The Large Blue Reception Room

This room received its name only in the second half of the 19th century because of the blue brocatel which used to decorate its walls. According to Rastrelli's project, the interior was designed as a family dining room where small-scale receptions could also be held. The display includes the famous Banqueting Service for 250 persons consisting of about 5,500 pieces. The set was manufactured in 1848-53 at the Imperial Porcelain Factory specially for the Great Palace. It was also at that period that the porcelain chandelier for 86 lights and huge vases painted in gold were made. The formal portraits of Catherine the Great (an 18th-century copy from Dmitry Levitskys work) and of Maria Fiodorovna, Paul I's wife, a work of Marie Vigee Lebrun, add to the majestic atmosphere of this reception room.