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, riding her favorite horse Brillante. The painting captures the historical moment of the palace coup on June 28, 1762, when Catherine, just proclaimed empress, led the guard’s march from the capital to Peterhof to finally remove her husband Peter III from power. Contemporaries noted that this was the most accurate portrait of the empress. The painting has a rich history. After Catherine’s death, Eriksen’s work was replaced in the hall by the tapestry "Peter I Rescues Fishermen on Lake Ladoga" (the hall then received the name Petrovsky); the painting was moved to the Peterhof English Palace. In 1917, along with other valuables from the English Palace, it was evacuated to Moscow; for some time, it was kept in the Armory Chamber, then in the Tretyakov Gallery. Only in 1969, during the hall’s restoration, did the portrait return to its historical place.

The painted canvases are complemented by plaster bas-reliefs that enhance the interior. On either side of the "Procession to Peterhof" are allegorical medallions by I. P. Prokofiev, "Truth and Virtue" and "Justice and Security" (both created in the 1770s); directly above them are bas-reliefs on historical themes: "Return of Prince Svyatoslav from the Danube after Victory over the Pechenegs" (1769; author Ivanov) and "Baptism of Princess Olga in Constantinople under the Name Helena" (1773; works by Kozlovsky, who later created the sculpture of the fountain "Samson Rending the Lion’s Jaws"). These bas-reliefs were recreated in the postwar years by Mikhailova and Maslennikov.

Near the equestrian portrait of Catherine stands a throne chair of Russian workmanship from the first quarter of the 18th century. According to legend, the throne was made on the order of Menshikov for his palace in Petersburg (see Menshikov Palace) to receive the frequent guest, Peter I. The oak throne is gilded, upholstered in red velvet, with an embroidered double-headed eagle on the backrest. The footstool is an authentic piece from the Peterhof Palace furnishings, made in the mid-18th century.

An important role in the hall’s decoration is played by chandeliers with amethyst-colored pendants shaped like oak leaves. Felten, working on the hall’s interior, decided not to order new ones but to use lamps already in the palace department’s warehouses. The 12 chandeliers, Baroque in style, seem at first glance identical. But in the hall, there are four types, differing in size and shape. The chandeliers were made at the Petersburg State Glass Factory. Similar chandeliers are also located in the Chesme Hall and the White Dining Room of the palace.

The entire painted decoration of the hall, complemented by bas-reliefs, has a strongly political motif. The Throne Hall was created and decorated to clearly demonstrate Catherine II’s right to rule, her spiritual succession as the continuator of Peter I’s work. The hall also expresses the theme of glorifying the deeds of Catherine the Sovereign, both directly (paintings by R. Peton) and allegorically. The recently concluded Russo-Turkish War theme also occupies an important place in the decoration. The hall was used for official ceremonies and events; but also, on special occasions, balls and formal dinners were held here.

During the Great Patriotic War, almost all the decoration of the Throne Hall was destroyed; the hall was restored in 1969.

A relatively small hall among the palace’s ceremonial rooms, its interior was designed by Rastrelli. The original palace plan envisaged two small rooms on the site of the hall, with a light courtyard between them, but this plan was rejected. Rastrelli had to fit the Audience Hall into the same dimensions. The difficulty was that the space was squeezed between the Grand (Throne) Hall on one side and the White Dining Room on the other; and large two-story windows had to face both sides of the palace. The result was a narrow and tall space stretched across the palace. The architect demonstrated extraordinary compositional skill, successfully decorating the complex space. Rastrelli’s narrow hall seems to open upwards, using the characteristic technique of false mirrored windows on the second tier of the longitudinal walls (five on each side). Unlike other Rastrelli interiors, the ceiling cove is created with a pronounced volume, attracting attention, with clear gilded decoration imitating a trellis pattern. Another means of emphasizing the hall’s vertical volume are pilasters at the corners and on the longitudinal walls, topped with expressive carved capitals (the architect rarely used orders in the palace interiors). Mirrors, a traditional Baroque decorative element, are fully utilized on the lower tier of the hall: a huge mirror above the fireplace and opposite it, smaller mirrors on the right and left longitudinal walls, and two more in the window piers — this multitude of illusory perspectives visually expands the space. The main decorative element, traditional for Rastrelli, is gilded wood carving. The mirror frame ornaments have especially complex and intricate patterns. An interesting detail of the interior is the female busts crowning the ornament around the windows; the motif is repeated as female heads above the false windows on the second tier. Interestingly, since Rastrelli’s time, the hall has never undergone remodeling until 1941.

