Project overview
To address the key challenges at the Chinese Palace WMF Britain had to field a team who could adapt to the modus operandi of working in Russia. Conservation within the Russian State Heritage sector is not considered easy or straightforward.
History and architecture, a potent mix
The materials and the sheer craftsmanship of the palace are as rich as the historical setting at its creation. Young Catherine had just seized power from her tormenting husband, and the Chinese Palace would be the first palace she would build as Tsarina.
Three key moments – first a round table discussion
There have been three successful stages in the management of this project. The first occurred over three days in April 2004 when WMF Britain organised a conference for international delegates to spend time at the Chinese Palace with their Russian counterparts and share their experiences. This was sponsored by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation European Preservation Program. The highlight was the transformation in mood during the conference as minor hostility and suspicion gave way to a meaningful dialogue, albeit a spirited one.
Printed in Russian and English the resulting publication, ‘Seminar to Discuss the interiors of Catherine the Great’s Chinese Palace’ is an important collection of mutually agreed principles, international research and commentary on the palace’s various finishes that will inform the restoration of them. For example it was agreed that the palace should not open during the winter, thus avoiding the potential harmful effects of heating and changes in humidity. These conclusions were supported in writing by the deputy director of KGIOP (St. Petersburg Committee for the State Inspection and Protection of Historic Monuments). WMF Britain was the medium through which this highly important dialogue was conducted.
Taking the temperature from Cambridge
The second breakthrough was the appointment of Tobit Curteis, a climatologist specialising in wall paintings and sensitive historic building fabric, with experience with English Heritage and Council for the Care of Churches. Tobit wrote an invaluable survey of the climate conditions of the palace, that told us so much about the deterioration of the historic surfaces and formed the springboard for a more ambitious intervention. We installed a climate measuring system, with monitors in several of the rooms and transmitters that would relay the temperature and humidity readings not just to the museum staff but back to Tobit in Cambridge for analysis.
This was an unprecedented step for a foreign organisation. Tobit has been able to analyse the data for the last two years. More importantly, Tobit has been training the resident climatologist at the palace in using the equipment to ensure it continues to perform a useful function.
Project management abroad
The third was the more recent appointment of Denley King as the project managers. Part of the international construction group Cyrill Leonard, their firm leadership has proved invaluable as we perform vital structural work to the roof, terraces and foundations. Keeping water out of the palace from above and below has been a key priority for us and that looks set to be completed this year. In partnership with the new museum administration from Peterhof, the palace’s future should be secured within the next two years.
Chinese Cabinet
Chinese Palace interior portrait
Structural repairs and climate control
WMF Britain devised two programmes, first funding major structural repairs to the exteriors, and secondly a new climate monitoring system for the inside. This would offer new technology but with an awareness that the museum’s existing regimes, albeit on a shoestring, were meticulous and had ensured the palace’s survival.