The Summer Palaces of the Romanovs: Treasures from Tsarskoye Selo

Situated just south of St. Petersburg, the Russian imperial residence of Tsarskoye Selo is now more than three hundred years old. Tsarskoye Selo ("Tsar's Village") was once a modest estate housing a summer residence for Catherine I, second wife of Peter the Great. The building now known as the Catherine Palace was extensively rebuilt by Empress Elizabeth and then lavishly refurbished by Catherine the Great. This empress's love of art and decoration is evident in the sumptuous interiors and in the extensive park, filled with fanciful pavilions, bridges, and monuments. Catherine also commissioned the neoclassical Alexander Palace for her favorite grandson, the future Alexander I; this later became home to the last tsar, Nicholas II, and his family until their exile to Siberia. The palace is a glorious showcase for Russian art and craftsmanship in a huge variety of materials and techniques, from the mirrors and lavish gilding of the Great Hall to the blood-red beauty of the Agate Rooms, their walls lined with Siberian jasper. Tsarskoye Selo is not only a piece of art history but a living testimony to the tastes and private passions of the Romanov family. Their clothes and porcelain, their desks and bookshelves build an intimate and involving portrait of life in imperial Russia.

"Russia's massive Tsarskoye Selo — a summer residence for Russian czars that was a gift from Peter the Great to his wife, Catherine — gets the royal treatment in this voluminous study. Readers will certainly appreciate Russian historian Ducamp's meticulous efforts, as well as essays from experts on the stonework, furnishings, textiles, and the like, but it's Walter's rich photographs that will hold the greatest and most lasting appeal for fans of Russian art and architecture. Closeups of sleeping marble cherubs, stucco details, and highly intricate parquet floors, not to mention the countless portraits of the site's magnificent Neoclassical interiors, combine with majestic shots of the Greek columns lining the Cameron Gallery, and snow-covered pavilions, to give the reader a true sense of place. Each of the book's images is accompanied by a detailed description of the intended use of the room, materials used, or its impact on its surroundings, giving context to the often overwhelming details. Painstakingly organized, this is a fitting tribute to one of the world's true architectural wonders. 336 illus., 298 in color. (Nov.)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Specially commissioned photographs by Marc Walter and fascinating archive images capture a bygone age of Romanov splendor that will captivate art lovers and historians alike

Emmanuel Ducamp is head of the Association Paris-Saint-Peterbourg, and has written extensively on Russian decorative arts and the Romanovs. He lives in France.