Works of art from the collection of the State Hermitage. History of the creation of the State Hermitage

One of the most famous museums in the world. Kilometer-long queues line up in it, regardless of the weather outside. It has many branches, its own theater, orchestra and unusual cats.

Read this article and you will know a brief history of the Hermitage. You will get acquainted with some of the exhibits and the luxurious atmosphere of the halls. We will talk about the different buildings included in the museum complex.

The information will be of interest to all lovers of national culture and connoisseurs of masterpieces of world art.

Hermitage in the Russian Empire

Before starting a description of the Hermitage, it is worth briefly getting acquainted with its history. The largest collection today, which is housed in many halls of different buildings, once began with a personal collection of paintings by Catherine the Great.

In 1764, she received it on account of the debt of Johann Gotzkowski to the Russian prince Vladimir Dolgoruky. The collection included more than three hundred paintings brought from Berlin. The total cost of the paintings ranges from one hundred and eighty thousand German thalers of the eighteenth century.

Thus, the history of the Hermitage began with the works of Baburen, van Dyck, Balen, Rembrandt, Rubens, Jordaens and other Netherlandish and Flemish painters. Of the original list of paintings, ninety-six masterpieces remain intact today. About where the rest disappeared, we will talk in other parts of the article.

Initially, the premises for the collection were allocated in the halls of the Winter Palace. Later, a building was built, which today is known as the Small Hermitage (the photo is located below). But during the existence of the museum, Catherine the Great followed the increase in the number of exhibits. Gradually, there was not enough space, and in sixteen years the Great (or Old) Hermitage was built by the architect Felten.

During the eighteenth century, the collection was replenished with many thousands of works of art. The collections of the Saxon minister, Count Heinrich von Brühl, the collections of the French baron Pierre Crozat, as well as a number of masterpieces from the collection of British Prime Minister Robert Walpole were acquired.

In the nineteenth century, the work of Empress Catherine the Great was continued by Alexander I and Nicholas I. They no longer bought entire collections from various noble Europeans, but supplemented the collections of eras, styles and individual artists. So the Lute Player by Caravaggio and the Adoration of the Magi by Botticelli were acquired.

Nicholas I played an important role in popularizing the Hermitage. In 1852, he opened the exposition for the public to see. Until that time, only selected persons from the upper strata of society could admire the masterpieces. After the collection opened to the public in the New Hermitage, attendance reached fifty thousand people in the first year.

A significant figure in the art history of the second half of the nineteenth century was Andrey Somov, who was the curator of the museum for twenty-two years. He compiled several catalogs of works of Italian and Spanish art, which were exhibited in the halls of the Hermitage.

The situation changed dramatically after the abdication of Nicholas II from the throne and the coming to power of the Bolsheviks.

History of the Hermitage after 1917

In the twenties of the twentieth century, the history of the Hermitage underwent some changes. The collection is replenished from many collections of the imperial nobility. For example, most of the interior items, the treasures of the Great Mughals, were transferred from the halls of the Winter Palace.

Parts of the disbanded collections from the Museum of New Western Art were poured into the collection (works by European impressionists and paintings by Shchukin, Morozov). But the Hermitage Gallery also suffered losses. So, the Diamond Room of the Winter Palace moved to the Moscow Kremlin, and the main works of artists of the seventeenth century ended up in the Museum of Fine Arts.

The turning point was the sale of masterpieces for five years (from 1929 to 1934). This was an unexpected blow to the collection. During this time, the Hermitage lost more than forty paintings (a photo of one of them is located below). For example, the "Annunciation" by Jan van Eyck is now kept in the Museum of Washington.

The next test was the Great Patriotic War. An amazing fact, but not a single copy of the two million exhibits evacuated to the Urals was lost. After returning, only a few of them needed restoration.

In 1945, the Hermitage significantly enlarged the collection with trophies from Berlin. The Pergamon altar and some of the things from Egypt were transported. But in 1958 the government of the Soviet Union returns them to the German Democratic Republic.

After perestroika and the fall of the Soviet state, the Hermitage was one of the first to announce the works stored in its vaults, which were considered lost to the whole world.

In addition, with the help of a specially created fund, gaps in the exhibits of the twentieth century are gradually filled. So, the works of Soutine, Rouault, Utrillo and other artists were acquired.

The Hermitage 20\21 project appears, during which purchases and exhibitions of works by contemporary authors are planned.

In 2006, there was a small embarrassment with the loss of two hundred small exhibits (jewelry, silverware, icons, etc.). But the investigation quickly identified the perpetrators of the theft, and most of the things were returned.

