"The Left-Handed Craftsman" is a shaggy cossack tale about a competition between British and Russian craftsmen over a mechanical flea.

The original Amber Room represented a joint effort of German and Russian craftsmen.

Several generations of German and Russian craftsmen worked on this masterpiece, prompted by several generations of monarchs.

In 1979-2003 Russian craftsmen again reconstructed the Amber Room in the Catherine Palace, while the location of the original one is still a mystery.

The original Berlin design was reworked into the Amber Room in Russia in a joint effort of German and Russian craftsmen.

By 2003, the titanic work of the Russian craftsmen was mostly completed.

"The palace became a treasure house of the artistic talents of Russian craftsmen," Ms. Massie writes.

Menelaws signed for a three-year contract to build the Cold Baths near Saint Petersburg, agreeing also to train a class of Russian craftsmen.

Ms. Gann also represents Oleg Raikis, a Russian craftsman who creates original wood and mammoth-ivory chess pieces.

The walls were decorated with imitation Oriental patterns by Russian craftsmen, and hung with Chinese landscape paintings in yellow and black lacquer.