A dress of Empress Maria Feodorovna (the wife of Paul I)

Russia, 1820s
Satin, tulle, moire, lace, silk, gold thread, broad plate, cannetille; embroidery
Height – 132 cm; train length – 200 cm
No GDM-120-II - GDM-122-I

According to a legend, this evening court dress of Empress Maria Feodorovna was created for the coronation of Emperor Nicholas I by serf seamstresses here, in the Gatchina Palace. Even today specialists cannot but admire the skill of seamstresses who decorated this masterpiece with gilded broad plate (wide strips of metal) embroidery on thin silk tulle.