Large Chinese office in Oranienbaum. The Chinese Palace in Oranienbaum opened after a grandiose restoration. Lower garden of the palace
Lomonosov Palace and Park Ensemble (Oranienbaum)
Ensemble of our own dacha. Treasures of the Chinese Palace
Oranienbaum (German: Oranienbaum - “orange tree”) is a palace and park ensemble on south coast Gulf of Finland 40 km west of St. Petersburg. It is located on the territory of the city of Lomonosov (until 1948 - Oranienbaum) and includes palaces and parks of the 18th century. The palace and park ensemble is part of the monument World Heritage"The historical center of St. Petersburg and related complexes of monuments." Located deep in the Upper Park, Chinese Palace is part of the palace and park complex of the Own Dacha of Empress Catherine II.
Chinese Palace
built in 1762 - 1768 according to the design and under the leadership of the major architect of that time, Antonio Rinaldi (1709 - 1794), with whose name the most important period in the creation of the Oranienbaum architectural ensemble is associated. Arriving from Italy at the invitation of K. G. Razumovsky (1751), Rinaldi spent many years in Russia, finding a second home here.
Chinese Palace along with other most valuable architectural monuments of that time, it belongs to the masterpieces of Russian art. The name assigned to it in the 19th century is conditional. The appearance of the building has nothing in common with the architecture of China. Only in the decoration of some rooms are freely interpreted Chinese decorative motifs used. The palace housed a large collection of Chinese decorative art and Japanese porcelain. Part of this collection has been preserved.
The palace is a relatively small elongated building, somewhat reminiscent of a summer park pavilion. It is surrounded by a low panel of stone slabs and a decorative cast iron grille. Two small parterre gardens, laid out in front of the southern facade, are included in the overall composition of the building and, according to the architect’s plan, are an integral part of it. The middle part of the palace is somewhat elevated and serves as its compositional center. The facades are decorated with pilasters, the calm rhythm of which is emphasized by the smooth planes of the walls. The windows and glazed doors are decorated with stucco frames.
Half of Paul:
3 – Pink living room
4 – Damask bedchamber
5 – Boudoir
6 – Pavel’s office
Front suite:
7 – Hall of Muses
8 – Blue living room
9 – Glass bead cabinet
10 — Big hall
11 - Plaster rest
12 – Small Chinese Cabinet
13 – Large Chinese Cabinet
Half of Catherine II:
14 – Chinese bedchamber
15 - Camerjungferskaya
16 – Portrait
17 - Cabinet of Catherine II.
The appearance of the building, the combination of its volumes, proportions and relationships of individual parts reveal the location interior spaces. The difference in the purpose of the latter is emphasized by the features of the architectural design and decoration of the corresponding sections of the facade. The plan of the palace is distinguished by symmetry and compositional balance. It is characterized by an enfilade system - the arrangement of interconnected interiors along one axis:
Great Hall of the Chinese Palace ,
having a height of 8.5 meters. Such central state halls, often called “Italian”, play the role of an important organizing link in the layout of palace buildings.
The Great Hall serves as the compositional center of the palace. It was intended for formal receptions, so its decoration was done in a more formal style than the rest of the rooms. The hall is an oval in plan, which gave rise to another name for it - Round.
A significant part of the walls of the hall is free of any decor, and this is no coincidence. The walls are treated with artificial marble of various colors - this material in itself has a sufficient decorative effect. Windows, doors and columns also add rigor and solemnity to the room. The presence of columns makes the interior somewhat classic.
On the eastern and western walls above the doors to the Plaster Room and the Glass Beads Room there are marble bas-relief images of Peter I and Elizabeth Petrovna. They were performed by M.-A. Collo by special order of Catherine II. The bas-reliefs are included in oval-shaped medallions made of red and blue smalts.
The smooth surface of the walls contrasts with the elegant ceiling moldings that completely cover the high arches and the ceiling. The stucco decoration, consisting of branches, garlands of flowers, wreaths, birds, is almost completely reflected in the parquet pattern. However, if light colors predominate in the decoration of the ceiling, then the floor is mainly made of dark wood (only the center of the room is highlighted with light).
