The State Hermitage Museum Annual Report 2012. St. Petersburg

Transcription

The State Hermitage Museum Annual Report
n
2012
CONTENTS
General Editor
Mikhail Piotrovsky,
General Director of the State Hermitage Museum,
Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
Full Member of the Russian Academy of Arts,
Professor of St. Petersburg State University,
Doctor of History
Year of Village and Garden
6
State Hermitage Museum. General Information
16 Awards
20
Composition of the Hermitage Collection as of 1 January 2013
40 Exhibitions
86
Restoration and Conservation
121
Publications
Editorial Board:
135
Electronic Editions and Video Films
Mikhail Piotrovsky,
General Director of the State Hermitage Museum
136
Conferences
Georgy Vilinbakhov,
Deputy Director for Research
141
Dissertations
142
Archaeological Expeditions
158
Major Construction and Restoration of the Buildings
170
Structure of Visits to the State Hermitage in 2012
171
Educational Events
180
Special Development Programmes
188
International Advisory Board of the State Hermitage Museum
Vladimir Matveyev,
Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Development
190
Guests of the Hermitage
194
Hermitage Friends Organisations
Mikhail Novikov,
Deputy Director for Construction
204
Hermitage Friends’ Club
Mariam Dandamayeva,
Academic Secretary
206
Financial Statements of the State Hermitage Museum
208
Principal Patrons and Sponsors of the State Hermitage Museum in 2012
210
Staff Members of the State Hermitage Museum
215
Email Addresses of the State Hermitage Museum
Svetlana Adaksina,
Deputy Director, Chief Curator
Marina Antipova,
Deputy Director for Finance and Planning
Alexey Bogdanov,
Deputy Director for Maintenance
Yelena Zvyagintseva,
Head of the Publishing Department
Larisa Korabelnikova,
Head of the Press Service
Executive Group:
Tatiana Baranova, Vera Chudinova, Mariam Dandamayeva,
Yekaterina Danilina, Victor Faibisovich, Yevgenia Glinka,
Larisa Korabelnikova, Yevgenia Kulikova, Regina Mamedova,
Svetlana Philippova, Yelena Zvyagintseva
ISBN 978-5-93572-499-3
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© The State Hermitage Museum, 2013
year of village and garden
festival marking the “expulsion of the enemy beyond the borders of the Motherland”. There were
both a parade and a litany.
There was also an exhibition of toy soldiers which everyone found sweet. But another, more modern
and edgy version of “soldiers”, the harsh anti-Nazi installation by the Chapman Brothers was not
welcomed in the same way by some visitors, who did not want to understand and accept the metaphor of a “joke after Auschwitz”. There was even an attempt to stage a persecution of the museum,
which coincided with attacks on other cultural institutions and made St. Petersburg, for a while,
the field of a fierce battle between complex and simplistic understanding of art and its rights.
The Hermitage restorers made both the scholars and the visitors proud by their work on Degas’
Place de la Concorde and a Hugo van der Goes triptych. The most popular architectural exhibition of the year was the Santiago Calatrava display, and an extensive exhibit entitled “In Written
Words Alone…” was organised as a tribute to the great scholar and collector Nikolay Likhachev.
The ancient world of the Persian Gulf entered the museum’s rooms with the Bahrain exhibition
called “Tylos”, while contemporary art found a permanent space for itself in the Prigov Room, part
of the General Staff Building. Following scholars’ requests, the Hermitage • Kazan Centre housed
the widely acclaimed exhibition on nomadic tribes. Still more popular was the exhibition tracing
the sources of Impressionism at the Hermitage • Amsterdam Centre. We told the story of Catherine
the Great in Edinburgh, and the story of Alexander the Great in Sydney. In Yekaterinburg, there was
an exquisite display of engravings by Piranesi.
Each step the museum takes, all its projects, small and large, are part of the multi-faceted programme of gifts the Hermitage is giving to its public ahead its 250th anniversary. This programme
now has its own special logo, which reminds us, quite appropriately, of Empress Catherine the Great.
When we started the restoration of the Hanging Garden, the heart of the Hermitage, its two rows
of trees had to be re-planted in Staraya Derevnya, next to the first building of the Storage and Restoration Centre. We were very proud of the success of this piece of sound environmental judgment.
This year saw the end of the restoration of the Hanging Garden and the construction of the second
(storage) building of the Centre.