Halls of the Great Hermitage

For a beginner, the halls of the Hermitage are like an endless labyrinth of the Palace of Knossos in Crete. Three buildings are united here, in which there are twenty-eight sections and about four hundred rooms.

So, the history of which was discussed earlier, was opened for public viewing by Emperor Nicholas I. Since that time, the museum's collections have grown significantly.

Today here you can see the art of Central Asia, ancient states, Ancient Egypt and the East, monuments of various cultures on the territory of Ancient Siberia. Also, the richest collection of jewelry is presented in two galleries.

On the second floor, visitors will enjoy not only a chic collection of weapons, but also paintings by Western European masters. There are works by Flanders, Dutch, Italian, English, German, Spanish and French artists.

There is also a modern gallery. The Hermitage gave her part of the premises on the third floor. In these halls, tourists will be able to see not only paintings by Western European authors of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Also here are objects of art and culture of the Byzantine Empire, the countries of Central Asia and the Far East.

Building

In St. Petersburg, the buildings of the Hermitage form an integral architectural composition. It includes five main objects, two service and four separate premises.

The ensemble is based on buildings on the Palace Square of the northern capital. Here are the Winter Palace, the Small, Big and New Hermitage, as well as the Hermitage Theater.

Since Soviet times, the Winter Palace has been given to the museum to house the exposition. This house was once the main imperial building in the Russian state. It was built in the middle of the eighteenth century by the famous architect Rastrelli. Before the abdication of Nicholas II, it was the main winter residence of the ruling Romanov dynasty.

But the main halls of the Hermitage are not located here. Most of the items are exhibited in three special buildings - the Large, Small and New Hermitage.
The first was built by Velten at the end of the eighteenth century. It is located on the embankment and was intended to display art collections.

The Small Hermitage consists of the Hanging Garden, as well as two pavilions - North and South. It was erected a little earlier than the Bolshoi and is a link between the classical Hermitages and the Baroque Winter Palace.

The New Hermitage was built in neo-Greek. It was created specifically to house an art collection "for public inspection".

Also, the buildings of the Hermitage include a cinder block garage and a spare house of the Winter Palace. These buildings are considered auxiliary and service.

Outside, the museum has the Staraya Derevnya depository, the Eastern Wing of the General Staff Building, the Menshikov Palace and the Museum of the Porcelain Factory.

Theater

The history and architecture of the Hermitage buildings often borrows various ideas from Western European masters. The theater was no exception.

It was designed and built by an Italian at the end of the eighteenth century. The interior and interior composition were influenced by the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza. Thus, some of the ideas of Andrea Palladio were repeated in St. Petersburg.

The “history of the Hermitage” is still noticeable in the foyer. Visitors will be able to see with their own eyes the rafters and wooden ceilings of the late eighteenth century.

The theater building itself was built on the site of the first Winter Palace from the time of Emperor Peter Alekseevich. Only the foundation was preserved from the old house.

It is noteworthy that along the embankment there is the Hermitage Bridge, which connects the two Admiralty Islands and leads from the theater to the Old Hermitage.

New Hermitage

The history and architecture of the Hermitage fully reflect the haste with which Empress Catherine the Great took up the realization of the idea under the impression of Western European fashion. In the late eighteenth century, it became popular among the nobility to collect art collections.

The Empress bought the first batch of paintings and commissioned the construction of what is today known as the Small Hermitage. But even before the completion of the work, it became clear that the room was too small and unable to accommodate all the new items. Therefore, seven years later, the construction of the Great Hermitage began.

Half a century later, the building began to deteriorate, and the fire that occurred in 1837 completely forced the start of new construction. Thus, Nicholas I brought the architect Klenze from Munich, who began to design the New Hermitage. St. Petersburg became for him the realization of failed ideas.

The room reflects the architect's ideas, which did not find a response in Athens. In general, the building was supposed to partly resemble the Pinakothek, Glyptothek, Pantechnion and the royal residence in Greece.

In 1852, the opening of new halls took place. The exhibits for them were personally chosen by the emperor himself.

Exhibits

Next, we will examine the exhibits of the Hermitage. In the halls of this museum, the development of art from the era of the primitive communal system to the present day is presented. Particularly interesting selections of material from archaeological collections.

These include the Paleolithic Venuses from Kostenki, Scythian gold, things from burials in slabs with petroglyphs, and other masterpieces of the era of cultures of the Great Steppe.

Separately, it is worth touching on the exhibits of ancient halls. There are more than a hundred thousand items on display here. You will be able to see more than fifteen thousand painted vases, about ten thousand of the most valuable antique gems, as well as one hundred and twenty Roman portraits.