The vault is decorated with the only painted work in the Audience Hall: a ceiling painting depicting the final episode of Torquato Tasso’s poem "Jerusalem Delivered." The ceiling was painted in 1754 by Ballarini specifically for the "Audience Chamber" (the Italian artist worked in Russia briefly and created nothing else here). The painting differs from other palace ceiling paintings by its unusual choice of theme: instead of conventional allegories, a love-heroic poem was chosen. The ceiling painting was lost in the 1941 palace fire; now a copy recreated by Lyubimov and Nikiforov with the participation of Soldatkov in 1979 is in its place.

The hall was used for small state receptions. In the mid-19th century, when it became customary to set tables in all ceremonial palace halls for formal dinners, this hall was assigned to stately ladies; it also received the second name — the Ladies’ Hall.

The original decoration of the Dining Room, executed in Rastrelli’s traditional manner, lasted only a short time. In 1774–1775, Felten substantially remodeled the hall, and due to the nature of the remodeling, it received its current name. The White Dining Room forms a striking contrast to the previous interior: after the abundance of gilded splendor and mirror play, there is almost complete monochrome and matte texture. The interior is designed in the strict canons of Classicism, and the contrast between the two neighboring halls clearly shows the differences between the two stylistic approaches. The hall has no ceiling cove; the ceiling is emphasized by a monumental cornice, which, however, does not touch the ceiling plane; carved gilded wooden panels gave way to stucco; the door surrounds lost their lightness and were reinforced with pediments. Horizontal moldings, cornice, and pediments create a compositionally closed interior. Unlike the Baroque desire to open space through window perspectives or mirror effects, the Classical approach is characterized by a striving for balanced, self-sufficient, harmoniously organized, and internally complete space, which was fully realized in Felten’s interior.

The White Dining Room also stands out among the palace halls by the absence of painting. The main decorative function is carried by wall bas-reliefs, which in other interiors played only a supporting role. All stucco panels were made by Russian sculptors. The bas-relief subjects are allegories of abundance (cupids supporting baskets of fruits and flowers), compositions of hunting trophies, and in the upper tier, compositions of musical instruments. In the upper tier piers are also medallions by Gordeev on the mythological theme of Dionysus and Ariadne.

The current exhibition of the hall displays the "Wedgwood service" (or Husk service). The tableware, made of faience of an unusual creamy shade with a delicate floral pattern in lilac-purple, was produced at the "Etruria" factory in Staffordshire by Josiah Wedgwood. This is one of the early works of the English ceramist who later became world-famous. Catherine II ordered the service in 1768; it was fully received in 1779 and included about 1,500 items. Not all exhibited items were made at Wedgwood’s factory; over time, some pieces broke and were partially replaced by copies made at Russian manufactories. Currently, the hall displays a set for 30 covers consisting of 196 items. Court dinners or suppers in the 18th–19th centuries were ceremonial and lasted several hours; the menu included several courses; to prevent dishes from cooling during conversations, plates were placed on "water warmers" filled with boiling water. Formal dinners and suppers were served by a staff of up to 500 people, including cooks, footmen, coffee servers, etc.

The White Dining Room features elegant round stoves made of white glazed Russian tiles. Originally, they were designed according to Felten’s sketches.

The White Dining Room closes the enfilade of the palace’s large ceremonial halls. Its location in the layout marks the boundary between official halls and private palace chambers. Two small rooms adjoin the White Dining Room — the Buffets (the name was established from the mid-19th century; before that, one was called the Warming Room). These auxiliary rooms were used for preparing dishes for serving and storing tableware; they were furnished with oak tables and dish cabinets. Currently, one of the Buffets displays paintings from the museum collection by Sanders, created in 1748.

Without a doubt, the most exotic in decoration among the palace rooms are the Western and Eastern Chinese Cabinets. They are symmetrically located relative to the palace’s central axis, framing the Picture Hall. This part of the palace existed originally; over time, it was rebuilt and changed its functional purpose. In the Eastern Cabinet, there was previously a dining room during Peter I’s time. The idea to create the Chinese Cabinets belongs to Catherine II and was realized in 1766–1769 and has not significantly changed since. The interior was designed by architect Wallen-Delamotte.

