
Catherine the Great Furniture: Where Power, Art, and Opulence Collide
Picture this: gilded chairs glimmering under crystal chandeliers, mahogany desks inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and cabinets adorned with scenes of mythological triumph. This wasn’t just décor—it was propaganda. Catherine the Great, Russia’s longest-reigning empress (1762–1796), didn’t just collect furniture; she weaponized it. Every curlicue, carving, and cushion in her palaces whispered a message of power, intellect,…