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The Chinese Palace is the main construction of the "Own Dacha". It was built to be used as the summer entertaining residence of the Empress Catherine II 1762-1768 . Initially this Palace was one-storey building. The additional second floor of the Southern facade and two additional structures in the Eastern and Western sides were built in the middle of the XIX century by the architects A.Stakenschneider and L.Bonshtedt . The name "Chinese" was given to the palace in the end of the XVIII century due to the Chinese style decoration in four rooms.
Besides, one of the richest collections
of Chinese and Japanese applied art was placed in this palace.
The interior decoration of the Chinese Palace includes the astonishing
variety of art means and materials: painting, modelling, gilding,
mosaic, artificial marble, glass beads, hand-painted fabrics.
All the seventeen interiors of the Chinese Place have the picturesque
decorated ceilings. Twelve of these ceilings were made according
the special order by the masters from Venetian Academy, the artists-decorators
- G.Diziani, D.Pittoni, F.Zunio, D.Maggiotto, D.Gvarana. No museum
in the whole world has the similar collection..
The parquets of the Palace occupy the total area of 722 square meters and have the unique art importance. They have no analogues in the world and are made of the most rare local and foreign wood: red wood, palisander, amarant, black tree, lime tree, birch, oak, maple.
The Glass Beads Study (the picture) decoration is unusual. The walls are covered with twelve panels with glass beads(little pipes of white glass stringed on the thread) embroidery according the fantastic pictures of the French artist of the XVIII century J.Pillman. The artificial marble is widely used in the interior decoration: it covers the walls, panels, ceilings, fireplaces, sides of the widows and doors. The magnificent collections of the decorative painting, furniture, porcelain and bronze are exhibited in the Chinese Palace. All the collections are of the great art value and were made by Russian and Western masters.