On the sides of the hall, along the main axis of the palace, there are living rooms (Blue and Lilac)
Chinese Palace. Blue living room. Plafond “Time Stealing Truth” by F. Zuño
The interior of the Blue Living Room and other rooms of the Chinese Palace at the beginning of the 20th century was captured in a series of watercolors made for the last owner of the Chinese Palace, Grand Duchess Elena Georgievna, who wished to perpetuate its unique appearance. Watercolors with images of the palace halls and details of their decoration were included in the album entitled “Etchings, facades, plans and sections of the Chinese Palace in Oranienbaum, executed by former students of the St. Petersburg Central School of Technical Drawing of Baron Stieglitz,” formed in 1911 and stored in personal meeting of Elena Georgievna; the album is now in the State Hermitage.”
Watercolors have provided an invaluable service to modern restorers. Looking at the interiors captured by the artists, the craftsmen restored the decoration of the premises
Cabinets (Glass and Small Chinese), included in the suite of front rooms.
The decorative design of the Glass Bead Cabinet is distinguished by impeccable taste. Oriental motifs, here barely outlined by the theme of the drawing, anticipate the already fantastic exoticism of the East, which will find its place in the decoration of the Chinese cabinets of the palace.
Chinese Palace. Glass bead cabinet. Interior fragment
According to Wikipedia, the most famous chamber of the Chinese Palace is the Glass Cabinet, which has preserved the original decoration of the 1760s. The walls of the room are decorated with glass bead panels. These are canvases on which bugle bead embroidery is done. The glass beads were made at a mosaic factory founded in the vicinity of Oranienbaum by the Russian scientist M.V. Lomonosov.
Against a background of bugles, complex compositions with images of fantastic birds in an equally fantastic landscape are embroidered in chenille (fleecy silk). For a long time it was believed that the panels were made in France, but it has now been established that they were embroidered by nine Russian gold seamstresses under the direction of Maria de Chelles.
The panels are enclosed in frames with gilded carvings imitating tree trunks entwined with leaves, flowers and bunches of grapes; they are extremely expressive due to the depth of the carved relief, reaching 18 centimeters.
In order for the Glass Bead Cabinet to appear today before visitors to the Chinese Palace in all its glory, the restorers carried out very difficult work. When an attempt was made to restore glass beads in the century before last, the craftsmen found nothing better than to update the panel with paint. Modern restorers needed to rid the glass beads of paint.
Priceless items were restored in the Hermitage workshops. The absence of bugles on some threads also caused a lot of difficulties. I had to restore everything. Until now, no one had ever done such work, so restorers were looking for ways to solve problems without being able to rely on anyone else's experience.
The linen lining of each panel was also heavily soiled and deformed, torn in places. As a result of restoration and conservation, all twelve panels were cleaned of a dense layer of dirt and mold. By cleaning and removing late staining, the embroidery was able to return to its original color scheme and reveal the graceful design. Velvet threads of chenille and glass beads are reinforced. Lost glass beads were replaced in strict accordance with the original technique.
Chinese Palace. Small Chinese cabinet. Interior fragment
Chinese Palace. Small Chinese Cabinet
The floor of the Small Chinese Cabinet, made by master Jacob Lang based on a drawing by Rinaldi, is one of the best examples of inlaid parquet both in the richness of the pattern and in the brilliant mastery of the use of color shades of various types of wood - red, pink, black, brown wood, sandalwood, ebony, striped walnut, lemon, boxwood, amaranth, rosewood, birch, apple. One can only guess how much work is hidden behind the “details” of the floor.
The enfilade ends on the eastern and western sides with the Hall of Muses
Chinese Palace. Music Hall Paintings by S. Torelli. 1768
and the Great Chinese Cabinet
Chinese Palace. Large office, interior fragment
The decoration of the Great Chinese Cabinet is complemented by authentic objects of applied art of the 18th century from China and Japan, unusual for Europeans in shape, color, and the material from which they are made. The decoration of the Chinese bedchamber is also distinguished by its originality and exoticism. Stacked parquet, with the inclusion of plant and geometric motifs in the composition, meets the overall design concept.
