The State Hermitage Museum: Exhibitions

The bronze door of the cabinet takes the form of a miniature wall of some hall with Catherine's beloved Italian greyhound lying by the door. When the figure of the dog is pressed the door drops down. Behind it are mahogany pigeonholes for letters or documents. Then the door rises again and the writing cabinet goes back to be replaced by a cabinet for keeping valuables. Its appearance is heralded by a piece of music for flute and harpsichord played by the musical mechanism from a cylinder that carries four different melodies.