From 18 February to 11 May 2026, the Antechambers of the Catherine Palace host the Northern Sun exhibition of goldwork embroidery art from the collections of Tsarskoe Selo and the Museum of Kargopol, an old Russian town on both sides of the Onega River in the Russian northern region of Arkhangelsk.
For the first time, nineteenth-century scarves and kokoshniks, and other headpieces embroidered with gold and pearls by craftswomen from the Kargopol district of the Russian Empire, are showcased alongside imperial court dresses and uniforms in the Catherine Palace. Gold embroidery is one of the most time-consuming and painstaking types of needlework. The artefacts on display are embellished with gold and silver threads, velvet and moire, freshwater pearls, galloon trims, braids and beads.
According to Director Olga Taratynova of Tsarskoe Selo, this exhibition is about pursuing beauty and reflecting on time and heritage. 'It only seems that luxury aesthetic was exclusive for high society. We showcase that women of the Russian North could rival ladies of the imperial court in the sophistication of gold embroidery patterns and, of course, in their pursuit of beauty.'
The exhibition's set-up is the 'river of time carrying northern boats'. With its gold thread, the 'river' connects eras and cities, noble figures of the capital and craftswomen of the Russian North. 'Figures' in white and embroidered attires 'float in the boats' through the palace halls like echoes of the past. The subdued lighting softens the gleam of gold, while songs of northern craftswomen sound from afar.
The Tsarskoe Selo collection is represented by several court attires, including dresses of Grand Duchess Xenia, a sister of Emperor Nicholas II. Her light velvet dress with silver embroidery was featured in World Illustrated #1331 (1894), a Russian weekly magazine with an article on the exhibition of the grand duchess's dowry in the Winter Palace. Like many imperial court attires, the dress was made by St Petersburg's Olga Bulbenkova Workshop specialized in court ladies' formal wear for holidays and high-level receptions.
Northern Sun is available within a tour of the Catherine Palace 10am-5pm Wednesday to Monday, and separately on Friday and weekends (entrance from the Private Garden).
Following the debut at Tsarskoe Selo, the exhibition is set to later travel to the cities of Nizhny Novgorod and Arkhangelsk. Supported by Russia's Ministry of Culture and Arkhangelsk Oblast's Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Idea by Olga Taratynova
Concept by Natalia Plehanova and Yana Zhilyaeva
Artistic concept by Yury Suchkov
Scientific consultant: Tatiana Zimina
Exhibition sponsors: Gazprom Transgas Sankt-Peterburg, Alpha Strakhovanie, PSB Zhilstroy, Thermex, Tsarskoe Selo Museum Promotion Foundation, Lomonosov Roads Foundation
Official partner: Grand Hotel Moika 22
General information partner: TV Channel Sankt-Peterburg