The Malachite Room
Russian and French workshops · Nineteenth century
The deep green glow of this small salon comes from malachite, a copper ore from the Ural Mountains that Russian craftsmen cut into thin veneers and pieced together so skilfully that a tabletop or a door frame looks carved from a single stone. The room takes its name from a set of malachite pieces, above all a magnificent pair of doors and several tables and vases, arranged among gilded furniture, mirrors and a chandelier. The colour is so intense that visitors often stop in the doorway before they realise they are allowed to come in.
Look closely at the surface of the doors and you will see how the veneer was made. The stone was sliced into slabs a few millimetres thick, and the craftsmen matched the swirling bands of light and dark green so that the pattern flows continuously across joints, a technique known as Russian mosaic. The gilt bronze mounts, in the French Empire taste, add warmth against the cold green. Malachite of this quality was a diplomatic gift material, sent by the tsars to courts across Europe.
The pieces are usually said to have come to Mexico in the imperial years of the 1860s, when Maximilian furnished the castle with objects from European palaces and workshops, and they were kept by the presidents who lived here afterwards. Whatever their exact route, they show how the castle's residents used luxury objects to claim membership of the world of European monarchy. The room is one of the most atmospheric in the Alcázar, so take a moment here before you continue to the imperial bedrooms.
Did You Know? Malachite of this quality came almost entirely from the Demidov mines in the Urals, the same source that supplied the Malachite Room of the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg.
Unlock the Full Guide
Read every room and listen to every work in all museums with premium.