Anna Shulgat

CHINA - RUSSIA: ON THE CROSSROADS OF CULTURES

Anna Shulgat
Paired Chinese Vases. WITH SUBJECTS FROM THE NOVEL "WATER MARGIN" BY SHI NAI’AN

#3 2017 (56)

Artefacts made by masters from China and Japan have always had a very special role in the interiors of the Oranienbaum palaces, and the Chinese Palace had one of the most significant collections of Oriental art. After the death of Empress Catherine II, Oranienbaum passed through a succession of owners; in 1831, it became the property of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, and later came into possession of his wife, Grand Duchess Yelena Pavlovna. She continued the tradition of collecting Chinese and Japanese art and, thanks to her efforts, newly-acquired artefacts created in the 19th century started to appear in the Chinese Palace, including a pair of monumental cylindrical vases with high bellnecks and handles in the form of four-legged dragon-lizards.