The decorative design was based on Chinese lacquer screens and Chinese lacquer miniatures brought to Russia already under Peter I. The thickness of the screen panels allowed them to be cut lengthwise to use both sides for decoration. In each cabinet, the architect placed five decorative panels (currently only two are original; the other eight were recreated to replace those lost during the war). The painting, executed on a black background, is characteristic of Chinese visual art of the late 17th – early 18th centuries. Among the scenes are traditional rural scenes and island landscapes. Three panels stand out for thematic originality: they depict stages of silk production, military campaigns, and rice harvesting. However, the area of the Chinese panels was insufficient to create a harmonious interior, so Wallen-Delamotte decided to use framing overlays, which Russian lacquer miniature masters painted according to his sketches. The delicate stylization was flawlessly executed. The subjects included landscape motifs, images of animals, flowers, birds; the drawings on the inserts do not repeat. The largest composite panel measures 4.5×2.3 meters.

Silk damask was chosen as the background for the lacquer panels; golden tones for the Western Cabinet and crimson-red for the Eastern. The doors were also decorated with lacquer painting in the Chinese style. The architect designed the door openings in an unusual pentagonal shape; the door surrounds of the Western Cabinet are decorated with a stylized sun disk at the top of the pentagon and dynamic gilded dragon figures on the sides, reaching their paws toward the sun.

The ornamental ceiling paintings, painted in lacquer technique on polished plaster, resemble underglaze porcelain painting (the unusually large stove tiles in the cabinets are made using the underglaze painting technique). The ceiling is decorated with Chinese-style lanterns made of painted glass. They appeared here in the 1840s, the last addition to the interiors. The parquet floors of the cabinets have the most intricate and complex patterns among the palace halls, executed in marquetry from precious woods: amaranth, rosewood, ebony, walnut, sandalwood, and plane tree.

The Chinese Cabinets have stoves of intricate shape made of polychrome tiles. The stove in the Western Chinese Cabinet is decorated with four figures of people in Eastern costumes. The rooms’ furniture and artistic decoration correspond to the refined stylization. Some furniture pieces are genuinely Chinese lacquer miniatures gifted to Catherine II (a table painted with red lacquer and rosewood chairs with mother-of-pearl inlay in the Western Cabinet); others are works by European masters in the Chinese spirit. The Eastern Cabinet features works by 18th-century English furniture makers with lacquer painting decoration: a writing desk and chairs, a grandfather clock; the Western Cabinet has a unique French cylinder desk from the 1770s. At that time in Europe, especially France, the production of furniture in the "Chinoiserie" style was well established, stimulated by the aristocracy’s high interest in Far Eastern exoticism and the rarity of original pieces. Remaining structurally European, this furniture successfully imitated Chinese style through paintings and decorative details.

Many prominent artists worked under Wallen-Delamotte on the richly colored interiors: Antonio Perezinotti, brothers Alexei and Ivan Belsky, Trofimov, Skorodumov, and "master of lacquer works" Fyodor Vlasov.

The current museum exhibition also includes a collection of porcelain items from the 17th–19th centuries made by Chinese and Japanese masters: tableware, vases, candlesticks, figurines; Canton enamel, lacquer painted boxes, and cabinets.

The 18th-century fascination with Chinese art, besides the painted silks in the Drawing Room, has another reflection in Peterhof: the "Lacquer Chamber" of Peter I is preserved in the Monplaisir Palace.

During the Great Patriotic War, the Western Chinese Cabinet was almost completely destroyed: as in the neighboring Picture Hall, the inter-floor ceilings, roof, and the northern wall facing the Grand Cascade collapsed (the wall between the Western Chinese Cabinet and the Picture Hall miraculously survived). The walls and part of the ceilings of the Eastern Chinese Cabinet survived, but its decoration was almost entirely lost.

The decorative design of the Western Chinese Cabinet was recreated in 1971–1972. The ceiling paintings, doors, panels, and decorative panels of the Chinese Cabinets were recreated using lacquer painting techniques. The spacious two-story hall, framed by the Chinese Cabinets, occupies a central place in the layout of the palace rooms; the compositional axis of not only the palace but also the Lower Park and Upper Garden passes through it. From the large window-doors of the lower tier, opening on both sides, one can see the perspective of the Sea Channel cutting through the Lower Park and leading to the Gulf of Finland, and the fountain pools of the Upper Garden (the window-doors lead to balconies, the only ones in the palace).

