The sledge-coach has many seats and is on the runners. It has four doors and ten windows. The windows and upper half of the doors with a figured top section contain narrow panes of glass joined by applied strips of wood. The body, which narrows towards the base, is fairly large and well-proportioned. Here we find at least to same extent the typical Baroque delight in an attractive silhouette.
For an everyday vehicle which was intended for long journeys in winter its décor is quite elegant and expressive. The sledge-coach is adorned with gilded relief carving and sculptural details executed in a manner and technique reminiscent of the last quarter of the 17th century. The cornice and wall-joints of the body are framed with narrow bands of carved foliate motifs. The windows and door surrounds are slightly curved and have beautiful lines. The walls are painted brown and decorated with ornamental painting depicting the attributes of state power. The roof is crowned with balusters and the runners are adorned with large figures of sea beasts carved in wood.
The sledge-coach can seat up to ten people. There are benches and a long table inside. Special braziers were used to heat it. This sledge is depicted on the 18th–century engraving of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna entering Moscow for her coronation in 1742. It is interesting that the journey from the Saint Petersburg to Moscow took three days. They travelled in the daytime only and rested at night.
Detailed study of the sledge has revealed that it was made in Moscow in 1732, and not in St Petersburg in 1742 as stated in specialist literature from the early 19th century onwards. We have also established the name of the person who built this unique conveyance. It was the well-known French master Jean Michel, who came to Russia in 1716. The sledge belonged not only to Emprerss Elizaveta Petrovna, but also to her predecessor on the Russian throne, Empress Anna Ioannovna.