Chinese Palace. Large Chinese cabinet. Interior fragment
CHINESE PALACE. BIG HALL. FRAGMENT WITH FIREPLACE 
CHINESE PALACE. BIG HALL. BAS-RELIEF
Large Chinese cabinet. Plafond "Union of Europe and Asia". S. Barozzi
Large Chinese cabinet. A pool table. England, workshop of W. Clark
The large Chinese cabinet became famous not only for its decoration. It houses the famous billiard table. “Peter’s table has survived to this day and is located in the Chinese Palace in Oranienbaum,” say the authors of the book “Billiard Peter” A.I. Terkin and V.N. Brewers.
There is also a small summary printed in the guide to this museum and in the passport of this table (every authentic exhibit has one): “An English carved billiard table of the early 18th century, previously located probably in the Great (Menshikov) Palace, recalls that , that exactly in the 18th century. the game of billiards entered Russian everyday life, and at the same time special billiard rooms became almost a mandatory accessory of any noble estate.” Unfortunately, it has not yet been possible to confirm scientifically that this unique billiards could once have belonged to Peter I, since there are no compelling arguments for this.
Adjacent to the Great Hall is the Antechamber, through which the main entrance was located in the 18th century. Next to it is the Dressing Room.
Chinese Palace. Wardrobe
Through the Blue Living Room and the Small Chinese Study, the front enfilade directly connects with the small enfilades of the former “private” rooms of Catherine II and her son Paul running perpendicular to it.
With 
Chinese Palace. Boudoir. D. Guaran. Plafond "Psyche and Flora". 1760s
Chinese Palace. Damask bedchamber 
Damask bedchamber. Plafond “Urania teaching a young man” by D. Maggiotto 
Chinese Palace. Dressing room. Plafond “Geography” by G. Diziani 
Chinese Palace. Chinese bedchamber. Plafond “Chinese Sacrifice” by D. Gvaran 
Chinese Palace. Boudoir
The Chinese palace was built during a transitional period in the history of Russian architecture, when architectural and decorative techniques, which received a bright development in the 40s and 50s of the 18th century, no longer satisfied new artistic requirements, and another style that soon replaced them - classicism - had not yet had time to find your complete expression in architecture.
The features of this transitional period are especially evident in the appearance of the facades of the palace, where the emphasized decorativeness and ceremonial pomp characteristic of previous buildings give way to the relative simplicity and laconicism of artistic decoration, which was characteristic of the emerging classicism.
Two major Italian painters - Stefano Torelli (1712 - 1784) and Serafino Barozzi (d. 1810) - worked to decorate the palace with paintings and murals. Complex architectural and decorative tasks found a skillful solution here thanks to the high professional skills and great artistic culture of builders and decorators.
The parquet floors of the palace are unique in their artistic significance with total area 722 sq. meters are collected from many domestic and “overseas” wood species, including red, pink, black and lemon wood, rosewood, amaranth, boxwood, Persian walnut, oak and others. Wooden plates were glued in the form of various designs onto the shields. Small patterns were then cut out or burned out. Each room had its own original parquet pattern, closely linked with the rest of its artistic decoration.
An organic part of the architectural decoration of the interiors of the Chinese Palace is decorative painting. Wall paintings, panels, lampshades occupy an important place in its decoration. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of these unique paintings.
Chinese Palace. Portrait. Interior fragment
First-class works of fine and applied art were purchased to decorate the rooms and halls of the palace. Most of the plafonds painted on canvas were made in Venice on a special order by a group of famous painters of the Venice Academy of Arts. The palace housed valuable collections of Russian and Western European porcelain, furniture, as well as Chinese and Japanese art products of the 18th - 19th centuries.
sources
Chinese Palace. Upper Park. Pergola
Plan
Introduction
1 History of creation
1.1 Ensemble of the Own Dacha
1.2 Architecture of the Chinese Palace
2 The fate of the palace after 1917
3 Restoration work in the palace
4 Interiors
4.1 general characteristics interior decoration
4.1.1 Stacked parquet floors
4.2 Front
4.3 Dressing room
4.4 Pink living room
4.5 Damask bedchamber
4.6 Boudoir
4.7 Pavel's office
4.8 Hall of Muses
4.9 Blue living room
4.10 Glass bead cabinet
4.11 Great Hall
4.12 Plaster rest
4.13 Small Chinese Cabinet
4.14 Great Chinese Cabinet
4.15 Chinese bedchamber
4.16 Camerjungfer
4.17 Portrait
4.18 Cabinet of Catherine II
Bibliography
Chinese Palace
Introduction
Chinese Palace - a palace located in the southwestern part palace and park ensemble"Oranienbaum" (Lomonosov). It was built according to the design of the architect Antonio Rinaldi in 1762-1768. for Empress Catherine II. It is part of the ensemble of the Own Dacha in Oranienbaum. It got its name due to the fact that several of its interiors were decorated in Chinese style (chinoiserie), which was very fashionable at that time.
