The Gilded Diplomacy of Wood and Stone: Inside Catherine the Great Furniture Empire
Hook: Picture this: a lavish St. Petersburg ballroom in 1785. Sunlight streams through towering windows, catching the intricate gilt edges of a console table. Its surface isn’t mere wood, but a breathtaking mosaic of Siberian jasper and Ural malachite. This isn’t just furniture; it’s a silent ambassador of imperial power and Enlightenment ideals, commissioned by a…
