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