In 1852-1853 the southern facade was rebuilt (a second floor appeared) according to the designs of A. Stackenschneider and L. Bonstedt. The palace was opened as a museum in 1922.
Of all the buildings of Oranienbaum in the mid-18th century (the palace of Peter III, the Rolling Hill pavilion), it was in the Chinese Palace that the Rococo style (which was not widespread in Russia anywhere except Oranienbaum) manifested itself most fully. This, along with the absolute authenticity of the palace (Oranienbaum was not captured by the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War, unlike other suburbs of St. Petersburg), lies its uniqueness.
The palace is currently being restored for 2011, the 300th anniversary of Oranienbaum. By September 2011, it is planned to open 4 halls - the Large Anti-Chamber, the Hall of Muses, the Blue Living Room and the Glass Bead Cabinet.
1. History of creation
Oranienbaum, the estate of Prince A.D. Menshikov, after his disgrace in 1727, was under the jurisdiction of the Office of Buildings. In 1743, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna donated these lands, along with all the buildings, to her nephew and heir, Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, the future Emperor Peter III. Here the amusing fortress of Peterstadt is being built for him, and in the fortress there is a palace (designed by Rinaldi). After the marriage of Peter Fedorovich, a small grand-ducal court was established in Oranienbaum.
While still a Grand Duchess, the future Catherine II plans to build a summer house for entertainment in Oranienbaum.
Having become empress, on September 1, 1762 (that is, 2 months after accession to the throne), she issued a decree to release money for the construction of her own dacha, the architect of which was Antonio Rinaldi. The main work was completed in the mid-1770s.
1.1. Ensemble of the Own Dacha
According to Rinaldi's plan, the ensemble of the Own Dacha should consist of two parts - regular and landscape. In the eastern regular part there were the main park structures (Stone Hall, Chinese Palace, Rolling Hill pavilion). The large western part was close to the landscape “English” park. With all this, there was no clear boundary between them; one part seemed to smoothly pass into another.
The composition of the eastern part indicated a departure from the type regular parks, characteristic of the 17th-18th centuries. In such parks there was always one or several central alleys leading to the central part of the main palace. The triple linden alley, the main axis of the Own Dacha, extending from the Stone Hall, faces the Chinese Palace not to its center, but to the eastern part. Thus, the perspective of the palace from the central alley is not visible. In the western part there was a labyrinth of shaped ponds with sixteen small islands connected by drawbridges. There were five small gazebos on the islands.
In 1766, sculptures made by Italian masters D. Marchiori, I. Morleitr and Giuseppe Toretti were received from Venice for the Own Dacha (the works of these sculptors can also be found in the Great Gatchina Palace (high reliefs) and in the Gatchina Palace Park (sculptures))
Thus, if in the regular part there were features that made it similar to the landscape park, then in the landscape part it is easy to find features of the regular style. This is due to the fact that in the middle of the 18th century there was a gradual transition in architecture from Baroque to Classicism. This was reflected not only in the appearance of Oranienbaum’s palaces, but also in the layout of his park.
The manifestation of the Rococo style in the Oranienbaum buildings of A. Rinaldi appears not in individual details, but in the totality of the features of this style. It is clearly expressed both in the facades and plans of palaces, and in the decor of the premises.
· Contrast between exterior and interior decoration
All of Rinaldi’s buildings are distinguished by their severity and simplicity of appearance and at the same time luxury, sophistication, and variety of interior decoration.
· Large glazed door and window openings
The combination of the interior and the surrounding nature is a proven technique of the Rococo style.
· Differences in interior treatment
The shape and decoration of each room are different depending on its purpose. Moreover, furniture and other objects of decorative and applied art are part of the decor of this particular interior. It is not for nothing that in the Chinese Palace the furniture was most often made specifically for a particular room according to the sketches of Rinaldi (an architect and at the same time a room decorator).