The work in the Hanging Garden was hampered by insulation challenges, and many visitors have
already forgotten that the garden had nearly always been out of bounds in the past. Many of them
seem to think that it used to be open and has now been closed down. People find it hard to accept
the restrictions imposed by cultural rights and the need to protect historic monuments. We have the
Hermitage variety of tulips blooming in the garden and we have kept our beloved lilac. We have tried
to ensure that the garden does not look too “reconstructed” and retains the spirit of several historical periods.
Another novelty that is taking some time to be accepted is that our Storage Centre is open to the
public. This is not as interesting as grumbling at wicked museum workers who are hiding their great
treasures from the people. In fact, the Hermitage open storage facility has long become a universally
acknowledged contribution to the world’s museum theory and practice. The seemingly “impossible”
challenge of making the collections accessible without damaging them has been overcome. The storage facilities are not just accessible. They have their own style and showcasing aesthetics. They are
already well known to the experts.
The new high and spacious building has many public areas: auditoria, exhibition halls and study
rooms. It will house the collections of banners, sarcophagi, sculptures; workshops for the restoration
of textiles, carriages, furniture; the photograph storage and restoration facility. We are especially
proud of our high-security jewellery section which has many levels of protection.
All this space will be “saturated” with equipment and exhibits by 2014, the year we celebrate
the 250th anniversary of the Hermitage.
Everything that is being done today is building up to the museum’s anniversary, including the celebrations of the victory of 1812. The Hermitage has approached this topic in its own special style.
We have the famous paintings by Peter Hess depicting the key battles of the Patriotic War. We had
these paintings brought out to the Winter Palace rooms on the dates of the battles, to the accompaniment of military ceremonial music. At the end of the year they all formed part of a grand exhibition
which carried on into the following year, reminding us of the Battles of Klum and Leipzig and the
capture of Paris. The opening of the exhibition on 25 December saw the restoration of the traditional
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Mikhail Piotrovsky,
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General Staff Building (former Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and Ministry of Finance building). 1819–1829
Architect, Carlo Rossi
FOUNDING OF THE MUSEUM
The foundation date of the museum is considered to be 1764, when Empress Catherine the Great
acquired an impressive collection of works (225 paintings) from the Berlin merchant
Johann Ernest Gotzkowsky.
The museum celebrates the anniversary of its founding each year on 7 December,
St. Catherine’s Day.
“Staraya Derevnya” Centre for Restoration, Conservation and Storage
The beginning of construction – 1990
museum space
STATUS of the Hermitage
Total area
224,970 sq. metres
Exhibition area
66,842 sq. metres
In a Decree by the President of the Russian Federation dated 18 December 1991 the State Hermitage
Museum was included into a list of the most valuable objects of national heritage.
In a Decree by the President of the Russian Federation dated 12 June 1996 the State Hermitage
Museum was placed under personal patronage of the President of the Russian Federation.
In a Decree (No. 984) dated 29 November 2011 the new Statutes of the State Hermitage Museum,
as a federal government funded institution, were approved. According to the Statutes the Government
of the Russian Federation is to act as the museum founder.
MAIN COLLECTIONS entering the Museum since its foundation
1764 – Johann Ernest Gotzkowsky collection
1769 – Count Heinrich von Bruhl collection
1772 – Baron Pierre Crozat collection
1779 – Lord Walpole collection
1781 – Count Baudouin collection
1787 – Cabinet of carved stones of Duke of Orleans
1814 – Paintings from the Malmaison Palace of Josephine Beauharnais
1861 – Marquis Gian Pietro Campana collection
1884 – Alexander Basilewsky collection
1885 – Collection of the Arsenal in Tsarskoye Selo (now the town of Pushkin)
1910 – Pyotr Semenov-Tyan-Shansky collection
After 1918 the Hermitage also received the socialised collections of the Russian aristocratic
families Sheremetev, Stroganoff, Shuvalov, Yusupov, as well as the famous collections
of Sergey Shchukin and Ivan Morozov and others.
1935 – collection of the former Museum of the Baron Stieglitz Central Higher School
of Technical Drawing
1950 – collection of banners and banners’ accessories, banners’ graphics, the archives
from the Artillery Historic Museum
2001 – collection of the Lomonosov (Imperial) Porcelain Manufactory Museum
OFFICIAL NAMES
The State Hermitage Museum Federal Government Funded Cultural Institution; The State Hermitage
Museum; The Hermitage
In honour of the State Hermitage Museum, according to the Official Certificate of the International
Astronomic Association and the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy of the Russian Academy
of Sciences dated 11 April 1997, a minor planet registered in the International Catalogue of Minor
Planets under No. 4758 was named Hermitage.
