Catherine the Great Furniture: A Throne of Power Crafted in Wood

What if a chair could be more than just a place to sit? What if it was a deliberate tool of political propaganda, a symbol of a nation’s arrival on the world stage, and the personal passion of one of history’s most powerful women? This wasn’t just furniture; this was a calculated statement etched in mahogany and gold. The legacy of Catherine the Great furniture is a fascinating story of imperial ambition, where every curule chair and marquetry table was a building block in her mission to Westernize Russia and cement her own legendary status. Forget mere decoration; her commissions were a purposeful cultural program, and today, they form a breathtaking, museum-quality collection preserved for the world in the Hermitage Museum.

Think of Catherine not just as an empress, but as the ultimate art director for her empire. She didn’t simply want new chairs; she wanted a complete aesthetic overhaul. When she took power in 1762, Russian aristocracy still favored the ornate, swirling curves of the Baroque and Roccoco styles. Catherine saw this as old-fashioned and unsophisticated compared to the intellectual and artistic revolutions happening in Western Europe.

Her goal was threefold:

• Project Imperial Power: She needed to visually demonstrate that Russia was a sophisticated, enlightened, and formidable European power, not a remote backwater.
• Westernize Russian Taste: By importing and later manufacturing the latest Neoclassical designs, she forced her court to adopt a “modern” European sensibility.
• Create a Lasting Legacy: She was deeply conscious of her place in history. Building immense art collections, including furniture, was a way to ensure her name would be remembered alongside great European monarchs and patrons.

The Neoclassical style, with its clean lines, geometric shapes, and references to democratic Greco-Roman antiquity, was the perfect vehicle for her message. It spoke of reason, order, and enlightened rule—exactly the image she wished to project.

Catherine’s vision required the best artists in the world. She wasn’t shopping at a local market; she was commissioning from the most famous ébénistes (cabinet-makers) and menuisières (chair-makers) of Paris and London. Her agents scoured Europe, acquiring entire readymade collections and placing massive custom orders.

Key Figures in the Craft:

• David Roentgen: The superstar of this era. This German master’s furniture was the 18th-century equivalent of a supercar: technologically innovative, breathtakingly detailed, and exorbitantly expensive. His pieces often featured complex mechanical parts, exquisite marquetry (pictures in wood), and stunning precision. Catherine was his most important patron, buying hundreds of his pieces. One famous acquisition was his magnificent “Rolltop Desk,” a masterpiece of engineering and art.
• Jean-Henri Riesener: Another French royal favorite, Riesener was known for his elegant marquetry and superb craftsmanship. While more associated with Louis XVI, his work perfectly embodied the refined early Neoclassical style that Catherine adored.
• The Brothers Gambs: Recognizing the need for local talent, Catherine also patronized immigrant craftsmen who set up shop in St. Petersburg. The Gambs brothers became the leading furniture-makers in Russia, producing high-quality work in the Neoclassical style for the imperial court and nobility, helping to seed a local industry.

Walking through the state rooms of palaces like the Hermitage, Tsarskoye Selo, and Pavlovsk is like walking through Catherine’s personal lookbook. Her Catherine the Great furniture collection wasn’t meant to be cozy; it was meant to impress and intimidate.

• The Cheval Screen (Fire Screen): A common but elegant piece, often featuring a carved frame and a panel of embroidered silk. It wasn’t just for blocking drafts; it was a mobile piece of art that added a splash of color and texture to a grand room.
• The Secrétaire à Abattant (Fall-Front Desk): This was the personal command center for an empress. A sophisticated writing desk with a hinged front that folded down to reveal a complex interior of pigeonholes, drawers, and secret compartments. It combined function, security, and immense beauty, often made from the finest mahogany and adorned with ormolu (gilded bronze) mounts.
• The Lit à la Polonaise (Polish Bed): A dramatic canopy bed where the fabric was draped from a central crown, creating a truly regal and theatrical presence in the bedroom. It was a statement of luxury and status.
• The Guéridon (Pedestal Table): A small, often circular table supported by a single central column. These versatile tables were placed throughout rooms to hold candelabras, small sculptures, or porcelain vases, acting like elegant accents that complemented the larger architecture.

The Language of Catherine’s Furniture Style

You don’t need a time machine to witness this grandeur. Catherine’s master plan for preservation worked perfectly. The vast majority of her collections, including her furniture, form the absolute core of one of the world’s greatest museums.

