The Palisander Drawing-Room

One of Empress Alexandra Fiodorovna’s private rooms, the Palisander (Rosewood) Drawing-Room was designed by Robert Melzer in the 1890s. Its walls were paneled with palisanderwood (hence the name) at the bottom and lined with French silk at the top. A large corner fireplace had rosewood finish as well. On shelves and tables lied Russian and French items of art-glass and bronze. A moulded garland-shaped frieze added to the room’s spruced décor. The walls were hung with portraits and photographs of the Empress’s German relatives and picturesque views of Darmstadt. When telephones appeared in the palace in the early 1900s, two were installed in this room: one to the outside and a special phone connected to the Army Headquarters when the Emperor stayed there.

There was no dining-hall in the palace. The Imperial family had dinners in the Palisander Drawing-Room together with their intimate friends. Dinners started at 8 p.m. sharp and lasted exactly 40 minutes – a tradition introduced by Nicholas II.

The room’s furnishings survived only in old photographs.