These three features to some extent explain the amazing harmony of the interiors of the Chinese Palace, its connection both with the external appearance and with the nearby pond and park.
1.2. Architecture of the Chinese Palace
The Chinese palace stands on a low protruding stylobate, which forms a kind of terrace. It is lined with Pudost stone and granite. From the west and east, parterre gardens adjoin the residential premises located in the projections. They are fenced with openwork metal bars.
The palace stretches along the west-east axis and is shaped like the letter P in plan. Its facades have different architectural designs. To this day, only the northern façade has remained unchanged (a second floor was built on the southern façade in the 19th century).
The northern facade looks more solemn and elegant. Its center is highlighted in the form of an oval risalit with four pilasters. The projection is completed by a pediment and a figured attic of the Baroque type. Three white decorative sculptures are installed on it (in the 18th century, the roof of the palace was bordered by a balustrade with vases and statues). Along the axes of the three sculptures there are windows and doors with semi-circular endings. The same doorways are located in the side projections of the palace. They are completed with sandriks with a relief ornament - a shell and garlands.
The southern facade, facing the pond, looks completely different. Two strongly protruding projections were attached to the building, which were intended for residential quarters. In the 18th century, risalits formed a miniature courtyard, in the center of which was the entrance to the palace. However, in the 50s of the 19th century, a second floor was built on the southern facade according to the designs of architects A. Stackenschneider and L. Bonstedt. At the same time, a glass gallery appeared on the first floor. Small rooms - anti-chambers - were attached to the end parts of the palace on the inlet and west.
2. The fate of the palace after 1917
In 1925, the palaces and parks were transferred to the Museum Department of the Leningrad Branch of the Main Science and were subordinated to the Administration of Peterhof Palaces, Museums and Parks. The Chinese Palace is the only one of Oranienbaum's buildings that was turned into a museum before the war. The remaining buildings were rented out to the Forestry Technical College, Zagotzern and other offices. In 1935, Oranienbaum was taken under state protection as a unique historical and cultural complex. The park was subject to a restricted zone regime - it was almost impossible to enter its territory. In 1940 this regime was lifted and Oranienbaum received his own administration.
During the Great Patriotic War, Oranienbaum, located on the territory of the so-called Oranienbaum bridgehead, was not destroyed by the Nazis, unlike other suburbs of Leningrad. The 48th Order of the October Revolution Red Banner Ropshinskaya Rifle Division named after was located on the territory of the park. M.I. Kalinin under the command of General Safonov, who took over the protection of the entire palace and park ensemble.
During the war, the Chinese Palace was mothballed, museum valuables were evacuated (some to Novosibirsk and Sarapul, some to Leningrad, which was already in the besieged ring along the so-called “little road of life” (Oranienbaum - Bronka - Kronstadt - Fox Nose), where the exhibits were stored in St. Isaac's Cathedral. In particular, glass bead panels were kept in the basements of St. Isaac's Cathedral. Later, due to their poor condition, they were moved to the Hermitage for storage.
The Chinese Palace itself did not receive any serious damage from shelling during the war, with the exception of a shell that hit the second floor of the palace. The exhibition premises and interiors were not damaged by this shell. However, according to eyewitnesses, the condition of the palace was quite deplorable:
In 1946, after minor restoration work, the palace reopened as a museum. This was of great importance for the post-war suburbs of Leningrad - while other palaces lay in ruins, the Chinese Palace received visitors and instilled faith in the restoration of other suburbs.
3. Restoration work in the palace
From the very first time of its existence, the Chinese Palace constantly suffered from dampness. Antonio Rinaldi probably failed to accurately assess the harsh northern climate and high humidity, or did not count on the long existence of the palace and built it more as a park pavilion than a living space. Since the 1770s, numerous restoration work has been carried out in the palace. The artificial marble floors were the first to suffer from dampness. They were replaced with the parquet ones that currently exist. A decade later, the paintings located in the palace were restored.
The St. Peter's Fortress, built in the eastern part of the estate in 1757, was transformed into the Peterstadt Fortress two years later. In plan, the fortress was a fourteen-pointed star with four bastions, surrounded by earthen ramparts and ditches filled with water. The two-hectare fortress was supplemented complex system additional fortifications. The pond located near the northern front was called the "Pleasure Sea". Naval battles took place here with the participation of warships: the twelve-gun ship "Oranienbaum", the frigate "St. Andrew", the galleys "St. Catherine" and "Elizabeth".