The ancient Greek exhibits of the Hermitage are complemented by a stunning collection of terracotta figurines from the city of Tanagra in Boeotia.

The numismatic collection is more than one million coins. Antique and oriental, Russian and Western European samples are presented here. In addition, there are about seventy-five thousand commemorative medals, fifty thousand badges, orders, seals and other items.

However, the most famous is undoubtedly the collection of paintings by artists that belong to different periods and styles.

Italian masters from the thirteenth to the eighteenth century: Titian and Giorgione, da Vinci and Raphael, Caravaggio, Tiepolo and others. Netherlandish painting is expressed in the canvases of Robert Campin, van Leyden, van der Weyden, etc. There are also Flemings Rubens and Snyders, Jordaens and van Dyck.

The Spanish collection is the largest in the world, with the exception of the museums in Spain. Here you can enjoy the works of El Greco, de Ribera, Morales and others.

From the British, canvases by Kneller, Dobson, Reynolds, Lawrence, etc. are exhibited. From the French - Gellet, Mignard, Delacroix, Renoir, Monet, Degas and others.

With all its diversity, the collection has many gaps. For example, the surrealists and some other movements are practically not represented in the Hermitage.

Orchestra

But St. Petersburg is famous not only for the breathtaking collection of the Hermitage. The famous orchestra is also popular.

This unexpected Russian-Lithuanian project was created at the turn of the era. In 1989, when glasnost and perestroika were raising the Iron Curtain and the Soviet Union was collapsing, Saulius Sondeckis created an orchestra called the St. Petersburg Camerata.

The basis of the group were students of the city conservatory, where this Lithuanian taught.

The next year, the director of the Hermitage invites them to play under the patronage of this institution. Subsequently, for some time, "Camerata" signs a contract with the record company "Sony Classical".

And in 1994, after a series of negotiations, the group again returned under the patronage of the museum and received the final name "Orchestra of the State Hermitage".

In 1997, the Hermitage Academy of Music was created, based on this group. Today the orchestra gives concerts in the Hermitage Theater and other historical halls.

And its permanent leader received in 2009 as an outstanding cultural figure and for strengthening relations between the two states.

Famous Hermitage cats

The Hermitage Cats are an inimitable urban legend and simply an amazing fact. Today, about seventy animals live on the territory of the museum. They have all documents, including veterinary cards and passports. In addition, cats are officially listed as "highly qualified specialists in cleaning the basements of the museum from rats."

Thus, the Hermitage collection is kept completely safe from the invasion of rodents. Only a few times it happened that the rats spawned a palace.

Tsar Peter the Great brought the first cat to the Winter Palace from a trip to Western Europe. Later, during a trip to Kazan, Elizaveta Petrovna noticed the absence of rodents in the city due to the large number of rat-catchers. By special decree, the largest individuals were relocated to St. Petersburg.

Subsequently, Catherine the Great divides animals into indoor and outdoor. The first included exclusively Russian blue cats.

The second time when rats bred was during the blockade of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War. But after its completion, two carriages of cats were brought to the city, of which the best ones were assigned to the museum.

Today all the cats of the Hermitage are sterilized. They have their own places to sleep and bowls. Museum workers affectionately call them "Ermiks". And on the territory of the attraction there are signs urging you to be careful. They are placed as a necessary measure, as many animals die under cars during various repairs.

Branches

You are mistaken if you think that there is only one Hermitage. St. Petersburg has several branches of this museum around the world.

The first attempts to create branches were at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Gyms opened in London and Las Vegas, but closed seven years later.
Cooperation with Italy turned out to be more successful. The first exposition here appeared in 2006 in the castle d'Este. This building is considered the hallmark of the city of Ferrara. Options with Verona and Mantua are also being considered.

But the most famous foreign department is the Hermitage on the Amstel, in the city of Amsterdam. It was opened in 2004, and later, an entire street and the Amstelhof building were reconstructed to create a complete composition.

In the Russian Federation, there are branches in Kazan and Vyborg, it is planned to be in Omsk in 2016.

Thus, in this article, we got acquainted with the amazing museum of the Russian Federation. The Hermitage is not just a place where masterpieces are exhibited, but a piece of culture with its own history and peculiarities.

Good luck, dear readers. I wish you bright impressions and colorful travels!

The Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg is one of the largest museums in the world. Every guest of the northern capital considers it his duty to visit this historical heritage.

