Exhibition "Gatchina Palace: Interiors from the 18th to the early 20th century"

About exhibition

The ceremonial rooms of the 18th century are located on the second floor of the Central Corps of Gatchina Palace. They have not undergone significant changes since the 1790s, when the palace's owner was Emperor Paul I. Among the 18th-century state interiors the White Hall stands out — the largest room of the bel étage. It was created to a design by Antonio Rinaldi in the 1770s. The hall contains a sculpture that includes two authentic antique busts, of Antinous and of Emperor Caracalla. Two rooms of the bel étage (the Crimson Drawing Room and Emperor Paul I’s Throne Room) are adorned with tapestries woven in France at the Royal Tapestry Manufactory. These were gifts from King Louis XVI to Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, the future Emperor Paul I. The Empress Maria Feodorovna’s Throne Room houses a collection of paintings.