On the territory of the fortress there was an arsenal, barracks for artillery, dragoon regiments and cuirassier trumpeters, houses for officers and regimental commanders, a guardhouse, sheds for horses and carriages, and an arsenal.
In Russia, the tradition of amusing battles and the construction of fortresses for military amusements of the heirs to the throne appeared under Peter I. The Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments created by him played the role of amusing troops, and later became the main units of the guard.
Peter Fedorovich invited the regiments of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein, where he was from, to participate in military games.
From the notes of Catherine II it becomes clear that she had a negative attitude towards the invitation of the Holsteiners:
...the number of Holstein troops and adventurers who occupied officer positions there increased from year to year.
The soldiers of the Ingria Regiment said: “Now we have become the lackeys of these damned Germans.” The palace lackeys said: “We are forced to serve this peasant.” When I saw and found out what was happening, I firmly decided to stay as far away from this dangerous childish game as possible.
The number of the Holstein garrison reached 1,500 people. The construction of the Peterstadt fortress was led by the Holstein master Förster and lieutenant engineer Savely Sokolov. The fortress occupied two hectares.
On the territory of the fortress there was the palace of Peter III, intended for his relaxation after military activities. 
For the first time in Russian architecture, a palace building appeared on the territory of a fortification, serving not military, but entertainment purposes. 
The first floor of the palace was for service. Several ceremonial rooms have been preserved on the second floor. The palace was built by the architect Antonio Rinaldi. 
There is a monkey on the armor. It is known that Pyotr Fedorovich had a monkey named Elizaveta Vorontsova, it is possible that this is her: 
As expected, there should be a secret staircase in the fortress: 
Peter III lived in this modest house until his arrest. Here on June 28, 1762, he signed an abdication of the throne, was arrested and taken to Ropsha, where he soon died of hemorrhoidal colic.
Over time, the wooden buildings of the fortress fell into disrepair and were dismantled at the end of the 18th century. Today, only the remains of earthen ramparts, a small palace and the main entrance gate have been preserved: 
Fortress layout: 
This is how Catherine II recalled life in Oranienbaum in her notes:
In general, I and all of us were disgusted with the boring life that we led in Oranienbaum, where there were five or six of us women who remained alone, face to face from morning to evening, while the men, for their part, reluctantly practiced the art of war .
This is the lifestyle that I led in Oranienbaum then. I got up at three o’clock in the morning, dressed myself from head to toe in a man’s dress; the old huntsman I had was already waiting for me with guns; on the seashore he had a fishing boat completely ready. We crossed the garden on foot, with a gun on our shoulder, and we sat down - he, I, the kicking dog and the fisherman who was taking us - into this shuttle, and I went to shoot ducks in the reeds bordering the sea on both sides of the Oranienbaum Canal, which goes two miles into the sea. We often went around this channel and therefore were sometimes in quite stormy weather on the open sea on this shuttle. The Grand Duke arrived an hour or two after us, because he always had to carry breakfast with him and who knows what else. If he met us, we set off together; if not, then each of us went and hunted separately. At ten o'clock, and sometimes later, I returned and dressed for dinner; After dinner I rested, and in the evening either the Grand Duke had music, or we went horseback riding.
For my rooms in this palace, I bought everything with my own money, in order to avoid any disputes and difficulties, for His Imperial Highness, although he was very extravagant in all his whims, was sparing of money on everything that concerned me, and was not at all generous; but since what I did for my rooms at my own expense served to decorate the house, he was very pleased with it.
I then decided to build a garden for myself in Oranienbaum and, since I knew that the Grand Duke would not give me a single piece of land for this, I asked the Golitsyn princes to sell or give me a space of one hundred fathoms of uncultivated and long-abandoned land that they had very close to Oranienbaum; since this piece of land belonged to eight or ten members of their family, they willingly gave it to me, without, however, receiving any income from it. I began to make plans on how to build and plant, and since this was my first venture in terms of planting and construction, it took on quite extensive dimensions.