The Hermitage in St. Petersburg has a colorful and varied collection of exhibits. These include paintings, art objects, sculptures, paintings, graphics and many more diverse and interesting objects. To date, the collection has over 3,000,000 exhibits. In terms of its scale, the Hermitage of St. Petersburg is in no way inferior to the Louvre in France, or the Metropolitan in the United States. Scientists have established an interesting fact: if each work of art is considered for about a minute, then even eight years will not be enough to go around the entire museum. All exhibits are located in certain halls, there are about 350 of them.

The Hermitage was founded in St. Petersburg in 1764. It was then that the museum was replenished with the first historical exhibits. Catherine II bought several paintings from a merchant from Berlin, which belonged mainly to Dutch artists. And since then, she has constantly tried to diversify her collections. Later it was customary to celebrate the founding of the museum on the day of St. Catherine, i.e. the seventh of December.

The entire Hermitage Museum consists of five separate buildings. The most famous is the Winter Palace. Previously, it was considered the main palace of the emperor, representing a closed rectangle. Compared to other buildings, the Winter Palace is taller and larger. Due to a fire that broke out in 1837, the building was repeatedly reconstructed.

The museum complex also includes the Old Hermitage, the New Hermitage, the Hermitage Theater and the Small Hermitage. All buildings are interconnected with the help of stairs and underground passages. Together, they represent an integral architectural structure.

The famous collection of paintings by Catherine II is located in the Small Hermitage. The Empress constantly tried to replenish her collection by buying various sculptures, paintings, art objects. Her gallery flaunted the works of the most famous and unsurpassed artists: Rembrandt, Raphael, Rubens, etc.

Also, Catherine II gave deep preference to the paintings of little-known European masters, whose path was just beginning then. The Empress loved to collect decorative stone items: various figurines, souvenirs and jewelry for women. One of the significant acquisitions of this kind was the collection of stone products of the Duke of Orleans. As a result, there was not enough space in the Small Hermitage for all the acquisitions of Catherine the Great. From 1771-1778, it was decided to build a new building adjoining the museum of the Empress. This building was very different from the Winter Palace and the Small Hermitage. It had a strict and discreet style. The Greater Hermitage was allocated for unique collections of paintings.

In front of the Winter Palace is the famous Palace Square. Which is about five hectares. It is twice the size of Red Square in Moscow. Now it is a striking historical object and every day thousands of tourists gather on the square, fascinated by the scale and beauty of the museum.

There are two more buildings that currently belong to the Hermitage of the northern capital: the Menshikov Palace and the General Staff Building. The main headquarters used to house various military establishments. And the Menshikov Palace was built specifically for the "right hand" of Peter I - Alexander Menshikov.

One of the main attractions of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg is the Jordan Stairs. It is located in the Winter Palace. For all the time, she practically did not change her original appearance. The staircase is made in excellent baroque style. It captivates with its white marble ornamentation and monumental painting of the sails. The Jordanian staircase got its name in honor of the rite of baptism on the Neva River.

Having passed along the Jordan stairs, you can find yourself in the largest hall of the museum. Its area is 1103 sq. m. and consists of three large rooms. This is followed by a concert hall, which gathered within its walls many noble people during the time of the emperor. After passing through the last passage from the stairs, you can get into the Field Marshal's Hall. It used to be decorated with portrait paintings of field marshals.

The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg is a real cultural and historical heritage. Millions of tourists come every day to admire the objects of art and architecture, as well as to join the Russian spirit of that time, full of secrets and mysteries.

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History of the creation of the State Hermitage

Introduction

The Hermitage in St. Petersburg is one of the most famous museums not only in the northern capital, but throughout the world. Together with such world museums as the Louvre, the Metropolitan and the British Museum, it has a rich collection and is one of the most visited museums in the world.

Currently, the museum's collection includes more than 3,000,000 exhibits. These are primarily paintings and sculptures, objects of applied art, as well as other works of art. If we consider each exhibit for one minute, it will take 8 years to examine the entire collection. To view all the expositions, you need to walk 20 kilometers.

The main ensemble of the Hermitage, located in the center of St. Petersburg, includes the Winter Palace - the former state residence of the Russian emperors, the buildings of the Small, Old and New Hermitages, the Hermitage Theater and the Spare House. The museum complex includes the Menshikov Palace and the eastern wing of the General Staff Building, the Staraya Derevnya restoration and storage center and the Museum of the Imperial Porcelain Factory.

1. The beginning of the museum collection

The word Hermitage comes from the French "ermitage" (secluded corner). In one of the premises of the Small Hermitage, by order of Catherine II, a room was arranged with two tables that were raised from the ground floor. The raised tables were already set and it was possible to dine alone, without the help of servants, in this secluded corner.

