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The Cameron Dining Room is the first of the rooms of the northern wing of the Catherine Palace near the Palace Chapel, created at the end of the 18th century by order of Empress Catherine II for Grand Duke Paul (the future Emperor Paul I) and his first wife, Natalia Alexeevna. These interiors were constructed in place of the former "Hanging Garden" created by Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli. The Hanging Garden was a huge terrace enclosed by colonnades on the inside of the palace's facade. One of the ends of the hall which had no ceiling was formed by the Chapel, and the gilded domes sparkled above the garden. In place of inlaid floors there were multicoloured flower-beds, and the garden was furnished with stone benches placed under fruit trees. But with time the garden began to leak water into the palace, and in 1773 Empress Catherine II issued an order for architect Vasily Neyelov to construct rooms for the Grand Duke and Duchess. The architectural decor was completed by Charles Cameron in 1779. At that time these rooms were occupied by the second wife of the future Emperor Paul I, Maria Feodorovna.
The light green walls of the dining room were covered in white stuccowork ornament which recreated the decoration of ancient villas in relief. The athletic figures of nude youths and girls in ancient dress stand out among the fragments of classical architecture, Greek vases and grapevines. The sculptural decorations are accented by medallions with dancing cupids and bas- reliefs depicting mythological themes on a pink background. The doors are painted with grotesques using the same motifs, but in a darker colour range. The north wall of the room is most effective with its marble fireplace boasting holders with lion's paws in the centre. All of the stucco mouldings of the Green Dining Room was executed by the famous Russian sculptor, Ivan Martos.
The ceiling mural which adorned the dining room at the end of the 18th century has not survived. On the night of May 12, 1820, a serious fire began in the Palace Chapel and, as a result, those rooms created by Charles Cameron suffered extensive damage. The following day, Emperor Alexander I instructed the architect Vasily Stasov to form a commission to repair the destroyed part of the palace based on surviving fragments of the decor and original drawings by Charles Cameron which Count Liven had acquired in 1822 in London from the architect's heirs. Emperor Alexander I ordered that everything be restored to its original appearance. The stucco artist Zakolupin restored the stucco mouldings of the walls to its original state. The marble fireplace was restored by the sculptor F. Triscorini. The inlaid floor of various species of wood was completely redone. Vasily Stasov left the ceiling white.
During the 19th century Empress Elizabeth Alexejevna, wife of Emperor Alexander I, dwelled in this suite. In 1855, at the order of Emperor Nicholas I, the architect Andrei Shtakenschneider created a plan for the second floor of the Catherine Palace, including indications of which paintings from the Hermitage stores were to be used for the ceiling murals. According to this plan, the central part of the ceiling in the Green Dining Room was mounted with a painting by the Italian artist Antonio Canoppi entitled "The Victory of Bacchus." It was framed by gilded stucco ornaments and accented by decorative painted medallions. On May 15, 1863, this wing of the palace was again struck by fire. The ceilings suffered the most damage, but the ceiling murals were taken down and removed from the palace. Following restoration work directed by A. F. Vidov, the Green Drawing Room was redecorated.
During World War II, all of the rooms designed by Charles Cameron were partially destroyed and looted. These rooms were the first to be restored at the Catherine Palace Museum in 1957 according to plans by the architect Alexander Kedrinsky. The stucco mouldings in the Green Dining Room was restored by the sculptors G. L. Mikhailov and E. P. Maslennikov. The doors were painted to match the one surviving leaf. The inlaid floors were redone from oak, grenadine, light maple and mahogany based on the old pattern. The ceiling was again left white. This room was reopened in 1959 following restoration. Today the architectural decor of the Green Dining Room is enhanced by white chairs with green upholstery, a bronze fireplace grate and fireplace instruments produced in the late 18th century according to drawings by Charles Cameron expressly for this room. The bronze candelabra by the late 18th century French master Pierre Joseph Gouthiere are of special note.