The best thing about Oranienbaum is its own dacha, which Rinaldi built in 1762-1774 for Catherine II. His own dacha became the third palace and park ensemble (after the Menshikov Palace and the Lower Park; the Peterstadt fortress and the Petrovsky Park around it).
Having ascended the throne, Catherine II ordered that 10 thousand rubles be allocated for the construction of her own dacha and allowed A. Rinaldi to invite first-class Russian and Western European craftsmen. With their participation, according to the drawings and drawings of A. Rinaldi, the Chinese Palace, unrivaled in the beauty of its interiors, was built (1762-1768).
The name "Chinese Palace" was first mentioned in 1774 in the Chamber Fourier magazine. Before this, the palace was called the “Dutch little house” (the same as the Monplaisir Palace in Peterhof), “the little house in the Upper Garden”, “the little house”. The name “Chinese” arose because a number of the palace’s interiors (the Large and Small Chinese Cabinets) were decorated in the spirit of Chinese art or using original works of art from China and Japan.
Last year, the restored Glass Cabinet from the Chinese Palace was exhibited at the Hermitage http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_Ru/04/2010/hm4_1_263.html.
From the Hermitage website:
The most famous chamber of the Chinese Palace is the Glass Cabinet, which has preserved the original decoration of the 1760s. The walls of the room are decorated with glass bead panels. These are canvases on which bugle bead embroidery is done. The glass beads were made at a mosaic factory founded in the vicinity of Oranienbaum (in Ust-Ruditsa) by the Russian scientist M.V. Lomonosov. Against a background of bugles, complex compositions with images of fantastic birds in an equally fantastic landscape are embroidered in chenille (fleecy silk).
Initially, the floor in the glass bead office was made of multi-colored smalts, also made at the Ust-Ruditsk factory, but by the middle of the 19th century it fell into disrepair and the smalts were replaced with type-setting parquet while maintaining the same pattern.
The Chinese Palace is the only monument of the Rococo style in Russia. Most of the interiors of the palace have retained the original decoration of the mid-18th century. Of particular value to it are the unique objects of decorative and applied art from China and Japan from the late 17th to mid-18th centuries, as well as the preserved and extant typesetting parquet flooring from the second third of the 18th century (made according to sketches by Antonio Rinaldi).
Above the pond, at the southern facade of the palace, there are marble and bronze statues of characters from ancient mythology - copies of ancient originals.
Pergola in the background: 
We didn’t get to the Chinese Palace because there is no heating there, so it is closed for the winter. As a consolation, we were informed that now in the palace, in addition to the Glass Beads Room, only two halls are open. The rest are under restoration. During Soviet times, the palace was completely open. Although it was quite shabby, you could still see everything.
TO The Chinese palace is the pearl of the Oranienbaum palace and park ensemble.
This is the only surviving monument of architecture in the Rococo style in Russia. This year he celebrates his 250th birthday. The gift to the hero of the day was a multi-year restoration that brought back to life a unique creation of the 18th century. Alas, it is not finished yet, but they will be allowed into the museum...
The Chinese Palace is like no other Historical building, this is an exceptional example of Russian Rococo in its value.
Interest in China first arose in Rus' at the end of the 15th century, when merchants began to bring Far Eastern fabrics to Moscow. And by the middle of the 18th century, all more or less wealthy St. Petersburg houses were furnished with Chinese things. The royal court set the tone for this fashion for “chinoiserie”, the Chinese style.
Since 1743, Oranienbaum was owned by Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, the future Emperor Peter III. His wife Catherine II, after coming to power, erected the “Own Dacha” complex of buildings in the Upper Park. The Chinese Palace is one of the most famous buildings of this complex. It got its name from the decoration of some of the rooms. There was a large collection of Chinese decorative arts and Japanese porcelain. The construction and decoration of the palace was carried out by the Italian architect Antonio Rinaldi.
The main attractions of the palace are the glass cabinet and unique parquet floors. The walls of the office are decorated with 12 panels - these are canvases on which embroidery is made with glass beads and multi-colored fleecy silk - chenille. The palace's unique parquet floors are made of mahogany and ebony, amaranth, boxwood, Persian walnut, and maple. “A true miracle, full of wonders of the eighteenth century,” wrote Igor Grabar about the Chinese Palace.