The beginning of the museum's collection begins in 1764, when the Prussian merchant Gotzkowski gave Russia his collection of 225 paintings as a debt. They were placed in the Small Hermitage. Catherine II gave the order to buy up all valuable works of art exhibited at auctions abroad. Gradually, the premises of the Small Palace were not enough. And works of art began to be placed in a newly built building, called the Old Hermitage. In 1764-1767, a new building was built next to the palace, designed by the architect Valen-Delamote, connected to the palace by a covered passage. The fashion for detached buildings came from France (“Hermitage” means “hermitage”), and Gotzkovsky's collection was later placed in the Small Hermitage.

A great contribution to the museum collection was made by the Russian Ambassador to France D.A. Golitsyn, who was friends with D. Diderot and other representatives of culture abroad. In 1769, Catherine bought a large private collection of Brühl (Saxon Minister under King August III), the collection included Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son, two Danais by Titian and Rembrandt, Rubens' Bacchus, Giorgione's Judith and many others.

In 1771, construction began on a new, large building designed by Felten for the growing collection (the Great Hermitage). 1787 - a collection of carved stones - glyptics is acquired, Quarenghi builds the building of the Hermitage Theater and completes the ensemble. 1774 - the first printed catalog of the gallery in French, at the same time, the Venetian artist Martinelli was invited as curator and restorer, he was also director until 1797. The principle of hanging was decorative; the integrity of the collections was often preserved during hanging. The Hermitage complex was under the jurisdiction of the Court Office, but was an independent institution within the palace department. Permission to visit was given by the Chief Marshal of the Court Office. In 1779, the British Prime Minister Walpole's collection of paintings was acquired, which included several Rembrandt masterpieces (for example, The Sacrifice of Abraham and Haman's Disgrace) and portraits by Van Dyck. And in 1781, the Hermitage acquired more than 5,000 drawings from the Cobenzl collection in Brussels, which served to create a collection of graphics. Another significant acquisition was the collection of the English banker Lyde-Brown, which included antique statues and busts, including Michelangelo's crouching boy.

Then a collection of carved stones of the Duke of Orleans was bought in Paris. In addition, Catherine commissioned works from Chardin, Houdon, Roentgen and other masters. She also acquired the libraries of Voltaire and Diderot. The posthumous inventory of Catherine's property in 1796 lists 3996 paintings placed in the Hermitage and country palaces.

The collection included not only paintings, but also engravings, drawings, antique valuables, works of arts and crafts, precious carved cameos, numismatic collections, medals and books.

It was Catherine II who laid the foundation for the creation of the famous collection of masters from France, Holland, Flanders, and England.

2. Development of the museum

Emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I pay great attention to the further development of the museum: they buy not only collections, but also individual works of artists. In Rome, at the sale of the Giustiniani collection, Caravaggio's Lute Player and Botticelli's Adoration of the Magi, which is now in Washington, were purchased. In 1819, the Madonna in a Landscape was bought, presumably by Giorgione. Josephine Beauharnais, Empress of France in 1804-1809, the first wife of Napoleon I, presented Alexander I with the Gonzaga cameo, and after her death, the entire gallery of the Malmaison Palace, which originated mainly from Kassel, was acquired. In 1814, a collection of Spanish paintings by Kuzvelt was acquired. Thus, paintings by Rembrandt and Rubens with the same name "Descent from the Cross", "Farm" by Potter, paintings by Claude Lorrain, "Glass of Lemonade" by Terborch and "Breakfast" by Metsu, as well as statues created by Canova: "Psyche and Cupid", " Paris", "Hebe" and "Dancer".

During the reign of Nicholas I, the Military Gallery of 1812 was opened with portraits of the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812. Unfortunately, on December 17, 1837, a fire engulfed part of the palace. By order of Nicholas I, the passages between the buildings were dismantled and everything that could be carried was saved. Restoration work under the direction of V.P. Stasov continued until 1840. Until the middle of the 18th century, only a select few could visit the museum. So A.S. Pushkin was able to get a pass only thanks to the recommendation of V. Zhukovsky, who served as a mentor to the emperor's son.

3. New Hermitage

The New Hermitage opened as a museum on February 5, 1852, which was marked by a dinner for 600 people and a performance at the Hermitage Theatre. The collection continued to be replenished with works of art: paintings, weapons, silverware and arts and crafts. Until 1925, only the New Hermitage was a museum. Later, other buildings were given over to the museum: the Winter Palace, the Small Hermitage, the Old Hermitage and the Hermitage Theatre, which served as the residence of the royal family before the revolution.

