The most technically advanced equipage in the collection is the four-seated ceremonial carriage of the berline type made in St. Petersburg by John Coenrad Buckendal for Catherine the Great. It has both vertical and horizontal springs, two devices on each side to make turns more comfortable and an axle-pivot. The coach, oval at the bottom, has five windows on the front and side walls covered with mirrored glass. The carriage is decorated with gilded wood carving that features fringes, braiding, pearl-like ornamentation and antique garlands. The painting on the walls presents Empress Catherine II portrayed in the images of muses shepherding various forms of art.
