Blue Chinese Room

A watercolour from passed days

The name of this room comes from the walls which, over the course of 150 years, were covered in blue Chinese silk decorated with watercolour landscapes and genre paintings. In the 18th century, the room was called the "Blue Drawing Room." This interior was created in 1783 by Charles Cameron, who kept the room the same size as in the original design by Vasily Neyelov. During the 18th century, Russia and Europe as a whole became interested in Chinese art. The motifs of the exotic "Chinoiserie" style can be detected in the architectural form and decor of many interiors. While paying tribute to this passing fashion, Charles Cameron expertly combined Chinese motifs and elements of classical art with its mythological themes. The light blue Chinese silk covered in a delicate patter, and the Chinese umbrella design of the inlaid floor give the formal interior a special Eastern feel. Following the fire in 1820, the room's painted ceiling was redone by the artist F. B. Brulot to depict the theme of "Flora and Zephyr" based on the drawings and colours present in the original. The mural was mounted on the ceiling in March of the following year. In 1855, the ceiling mural in the Blue Chinese Drawing Room was replaced according to plans by the architect Andrei Shtakenschneider. The painting "Nymphs with Dolphins" by a French artist of the 18th century was placed in the centre of the ceiling. During World War II. the room was partially destroyed. The Chinese wall silk was taken down and stolen, the wall mirror broken, the marble hearth cracked, and the insets of the painted ceiling were damaged. Today the walls of the room are covered in new silk decorated by the artist-restorer R.D. Slepushkina. The basis for the recreated design was a scrap of the original Chinese silk found behind the frame of the fireplace mirror, and also pre-war photographs. Authentic pieces of antique Chinese silk were also used as examples. The ceiling mural that had been destroyed by fire in 1820 was completely re-painted according to sketches by Charles Cameron. The decorative painting of the doors was recreated based on the surviving panel and photographs taken in 1930. The fireplace was gathered from various pieces, the marble slabs of which were stolen by the Nazis and later found 15 kilometres from the town of Pushkin (now Tsarskoe Selo). The inlaid floor has also been restored, and the pattern retains its original form. This hall was re-opened in 1959. The unique 18th-century Chinese porcelain vases were preserved during World War II in evacuation. The hearth instruments and grate produced in the 18th century based on drawings by Charles Cameron and models by Jean-Baptiste Charlemagne have regained their place in the Blue Chinese Drawing Room.

The Chimney and the exquisite parquet floor