In the second half of the 19th century, donations and purchases from domestic collectors also became important sources of replenishment of funds. The materials of archaeological excavations are transferred to the museum. By the beginning of the 20th century, the museum already had thousands of paintings, and then new works of art appeared in its collection.

After the revolution, the total number of valuables and works of art in the museum more than quadrupled.

As a result of the sales of 1929-34, 48 masterpieces left Russia forever: the Hermitage lost the only work of van Dyck, the best works of Raphael, Botticelli, Hals and a number of other old masters.

In Soviet Russia, the Museum began to significantly enrich itself at the expense of nationalized private collections and the collection of the Academy of Arts. Received paintings by Botticelli, Andrea del Sarto, Correggio, van Dyck, Rembrandt, Canova, Ingres, Delacroix. From the main collection of the Winter Palace, the museum received many interior items, as well as the Mughal treasures presented by Nadir Shah.

During the Great Patriotic War, the main part of the Hermitage collection (more than two million items) was evacuated to Sverdlovsk. The basements of the buildings of the Hermitage turned into bomb shelters, and as a museum it did not work. But the Hermitage staff continued to conduct scientific work and even arrange lectures on art history. Even before the end of the war, restoration work began in the halls of the museum, and shortly after the war, all the evacuated cultural values returned to Leningrad (after the completion of restoration work in 1945), and the Hermitage was again open to visitors. Not a single exhibit was lost during the war, and only a small part of them needed to be restored.

After the end of the war, the Hermitage began to receive trophy art from the museums of Berlin, including the Pergamon Altar and a number of exhibits from the Egyptian Museum. In 1954, a permanent exhibition of these acquisitions was organized, then the Soviet government, at the request of the GDR government, returned them to Berlin in 1958. In early 1957, the third floor of the Winter Palace was opened to visitors, where works from the Museum of New Western Art were exhibited.

In 1948 the Museum of New Western Art was closed and its cultural heritage was redistributed between the museums of St. Petersburg and Moscow. Parts of the Moscow collections of Sergei Shchukin and Ivan Morozov joined the Hermitage. Now the chronological framework of the collection has expanded significantly thanks to the works of the Impressionists, Cezanne, van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso and other artists of new trends.

But along with the acquisitions during this period of time, there were also heavy losses. The Diamond Room of the Winter Palace was transferred to the Moscow Kremlin, serving as the basis for the Diamond Fund. Part of the collection of paintings by old masters (including some works by Titian, Cranach, Veronese, Rubens, Rembrandt, Poussin) was transferred to the Moscow Museum of Fine Arts.

4. Hermitage Museum

At the beginning of the 19th century, the public was admitted to the Hermitage on a daily basis with tickets issued by the curator. The number of visitors was about 3-4 thousand per year, which corresponded to the level of other major European museums. Some of the most regular visitors were artists.

In 1852 the Hermitage was turned into a public museum with free admission.

Structure of the Hermitage 1805-1853:

1) Libraries, carved stones, medals;

2) Paintings, bronze, marble products;

3) Prints;

4) Drawings;

5) Cabinet of natural history.

Since 1805, the Hermitage has been perceived as a museum, and now specialist curators work there. Inventory of 1797 - 3996 paintings in the Hermitage, in 1764 the collection consisted of 225 paintings. At the end of his reign, Nicholas 1 carried out a reorganization: he distributed them into 4 categories - paintings, paintings for other palaces, for storerooms, which were not important (they were sold at auctions). In 1863, the position of director was established, Gideonov became it. In 1866, he cancels tickets to the Hermitage - makes free admission.

The Hermitage and the Armory have long been the largest collections of art collections in the country. They were also open to the general public. In the 1870s, a visitor registration book, a system of tickets and passes was introduced.

For two and a half centuries, the Hermitage has collected one of the largest collections (about 3 million copies) of works of art and monuments of world culture, from the Stone Age to the present century (rich collections of Western European painting - Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt, Velasquez, Poussin, sculpture, monuments of applied art, Greece and Rome: vases, carved stones, jewelry, terracotta, Roman portrait and Greek sculpture).

The following exhibitions are open for viewing: Culture and art of Ancient Greece of the 8th-2nd centuries BC, Culture and art of the ancient cities of the Northern Black Sea region of the 7th century BC - III century AD, Culture and art of ancient Italy and Rome of the 7th century BC - 4th century AD.

