XVIII century elevator table, allowing hosts and guests to dine without the presence of servants in St. Petersburg, Russia.pic.twitter.com/7ZwHnNCmK5
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) October 14, 2024
One of the challenges of aristocratic life in Eighteenth Century Russia was the ongoing proletarian nature of the servants who made life comfortable. I mean, the lower classes are occasionally useful, but you don't want them actually around, right?
The Hermitage Pavilion in the Peterhof Palace complex in St. Petersburg displays a solution to this problem. Russia Travel Blog shares photos and a video of a technically complex table with built-in elevators to raise food from a lower floor directly into the table itself on the upper floor. Servants could move individual place settings as needed.
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