The Picture Hall is one of the oldest rooms of the Peterhof Palace, created during the construction of Peter I’s "Upper Chambers." In the original building, the hall was the largest ceremonial room. The volumes and proportions of the hall have not changed through subsequent reconstructions; it even preserved elements of the original decoration conceived by the emperor and executed by Leblon and Miketti. These include the stucco cornice, painted ceiling coves, and the ceiling painting by Bartolomeo Tarsia on the theme "History of Hieroglyphics," created in 1726. The complex multi-figure painting (more than thirty characters) glorifies the hero (Peter I); above him waves a banner with a double-headed eagle, around him are antique gods Themis, Athena, Ceres, Mercury; allegories of Eternity in the form of a winged woman with a ring, Truth striking Ignorance, Vice fleeing from Light. The tempera painting on the coves, executed in monochrome style and compositionally integrated with their shape, continues the theme of the ceiling painting. It depicts attributes and emblems of military glory; large-scale figures symbolize time, truth, glory, power, patriotism, and naval victories. In the corner medallions surrounded by banners are profiles of Neptune, Mars, Apollo, and Bellona. Allegories of the four elements are also present on the longitudinal coves.

It is known that under Peter I, the interior was decorated with French tapestries and 16 paintings by Italian painters, for which the hall was called the Italian Salon. Later, the hall’s decoration was repeatedly remodeled. In the 1750s, the interior was altered according to Rastrelli’s design: parquet replaced marble tiles, mirrors in Baroque frames appeared, as well as exquisite door surrounds. Their expressive sculptural composition of a female bust surrounded by birds with outstretched wings is repeatedly used in various variations in subsequent palace chambers.

In 1764, the hall acquired its current appearance when, according to Wallen-Delamotte’s design, the tapestry hanging of paintings by Rotari was completed. Count Pietro Rotari, who arrived in Russia in 1756, was reputed as a master of idealized portraiture, was appointed court painter, and enjoyed the favor of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. He left a mark on Russian painting: Rokotov and Argunov studied under him. Rotari died in 1762; Catherine II ordered the purchase from the Italian artist’s widow of all his paintings remaining in the studio. Some were brought from Germany and Italy, but most were created in Russia. A great connoisseur of costume, Rotari loved to paint idealized portraits of young girls or men in national costumes (Polish, Russian, Turkish, Hungarian, Tatar, etc.). Most of Rotari’s works that came to Peterhof are such portraits. Rotari was a prolific and fashionable artist: in the Chinese Palace of Oranienbaum, there is a Rotari Cabinet; in Arkhangelskoye, the Yusupov estate near Moscow, there is a Rotari Salon; his works are represented in collections of Russian and foreign museums. But the largest collection of his works is in the Picture Hall: 368 paintings occupy almost the entire wall space. Tapestry hanging was often used to decorate interiors; in Peterhof, the Hermitage pavilion is decorated similarly, and the Great Catherine Palace also has a Picture Hall where the same principle of placing paintings is realized. However, there was never a case where tapestries consisted of works by only one artist; in this respect, the interior is unique. The hall, briefly called the Old Hall during Elizabeth Petrovna’s time, became known as the Cabinet of Fashions and Graces or the Rotari Gallery; over time, it acquired its current name.

The museum exhibition of the hall includes some furniture items recalling the hall’s former use. Folding card tables from the 18th century indicate that card games were often held here. A piano made in Moscow in 1794 (master Johann Stümpf) is installed in the hall; in the 19th century, musical evenings for a narrow circle close to the court were held here.

During the Great Patriotic War, the central part of the palace, where the Picture Hall is located, was blown up; besides the roof and inter-floor ceilings, the northern wall facing the Sea Channel and the Gulf of Finland collapsed. Only three walls of the hall remained. The hall was one of the first to be restored — in 1964.

The Partridge Drawing Room, or Boudoir, opens the enfilade of rooms in the women’s part of the palace. Located in close proximity to the bedroom and the Toilet Room, it was used for the morning leisure of the empresses in close company. The room is located in the old Petrine part of the palace. Before the remodeling undertaken by Francesco Rastrelli, there were two small rooms on the site of the drawing room, one of which had no windows. Later, Rastrelli’s interior was reworked by Yuri Felten, who, however, did not change its overall character: some gilded ornaments on the walls and doors were retained, as well as the alcove separating the sofa placed in the drawing room from the rest of the room. Felten created a new niche for the sofa, smoothly curving the wall planes toward the alcove.