In the second half XIX century the new owners of Oranienbaum - descendants of the family of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich - significantly updated the buildings, changing their interiors according to the fashion of their time. During the Great Patriotic War, Oranienbaum was not destroyed; its buildings have been preserved and have survived to this day as authentic buildings of the 18th century.
The boudoir, called the Picturesque Study in the 18th century, completes the eastern suite of rooms in the Chinese Palace.
The second stage of restoration work lasted four years. In the third year, they began general construction work - they reconstructed the subfloors and interfloor ceilings; A system for maintaining temperature and humidity conditions was installed in the building. And only the fourth year was spent on the actual restoration of the interiors. Three halls of the Chinese Palace were restored: the Shtofnaya bedchamber, the boudoir and the office of Paul I. “We carried out the most conservative restoration,” explained Mikhail Batakovsky. “There was no re-creation here!”
The restoration will be completed by 2023, but the palace is already open to visitors. The picturesque panels have returned to the Shtofnaya bedchamber: they have also been restored. Decorative panels with paintings have been restored in the boudoir. In the office of Paul I, on the walls there is an original painting by Serafino Barozzi, which had to be completely removed during the restoration.
“We managed to return many original objects to the palace and reveal for viewing the paintings that were hidden under layers of paint,” Tatyana Syasina, curator of the Chinese Palace, shows the Shtofnaya bedchamber. “Although we purchased many items anew.” Inventories from the 18th century have not survived; they appeared only in the 20th century. But there are descriptions of things that were bought by the last owners of Oranienbaum - the Mecklenburg-Strelitzskys.
The damask of the 19th century has been preserved - the upholstery of the bedchamber was recreated based on its model. The mirror, the fireplace screen, and other original things were returned here. Friends of the museum donated porcelain vases produced by the Meissen manufactory - similar ones stood here 250 years ago. A lampshade by Maggiotto has been installed in its original place. On the wall panels under the windows, authentic paintings from the 18th century are revealed.
Until the restoration is fully completed, you can only take a tour of the Chinese Palace by appointment.
The Chinese Palace was erected in the Upper Park in 1762 - 1768. Initially, the building was one-story, and its originality lay in the fact that the external design, as well as the internal decor, were made by one outstanding master - the Italian architect Antonio Rinaldi.
In the middle of the 19th century, the Chinese Palace changed its appearance - the building became one floor higher, and a gallery was built that connected the protruding side parts of the building. The interior decor has also changed, but despite all the transformations, the building has retained its originality and originality.
The building was built in the Rococo style, which (in contrast to the more magnificent and pompous Baroque) is characterized by sophistication, sophistication and delicate taste. The Chinese palace was created not for official receptions, but for recreation and entertainment of Catherine II and those close to her.
The Chinese Palace can rightfully be called the treasure of the park in Oranienbaum. The name “Chinese” appeared for the reason that in the 18th century, during the time of Catherine II, the art of the Celestial Empire became popular in Europe and several halls of the palace were decorated using oriental motifs. However, the art of China was interpreted very freely by the artists of that time.
The external design of the building was quite restrained and in appearance it resembled a summer pavilion rather than a palace. At the same time, the interior decoration surprised with its beauty and luxury.
The Chinese palace was the summer residence of Empress Catherine II and was part of a complex called “Own Dacha”.
The structure was originally planned as a secluded pavilion in a secluded place and therefore it was not visible from afar. The alleys leading to it were arranged in such a way that the palace, surrounded on all sides by greenery, appeared before the guests completely unexpectedly.
The Chinese Palace is the only monument of the Rococo style in Russian architecture. The architect Alexander Nikolaevich Benois compared the decoration of the building - its patterns and ornaments, paintings and architectural details, with the sonatas of Haydn and Mozart.
The value of the palace lies in the fact that it has preserved original 18th-century interiors. The Chinese palace is open to visitors only in summer; the rest of the time it is closed, since cold and wet air has a detrimental effect on interior materials.
It should be noted that when creating the ensemble of his own dacha in the middle of the 18th century, Antonio Rinaldi sought to achieve harmony between architecture and nature. Oak trees were planted along the southern façade of the Chinese Palace, and back in the 20th century, these giant 200-year-old trees adorned the historical building. Unfortunately, only a few of them have survived to this day.