Dome

Catherine Palace, south elevation, frontal view of the east portion, showing the atlantes on the ground floor; Elizabeth I, having been proclaimed Empress, decided to reconstruct the estate: the architects Mikhail Zemtsov, Andrey Kvasov, Domenico Trezzini and Savva Chevakinsky rebuilt the palace as five buildings connected by galleries. The ensemble was again remodelled in 1751-1756, under the supervision of Bartolomeo Carlo Rastrelli, who created a majestic architectural composition. A central façade of immense length (300 m ), unbroken by any significant projection or change in height, was painted turquoise with an abundance of white and gold: the roof was silvered. Foreign visitors described it as a ‘gigantic jewel’. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ (accessed 6/17/2009)