The room’s name comes from the exquisite wall decoration. The pale blue silk fabric with a silvery sheen, woven with images of partridges set in an ornament of flowers and wheat ears, was created according to sketches by Philippe de Lassalle (de la Salle). The Lyon artist was well known in the second half of the 18th century: he worked on upholstery silk designs for the residences of all European monarchs. The partridge pattern was specially developed for the Peterhof Palace; the customer of the expensive silk was Catherine II. The worn fabric was renewed twice in the 19th century (in 1818 and 1897) at Russian factories exactly according to the original. A surviving piece of fabric woven at the end of the 19th century was used during the postwar interior restoration to cover the western wall of the drawing room and as a sample for making upholstery for other walls. A significant part of the silk was recreated by Moscow masters under Feigina’s guidance. Part of the old fabric is displayed on the western wall.

The drawing room ceiling is decorated with an oval ceiling painting allegorically depicting Morning Driving Away Night (by an unknown 18th-century French artist). Previously, the ceiling was painted in tempera by the brothers Alexei and Ivan Belsky, but the painting was irretrievably lost during the war.

The Partridge Drawing Room exhibits four works by Greuze, including "Girl Sitting at the Table" (1760s). Another notable exhibit is a harp made in London at the end of the 18th century by the branch of the French musical instrument maker Sébastien Érard.

The Empress’s Bedroom. The sofa was designed by Felten in 1770. Using gilded wood carving, Felten employed geometric flat ornament, rosettes, and drooping garlands of flowers. In 1779, a "Turkish" sofa with a "step" (hence the room’s name) was placed along the western wall, gifted by Potemkin. The walls are upholstered with 18th-century Chinese silk. On the carpet stands a porcelain statuette of Catherine II’s favorite greyhound Zemira. The dog figure was made at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in 1779 based on a model by sculptor Raschetti. Among the long-standing items here, special interest is the "Portrait of Elizabeth Petrovna as a Child," a copy of a work by Caravaque, and an egg-shaped porcelain vase made by Petersburg masters.

The silk decorating the walls of the toilet room was woven in the mid-19th century based on a design by Dverz, reproducing 18th-century fabric. The walls feature ceremonial portraits.

The name "Empress’s Cabinet" did not mean that its owner regularly conducted state affairs here. Often, it was visited only to play cards in a close circle of confidants. Before the Great Patriotic War, the Cabinet preserved gilded wood carving, silk draperies, and inlaid parquet that appeared here in the 1750s–60s.

In the summer of 1749, a "porcelain fireplace painted with flowers and fruits, decorated on a pink ground with gold" was delivered to Peterhof and installed the following year in the Empress’s Cabinet. A huge mirror in a porcelain frame was placed on the fireplace shield. Porcelain candelabra, a fireplace screen, and a table were also made of porcelain. These remarkable products of the Imperial Porcelain Factory, like all decorative details, were lost in 1941. The Cabinet’s special charm is given by the wonderfully patterned silk. It probably appeared here already in the 18th century. In 1818, it was replaced by crimson damask with flowers and birds. But soon the walls were again decorated with white satin with bouquets and baskets. The Cabinet’s decoration reproduces the second half of the 18th century, the time of Catherine II’s reign and the enthusiasm for the ideas of the French Enlightenment. In the room’s corners are busts of Rousseau and Voltaire. The walls feature ceremonial portraits of the reigning monarchs. Catherine is depicted standing in ceremonial costume. With her right hand, she points to the writing desk scattered with books and manuscripts, which was meant to testify to the constant concerns of the "enlightened monarch." The portrait of Elizabeth Petrovna by an unknown Russian artist of the mid-18th century is a direct contrast: Elizabeth sits comfortably in a throne chair, her face carefree, with a friendly half-smile on her lips. She almost playfully holds a scepter in her right hand. On the western wall are portraits of Catherine II’s son Paul I, a copy of a work by artist Voil, and his wife Maria Feodorovna. One of the favorite landscape painters of the second half of the 18th century, whose paintings were eagerly acquired for Russian palaces, was the German artist Jakob Philipp Hackert, who lived permanently in Italy. His painting "View of Neptune’s Grotto in Tivoli near Rome" is on the eastern wall. In the center of the Cabinet stands a round mahogany table with a marble top. This is an extremely rare example of the work of master Marc David Couleru, who lived in the small French town of Montbéliard on the Swiss border. Couleru mainly worked with black wood; furniture made by him from mahogany are unique pieces.