The Hermitage houses more than 140 thousand monuments of culture and art of the peoples of the East. The Department of the East was founded in 1920 on the initiative of the famous orientalist I.A. Orbeli. In the early 2000s, the museum had one of the most progressive museum sites.

Conclusion

hermitage museum collection

The Hermitage was created in the second half of the 18th century thanks to Catherine II's passion for collecting. The formation of imperial art collections was laid down by Peter I (a collection of paintings, antique sculptures). With the advent of numerous imperial palace ensembles, collecting is activated (Winter Palace, Tsarskoye Selo).

The museum collection of Catherine II was of a complex nature. Its beginning is the palace art gallery, created through large purchases.

The gallery of Western European art, collected by the Empress, is the basis of her collection; a collection of ancient sculpture, the largest collection of carved stones, a library, and a numismatic collection were added to it. By the end of Catherine's reign, the Hermitage had become one of the best museums in Europe.

Now the museum complex of the Hermitage consists of five buildings connected with each other on the Palace Embankment:

1) Winter Palace of the architect B. F. Rastrelli;

2) The Small Hermitage by architects J. B. Vallin-Delamote, Yu. M. Felten, V. P. Stasov. The Small Hermitage complex includes the Northern and Southern pavilions, as well as the famous Hanging Garden;

3) The Great Hermitage by architect Yu. M. Felten;

4) The New Hermitage by architects Leo von Klenze, V. P. Stasov, N. E. Efimov;

5) The Hermitage Theater by the architect J. Quarenghi, which was erected over the partially preserved Winter Palace of Peter I;

Also included in the complex of buildings of the State Hermitage are the outbuildings:

1. Spare house of the Winter Palace;

2. Hermitage garage architect N. I. Kramskoy.

To date, the museum's collection includes about three million works of art and monuments of world culture, from the Stone Age to our century.

Bibliography

1. “State Hermitage. Treasures of world art. From the Age of Enlightenment to the Present Day, Neverov O., 2010

2. "Hermitage. History of buildings and collections. Album", Dobrovolsky V.I., 2013

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1. Leonardo da Vinci. Madonna Litta. 1490-1491

Leonardo da Vinci. Madonna Litta. 1490-1491 State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

There are few works in the Hermitage. But among them there are already two works. This is despite the fact that there are only 19 works of the master in the world! The museum acquired the masterpiece in the middle of the 19th century. The Italian aristocratic family Litta.

The painting returned to Russia. Because she was already there. Half a century earlier, Giulio Litta, a representative of the family, brought her with him. After he became a subject of Russia. He married Potemkin's niece. However, his heiress, daughter of his stepdaughter, returned the painting to her Italian relatives after his death.

The picture is small. 41 by 32 cm. But after a few seconds you stop noticing it. Something very majestic is contained in such a small space of the picture. Timeless.

The mother looks at the baby with great tenderness. He dropped to his chest. With slightly sad eyes, he looks in our direction. After all, five minutes before that, a little drama had played out. The Virgin Mary decided to wean the child from her breast. Feeding cutouts were neatly stitched.

But she could not resist the requests and crying of the baby. One notch was hastily torn off. So Leonardo portrayed the mercy and love of a mother for her child.

2. Rafael. Madonna Conestabile. 1504

Raphael. Madonna Conestabile. 1502 State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

Another masterpiece is kept in the Hermitage. "Madonna Conestabile" by Raphael. It was bought for his wife by Alexander II. The purchase was scandalous.

The public in Italy was outraged that their legacy was leaving the country. They scolded the owner, the Count of Conestabile. They agreed not to sell. They even raised money to buy the masterpiece and leave it at home. But they didn't collect it. The picture went to Russia.

It is stored in its "native" frame. Which was executed according to the drawings of Raphael.

Raphael. Conestabile Madonna (with frame). 1504 State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Rushist.com

Raphael created his masterpiece at a young age. He was barely twenty years old. But this work is valuable. It was created in the city of Perugia. In the teacher's workshop. Raphael has not yet seen the work of Michelangelo. Which will greatly affect him.

His art is still very original. Thin lines. Delicate colors. harmonious landscape. We see his genius in its original form. Thanks to Madonna Conestabile.

3. Caravaggio. lute player. 1595-1596

Caravaggio. lute player. 1595-1596 State Hermitage, St. Petersburg. wikipedia.org

The lute player Caravaggio was bought at the beginning of the 19th century. At the request of Alexander I. For a long time, the picture hung in the Hermitage under the name “Lute Player”. So the young man is depicted as sensual. Only a flat chest suggests that this is not a girl.