• The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg: This is the big one. The Hermitage was her personal museum. Wandering through the Neoclassical interiors of the Winter Palace, the Small Hermitage, and the Old Hermitage, you are quite literally walking through her home. Rooms like the Pavilion Hall and the rooms of the Hanging Garden are filled with the very pieces she commissioned and used.
• Tsarskoye Selo (The Catherine Palace): Her summer residence outside St. Petersburg. While the palace is famously known for the reconstructed Amber Room, its state rooms are also furnished in the Neoclassical style she loved, containing many original pieces and accurate reproductions.
• Pavlovsk Palace: Built for her son, Paul, Pavlovsk is a masterpiece of Russian Neoclassical architecture and interior design. The furniture collection here is one of the finest and most complete in the world, heavily influenced by Catherine’s own taste and patronage.

Centuries later, her collection hasn’t lost its power. It captivates us because it operates on multiple levels. On one hand, it’s sheer, undeniable beauty and craftsmanship—the human skill on display is staggering. On a deeper level, it’s a tangible link to a pivotal moment in history. We see the personal taste of a formidable female leader, the geopolitical maneuvering of an empire, and the birth of a cultural identity.

These pieces are more than antiques; they are wooden ambassadors. They tell a story of how art and power are inextricably linked, and how one woman used her impeccable taste to shape the perception of an entire nation for centuries to come.

You probably don’t have a palace to furnish, but you can still channel the empress’s elegant Neoclassical ethos.

• Embrace Symmetry: Arrange your furniture in balanced pairs. Think two identical armchairs flanking a fireplace or a console table with two matching lamps.
• Choose Classical Motifs: Look for decorative accents with Greek keys, fluting, acanthus leaves, or elegant eagles. This can be in a picture frame, a piece of hardware, or a textile pattern.
• Invest in a Statement Piece: You might not buy a Roentgen desk, but one well-made, classically styled wooden piece—a bookshelf, a side table, a bed frame—can anchor a room with timeless elegance.
• Mix Rich Materials: Catherine loved the contrast of dark, polished wood against gleaming gold (ormolu) and crisp white paint. You can replicate this with gold-framed mirrors against a dark wall or metallic accents on dark furniture.
• Curate, Don’t Clutter: The Neoclassical style is about order and clarity. Edit your spaces. Let a few beautiful pieces shine rather than filling a room with knick-knacks.

What’s your favorite style of historical furniture? Does the story behind a piece of art make you appreciate it more? Let us know in the comments!

What style of furniture did Catherine the Great prefer?
Catherine the Great strongly preferred the Neoclassical style. She moved away from the ornate Rococo that was popular before her reign and embraced the new fashion for clean lines, geometric shapes, and motifs inspired by ancient Greece and Rome.

Where did Catherine the Great get her furniture?
She sourced it from the finest craftsmen across Europe, primarily through commissioned orders and bulk purchases. Her most significant acquisitions came from master cabinet-makers like David Roentgen in Germany and Jean-Henri Riesener in France. She also patronized workshops in St. Petersburg, like that of the Gambs brothers.

Is the furniture in the Hermitage Museum original?
A vast amount of the furniture displayed in the Hermitage’s state rooms is original, especially the pieces from the 18th century collected by Catherine the Great. The museum has done an incredible job of preserving these artifacts through centuries, including the tumultuous events of the Russian Revolution and World War II.

What is David Roentgen famous for?
David Roentgen was famous for creating the most technically advanced and artistically exquisite furniture of the 18th century. His pieces were marvels of engineering, often featuring complex mechanical mechanisms, secret compartments, and incredibly detailed pictorial marquetry (using different types of wood to create images). Catherine the Great was his most prized client.

How can I identify Neoclassical furniture?
Look for these key features: straight, clean lines and symmetrical shapes; geometric patterns like Greek keys; decorative motifs from antiquity (urns, lyres, laurel wreaths, acanthus leaves); and the use of high-quality woods like mahogany, often contrasted with lighter woods or gilded bronze mounts (ormolu).

Did Catherine the Great’s furniture choices influence Russian design?
Absolutely. Her patronage was the single most important force in Westernizing Russian taste in the decorative arts. By commissioning and importing Neoclassical designs and supporting local craftsmen to produce them, she set the standard for the entire Russian aristocracy, defining imperial Russian style for generations.

Can I buy reproduction Catherine the Great-style furniture today?
Yes, many high-end furniture makers and companies specializing in historical reproductions offer pieces in the Neoclassical or “Russian Empire” style. You can find everything from reproduction guéridon tables to secrétaires and chairs that capture the essence of her era.