The Standard Room was decorated according to Rastrelli’s design with gilded wood carving; the walls were draped with silk. The fabric was changed repeatedly. Since the mid-19th century, it has been "brocatelle on a yellow background with lilac streaks" matching the imperial standard’s color (at that time, the room stored the standards of the guard regiments, hence the name). Currently, the walls and furniture are upholstered with silk made after a fabric sample from the Peterhof Own Dacha, produced by the Kondrashov Moscow manufactory in the 1840s. The fabric was recreated by Moscow masters under Feigina’s guidance.

The Cavalier Room housed the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment’s guard, hosted presentations of Russian order cavaliers, and receptions of officers of the guard regiments. The walls are draped with crimson damask made at the F. Korovin Moscow manufactory at the end of the 19th century. The silk was recreated in 1974. The Cavalier Room contains one of the tiled stoves of the Grand Palace, which are genuine works of art. The stove was restored under Novikov’s supervision. The interior is complemented by paintings, including a canvas from the Rubens school, "Apotheosis of War."

The Blue Drawing Room was called the Dining Room in the mid-18th century. The wall upholstery changed repeatedly. The blue brocatelle, which gave the interior its new name, is first mentioned in 1876. Currently, the walls are decorated with silk made after an 1897 sample. Until 1941, the room preserved a painted ceiling cove by artist Doritsky (1753). The cove was recreated by artist L. Lyubimov in 1980. The drawing room is adorned with ceremonial portraits of Catherine II and Paul I’s wife Maria Feodorovna — copies by 18th-century artists after portraits by Levitsky and Vigée-Lebrun. The interior is complemented by a stove with so-called "landscape" tiles.

The Secretary’s Room interior was created in the mid-18th century according to Rastrelli’s design. The main decorative element is the green silk damask covering the walls, recreated after an 18th-century sample. The white panels and doors were decorated with gilded rectangular moldings, carved images of birds, and plant ornaments. The Secretary’s Room contains one of the tiled stoves of the Grand Palace. The parquet floor, as in some other halls (Partridge, Drawing, and Blue Drawing Rooms, Coronation, Blue Reception Room, Oak Cabinet of Peter I), is laid out in a "zigzag" pattern. On the walls are paintings "Country Palace" by Dutch artist Van den Straten (1701) and "Mountain Landscape" by an unknown 18th-century Italian artist.

The Coronation Room was decorated in the mid-18th century and rebuilt in 1769–1770 according to Yuri Felten’s design as a ceremonial Bedroom. However, it was not used for this purpose. It was needed only to enhance the palace’s emphasized ceremonial character. Since the late 18th century, the room has been called the Coronation Room because during Paul I’s reign, a special "stand" for the crown was installed here. The furniture and decoration repeat the Drawing Room’s furnishings: the room has a partition with an alcove niche, and the walls are draped with painted Chinese silk depicting the porcelain manufacturing process in Jingdezhen. In September 1941, all the furnishings, except the silk removed from the walls, were lost. The room is decorated with the ceiling painting "Venus and Adonis" by an unknown 18th-century Italian artist. The walls are draped with painted watercolor Chinese silk from the late 17th – early 18th centuries, which depicts the porcelain production process in detail.

The Oak Cabinet is the oldest interior of the palace, created in the first quarter of the 18th century. It is finished with fourteen oak panels, eight of which are original.

The Oak Staircase was built in 1720–21 according to Leblon’s design; the ceiling painting was created by Vishnyakov in 1751. It depicted Aurora, the goddess of the dawn; it was lost during the war and recreated in 1964 by Kazakov. The staircase steps are covered with oak, and the balusters of its railings are carved from oak, hence the name. All oak details, except a fragment of one baluster, burned in the 1941 fire and were recreated based on sculptor Ode’s models. The Oak Staircase remained almost unchanged for two centuries.

Sources:

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Большой_дворец_(Петергоф)