LEGAL ADDRESS
34 Dvortsovaya Naberezhnaya (Dvortsovaya Embankment), 190000 St. Petersburg, Russian
Federation
ARCHITECTURAL COMPLEX OF THE MUSEUM
The museum complex consists of the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage,
Hermitage Theatre, New Hermitage and Reserve House (30–38 Dvortsovaya Embankment);
Menshikov Palace (15 Universitetskaya Embankment); East Wing and the Arch of the General
Staff Building (6–8 Palace Square); “Staraya Derevnya” Centre for Restoration, Conservation
and Storage (37 Zausadebnaya Street); Imperial Porcelain Manufactory Museum, located
on the premises of the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory Public Company (151 Prospekt Obukhovskoy
Oborony).
EXHIBITION CENTRES OF THE STATE HERMITAGE outside St. Petersburg
Hermitage • Amsterdam
The Netherlands, Amsterdam (exhibition area about 2,195 sq. metres)
Hermitage • Italy
Italy, Ferrara (exhibition centre – Castello Estense)
MUSEUM BUILDINGS
Winter Palace. 1754–1762
Architect, Francesco Bartolommeo Rastrelli
Reconstructed by Vasily Stasov after a fire in 1837
Hermitage • Kazan
Russia, Kazan (exhibition area about 1,381.3 sq. metres)
Hermitage • Vyborg
Russia, Vyborg (exhibition area about 420 sq. metres)
Small Hermitage. 1764
Architects, Yury Velten and Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe
Old (Large) Hermitage. 1771–1787
Architect, Yury Velten
www.hermitagemuseum.org
Hermitage Theatre. 1783–1787
Architect, Giacomo Quarenghi
Hermitage magazine
HERMITAGE WEBSITE
Hermitage News newspaper
New Hermitage. 1842–1851
Architect, Leo von Klenze, construction supervised by Vasily Stasov
and Nikolay Yefimov
Hermitage radio
Orchestra of the State Hermitage
Reserve House of the Winter Palace. 1726–1742, 1830, 1878
Architects, Domenico Trezzini (?), Carlo Giuseppe Trezzini and Nikolay Bekker
Menshikov Palace. 1710–1711
Architects, Giovanni Mario Fontana and Georg Schedel
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Meeting the 250th Anniversary
of the State Hermitage Museum
To mark the forthcoming 250th anniversary of the State Hermitage Museum President of the Russian
Federation Dmitry Medvedev signed Decree No. 227 on 24 February 2011 (Kremlin, Moscow)
which stated:
“1. The proposal of the Government of the Russian Federation to celebrate the 250th anniversary
of the State Hermitage Museum in 2014 is accepted.
2. The Government of the Russian Federation sets up a Steering Committee to organise and hold
the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the State Hermitage Museum and ensures the development
and approval of the action plan to organise and hold the celebration of the 250th anniversary
of the State Hermitage Museum.
3. It is recommended that government agencies of constituent territories of the Russian Federation
and local authorities participate in the preparation and holding of the celebration
of the 250th anniversary of the State Hermitage Museum”.
To prepare and stage the celebration, the Steering Committee was formed by the Russian Federation
Government’s Decree No. 552-p on 31 March 2011. In 2012 it included:
Olga Golodets Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Government
Valery Bugayenko Head of the Federal Agency of Communications
Andrey Busygin Russian Federation Deputy Minister for Culture
Gennady Gatilov Russian Federation Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Vasily Kichedzhi Vice Governor of St. Petersburg
Vladimir Medinsky Russian Federation Minister for Culture
Denis Molchanov Director of the Culture Department of the Russian Federation Government
Tatiana Nesterenko Russian Federation Deputy Minister of Finance
Nikolay Pankov State Secretary, Russian Federation Deputy Minister for Defence
Mikhail Piotrovsky General Director of the State Hermitage Museum
Alexey Polkovnikov Head of the Culture Sector of the Culture Department of the Russian Federation Government
Georgy Poltavchenko Governor of St. Petersburg
Vladimir Potanin Chairman of the State Hermitage Board of Trustees
Mikhail Seslavinsky Head of the Federal Agency of Press
Mikhail Shvydkoy Russian President’s Special Representative for International Cultural Cooperation
Sergey Shumakov Director of the “Culture” branch of the All-Russian State Television
and Radio Broadcasting Company
Georgy Vilinbakhov Deputy Director of the State Hermitage Museum
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DIRECTORATE OF THE STATE HERMITAGE
MUSEUM
Board of Trustees
of the State Hermitage:
Mikhail Piotrovsky General Director,
Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
Doctor of History
Vladimir Potanin
President of Interros,
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Georgy Vilinbakhov
Deputy Director for Research, Chairman of the Heraldic
Council at the President of the Russian Federation,