The young Caravaggio noticed that paintings with such young men were popular with some representatives of the Catholic Church. Therefore, he willingly wrote them.

But soon he will abandon such plots. Increasingly depicting tragic biblical stories. . Assumption of Mary. .

Caravaggio has often been called a naturalist. For his extraordinary attention to detail. Spoiled fruits. Crack in the lute. Lost notes.

In The Lute Player, Caravaggio uses his famous tenebroso for the first time. When figures and objects are snatched by a dim beam from pitch darkness.

This is how an almost tangible volume appears. And the character's emotions take on a dramatic connotation. Such a theatrical effect would become very popular during the Baroque era.

Read about the artist's work in the article.

4. Rembrandt. The return of the prodigal son. 1669

Rembrandt. The return of the prodigal son. 1669 State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Arthistory.ru

The painting The Prodigal Son is one of the earliest acquisitions of the Hermitage. It was bought from the French duke by order of Catherine II back in 1766.

This is the last painting by Rembrandt. She always has a crowd. Because it makes a strong impression on many.

Before us is a story from the Gospel of Luke. The youngest son wandered the world. Spent his father's inheritance. I squandered everything. Being in captivity of their passions.

And now, in extreme need, he returned to the threshold of his father's house. His clothes were in tatters. Slippers are worn out. The head is shaved, because hard labor is behind him. The father graciously accepts the son. He leaned over him and placed his hands gently on his shoulders.

The picture is in darkness. Only a weak light molds the figures. The woman in the background is barely visible. Perhaps this is the mother of the returned son.

A picture of parental mercy. About forgiveness. The fact that even a downcast person has a hope of finding shelter. Take away pride. On my knees

Read about the painting in the article

5. Gainsborough. Lady in blue. 1778-1782

Thomas Gainsborough. Portrait of a lady in blue. 1778-1782 State Hermitage, St. Petersburg. Be-in.ru

At the beginning of the 20th century, the “Lady in Blue” was transferred to the Hermitage under the will of the nobleman Alexei Khitrovo. Free of charge.

It is considered one of the best works of Gainsborough. Although he did not like to paint portraits. I had to make them to order in order to feed my family. Thanks to the portraits and became famous.

Gauguin was a very extraordinary person. A quarter Peruvian, he was always attracted away from noisy cities. And one day he got to Tahiti.

There it was written "Woman holding the fruit." flatness of the image. Bright colors. Exotic details (on the road “waves” of sand and grass, as in Japanese paintings).

Pay attention to how thin the paint is. We see the texture of the canvas. Gauguin was extremely poor. The paint was expensive. I had to protect her.

The public did not take such unusual painting well. Gauguin was begging. Only a few years before his death, his paintings began to be bought.

Read about the artist also in the article by Henri Matisse. Dance (II). 1909-1910 Hermitage, St. Petersburg

The painting “Dance” was commissioned by the Russian merchant and collector Sergei Shchukin. Before being sent to Russia, the panels were shown at an exhibition in Paris. The audience scolded the work very much. Shchukin is accustomed to being called a collector of all sorts of rubbish.

But this time he trembled. Refused the order. Then he changed his mind, apologized to the artist for his weakness. The picture, together with the work “Music” paired with it, safely reached Russia.

Now this "trash" is considered one of the main masterpieces of modernism. On it is an image of the golden age of mankind. That was the era. People enjoyed progress and art. They believed that they live in the most prosperous time. But it was only the calm before the storm. Ahead - terrible tests in the form of world wars.

The picture is painted with only three colors. Which further emphasizes the symbolism of the figures. They whirl in a frantic dance. It is the quintessence of passionate, pure movement.

But this emotionality is not chaotic. It is balanced by the movement in a circle, by centrifugal force. And also the classic outlines of the left figure.

The Hermitage collection is grandiose. No wonder the museum ranks 13th in the world in terms of attendance. But there are also some peculiarities.

For a century, the collection was formed through the acquisition of private collections. The owners of which did not think about showing future generations all the milestones in the development of painting.

Therefore, the collection has a lot of works of baroque and rococo. Nymphs. Angels. Lush beauties. Still lifes with an abundance of fruits and lobsters. Which looked so good in the dining rooms of noble people.

As a result, there are “white spots” in the collection. For example, the Hermitage has a significant collection of Dutch painters. But among them there is not a single job.

Alas, the Hermitage collection also suffered serious losses. After the 1917 revolution, the Soviet government sold 48 masterpieces!

Russia left "Venus at the Mirror". "Madonna Alba" by Raphael. "The Adoration of the Magi". This is also part of the history of the Hermitage. The sad part.

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