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The Picture Hall is one of the formal rooms in the Catherine Palace, and was designed by Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli in the 1750s. This formal hall occupies approximately 180 square meters, and stretches across the width of the palace. During the 18th century, it was frequently used for diplomatic receptions, meals and music concerts. Meetings, or "conferences at the high court," were also held here during the Seven-year war, (1756-1763) and the summer of 1757 saw a triumphant reception to celebrate the delivery of banners and keys to captured Prussian towns. The Picture Hall differs from the other rooms of the Formal Enfilade designed by Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli in the Catherine Palace with its original finishing. Its south and north walls are hung with works of art arranged like a tapestry.
The main part of the art collection (112 pictures) was obtained by order of Empress Elizabeth in 1745 in Prague and Bohemia by the artist G. Groot for 12,000 rubles especially for the Catherine Palace. It consists of works by western European masters from the 17th and 18th centuries from various schools. Among these are canvases by Dutch and Flemish masters: architectural compositions by Emanual de Witte, genre paintings by Adrian van Ostade and David Teniers, landscapes by Jan Both, still lifes by David de Gem and Jan Feyt. The paintings by French and Italian artists include allegories of sculpture and music by Jean Mark Nattier, battle scenes by Jacques Curtois (Burginogne), mythological and biblical scenes by Jacques Blanchard, Luke Gorgiano and others. This variety of genres features two paintings by Pierre Denis Martin the Younger entitled "The Battle of Poltava" and "Battle at Lesnaya." They were created at the special order of Emperor Peter I, who wanted to record the memory of the great victories of the Russian Army in the Northern War (1700 - 1721). But Peter I never saw the paintings himself, since they arrived in Russia only after his death.
Despite its great artistic value, this collection was used in the Picture Hall with a purely decorative aim. When placing the pictures on the walls, Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli did not take into account the themes of the paintings or nationality of the author, but merely the sizes and range of colours. Separated one from the other by thin gilded frames, the pictures blend into one big colourful blanket. The artists Pfanzelt received the task of selecting the paintings and arranging them symmetrically on the wall using the then widespread technique of wall hanging. The ceiling mural "Olympus" goes well with the colours on the walls. This mural is a copy of the ceiling by the artist G. Diziani decorating the Jordan Staircase at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.
There are few gilded carvings in the room, but the symmetrically-placed carved doors which resemble portals are some of the most elegant in the Formal Enfilade by Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli at the Catherine Palace. They are framed by carved gilded caryatids, and in the centre of the supraportas, Minerva, the goddess of wisdom and war, patron of the arts and sciences, is depicted leaning on a mirror presented to her by a cupid. The magnificent design of the inlaid floors creates the impression of stair steps. During World War II the Picture Hall burned, but the majority of pictures were evacuated. Of 130 paintings, 114 survive. In order to replace the 16 lost paintings, works similar in terms of colour and style to those lost were taken from the reserves of the Hermitage, the Museum of the Arts, and other museums of St. Petersburg. In 1967, the restored Picture Hall was opened for visitors.