Professor of the Stieglitz St. Petersburg State Academy
of Art and Industry, Doctor of History
Svetlana Adaksina Deputy Director, Chief Curator
Marina Antipova Deputy Director for Finance and Planning
Alexey Bogdanov Deputy Director for Maintenance,
Senior Lecturer of St. Petersburg University of State Fire Service,
Candidate of Technical Sciences
Vladimir Matveyev Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Development,
Candidate of Art Theory and History
Mikhail Novikov
Yelena Mironova
Chief Book-Keeper
Collegiate Bodies
Academic Council of the State Hermitage
Permanent Display Committee
Restoration Council
Board of Curators
Purchasing Commission
Editorial Council
Editorial Board of Collection Catalogues
Editorial Board of The Reports of the State Hermitage
Museum
Editorial Board of Pedagogical and Educational
Editions
External Policy Council
Exhibition Committee
Research Grant Committee
Archaeological Committee
Internet Site Council
Education and Methodology Council
Arts Council
Museum Structure and Staff Committee
Security Council
Engineering Support Services Council
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Alexander Avdeyev
Culture Minister of the Russian Federation (2008 – May 2012)
Leonid Blavatnik
President of Access Industries
Oleg Deripaska
General Director of OJSC Basic Element
German Gref
President and Chairman of the Board of OJSC Sberbank
of Russia
Leonid Fridland
President of Mercury
Alexey Kudrin
Finance Minister of the Russian Federation (2000–2011)
Pierre de Labouchere
President and CEO of JTI
Vladimir Medinsky
Russian Federation Minister for Culture
Mikhail Piotrovsky
Mikhail Shvydkoy
Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation
for International Cultural Cooperation
Anton Siluanov
Finance Minister of the Russian Federation
David Yakobashvili
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wimm Bill Dann
State Hermitage Endowment Fund
Board of Trustees of the Fund:
Mikhail Piotrovsky, Vladimir Potanin, Yevgeny Satanovsky,
Alexander Sokurov and Ivan Steblin-Kamensky
Board of Management of the Fund:
Larisa Zelkova, Vladimir Matveyev and Marina Tsyguleva
“HERMITAGE 21st CENTURY” Foundation
GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE MAIN DEPARTMENTS
AND SECTors OF THE MUSEUM
MENSHIKOV PALACE
Founded in February 1981 as “Menshikov Palace. Russian Culture in the First Quarter
of the 18th Century” Sector within the Department of the History of Russian Culture. The status
of department was received in 1996. Most noteworthy are the interiors with their original eighteenthcentury furnishings. Among the Palace’s twenty-five staff members three hold Candidate degrees.
Department of CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY
One of the oldest departments in the Hermitage, it consists of two sectors: Art and Culture of Ancient
Greece and Ancient Rome, and Art and Culture of the Northern Black Sea Area.
Its collections include approximately 100,000 objects. Eight of the Department’s twenty-seven staff
members hold Candidate degrees.
IMPERIAL Porcelain Manufactory MUSEUM
Founded in February 2001 on the basis of the historical collection at the Lomonosov Porcelain
Manufactory Museum. Presently, the Department boasts over 30,000 items, the most part of
which consists of objects made at the Imperial, then the Lomonosov and from October 2005 again
the Imperial, Porcelain Manufactory. The Department has ten staff members.
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF EASTERN EUROPE AND SIBERIA
Founded in December 1930 on the basis of the former Department of Antiquities. The Department
consists of two sectors – Sector of the Forest and Forest-Steppe Zone of Eastern Europe and Sector
of the South of Eurasia. Its collections include approximately 750,000 objects. Among its thirty-four
staff members, four hold doctorates and fourteen Candidate degrees.
Modern Art DEpartment
Founded in 2009, the Department organises temporary exhibitions and forms the collections
of contemporary art. Of its six staff members one holds a Candidate degree.
DEPARTMENT OF THE HISTORY AND RESTORATION OF ARCHITECTURAL MONUMENTS
Oriental Department
The Department was founded on the basis of the Department of the Chief Architect of the Hermitage
in 1992. It is responsible for the conservation of the unique architecture of the museum’s buildings,
as well as the adaptation of the buildings for modern use. It also provides scientific support
for restoration activities. Of the Department’s fifteen staff members, four hold Candidate degrees.
DEPARTMENT of WESTERN EUROPEAN fine ARTs
Established as a separate sector in 2008. It carries out excavations on the State Hermitage complex
territory as well as other archaeological researches of urban architecture. Of its eleven staff members,
five hold Candidate degrees.
