Our exhibition SUMMER PARK & BUTTERFLIES runs at the Upper Bathhouse pavilion in the Catherine Park from 20 June to 24 September 2023.

We have tried to create a display capturing the transience and beauty of summer in our northern latitudes and illustrating summertime life at an imperial residence.

The highlight of our display is an amazing collection of amber butterflies, created by amber craftsman Natalia Almazova and brought to Tsarskoe Selo from Kaliningrad by the World Ocean Museum.

Known as symbols of rebirth and resurrection, butterflies are also characters in poetic stories, legends and fairy tales, as well the motif of youth, beauty and carefree life. They serve as inspiration for Natalia, who is also a biologist, entomologist, writer and participant of the Romantic Project informal artist association.

In addition to the fourteen stunning objects from the World Ocean Museum, the exhibition showcases Russian and Swedish porcelains, French hand-held fans, herbaria, walking suits, a pram and a bicycle of the early twentieth century, and other nearly fifty artefacts from the collection of Tsarskoe Selo.

Noteworthy is our collection's recent addition: a watercolour by artist Lyubov Endaurova (1853–c.1938). She was a sister of Elisabeth Boehm (née Endaurova), a popular Russian painter and postcard designer.

Also on display: Victor Brodzsky's sculpture of Zephyr; pieces of Rörstrand "Dragonfly" porcelain service of the 1900s; cups and saucers and dessert plates with snowdrops, cornflowers and daisies hand-painted by Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, the younger sister of Emperor Nicholas II.

Open 11am to 7pm (last entry 6pm) daily, except Mondays and Wednesdays. Free admission with park tickets.