Founded in 1920. The Department’s geographical and chronological coverage is very broad,
so it consists of four sectors: Art and Culture of the Ancient East; Byzantium and the Near East;
Middle Asia, the Caucasus and Crimea; the Far East. The Department’s collections number about
150,000 items. Of its forty-six staff members, six hold doctorates and eighteen Candidate degrees.
Architecture and Archaeology Sector
One of the oldest and largest departments in the Hermitage, it consists of four sectors: Painting of
the 13th to 18th Centuries; Painting of the 19th to 20th Centuries and Sculpture; Drawings; Prints.
The Department’s collections boast approximately 400,000 objects. Among its sixty-five staff
members, four hold doctorates and fifteen Candidate degrees.
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
The Hermitage has been organising educational activities within the museum since 1925, when first
guided excursions were arranged for the benefit of the public. Their aim is to introduce the Hermitage’s
collections as well as art history in general to the museum’s visitors. The Department’s staff members
are involved in more than 30,000 guided tours and deliver over 500 lectures a year. Fourteen
of the Department’s one hundred and thirty-nine staff members hold Candidate degrees.
DEPARTMENT OF WESTERN EUROPEAN APPLIED ARTS
Formed as an independent department in 2006, it consists of two sectors: one devoted to applied arts
and the other to precious metals and stones. Its stock comprises about 150,000 items. Of its thirtythree staff members, one holds a doctorate and nine Candidate degrees.
DEPARTMENT OF THE HISTORY OF RUSSIAN CULTURE
SCHOOL CENTRE
Founded in April 1941, the Department acquired its present-day form after the Second World War.
It has two sectors: Fine Arts Sector and Applied Arts Sector. Its collections include more than
300,000 items. Of its fifty-three staff members, two hold doctorates and fourteen
Candidate degrees.
The School Centre that offers programmes for children of preschool and school age has been
functioning as a separate department since 1999. It has an Art Studio, various children study groups,
Young Archaeologists Club, and Young Art Historians Club and a Lecture Centre.
Two of the Department’s thirteen staff members hold Candidate degree.
Numismatic Department
RESEARCH LIBRARY
It is one of the oldest departments in the Hermitage, along with the Classical Antiquity and Western
European Fine Arts Departments. The first coins were purchased by Catherine the Great in 1764.
It contains 1,200,000 items and consists of two sectors: one deals with works from Antiquity
and those from Asia and Africa, the other comprises numismatic pieces from Europe and America.
Among the Department’s twenty-nine staff members, one holds a doctorate and three Candidate
degrees.
One of the oldest and largest museum libraries in Russia specialising in art history, it has been
an integral part of the Hermitage since its foundation. The Library grew from the private collection
of Empress Catherine the Great. At the present moment the Library holds more than 800,000 volumes
on art, history, architecture and culture in most European and Oriental languages. The Department
has forty-seven staff members, three of them holding Candidate degrees.
ARSENAL
Founded in 1980, the Department consists of document and photograph archives, the latter includes
a collection of photographs and negatives. The archives were founded in 1805 and at present
contain sixty-seven funds, among them are sixty-two private archives and ninety-eight inventories.
39,631 items were catalogued in the Hermitage’s archives between 1767 and 2009. The Hermitage
began receiving photographic documents in the middle of the 19th century when the first photographic
works appeared, but the photo archive was set in the 1920s. At the moment it includes 75,134 negative
images and about 1,000 photographs. The Department has nine staff members.
DEPARTMENT OF MANUSCRIPTS AND DOCUMENTS
The Department was founded in 1972 on the basis of the collection of arms and armoury kept
in the Oriental and Western European Fine Arts Departments. The Arsenal consists of two sectors:
Sector of Arms and Armoury and Sector of Military Heraldry. The former boasts some 16,000 superb
examples of arms and armaments from various epochs and countries. The Military Heraldry Sector
has over 60,000 items, including banners, their accessories and military graphics. Of the Arsenal’s
twelve staff members two hold Candidate degrees.
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REGISTRAR DEPARTMENT
The Registrar Department catalogues the objects kept in the Hermitage, issuing all the necessary
documents concerning their inventory and keeping. The Department has thirty-four staff members,
four of them holding Candidate degrees.
SECTOR OF NEW ACQUISITIONS
The Sector was organised in 2000 with the main aim to ensure the fruitful activity of the Hermitage
Purchasing Commission on the completion of the State Hermitage stocks. Three of the Sector’s five
staff members hold Candidate degrees.
DEPARTMENT OF SCIENTIFIC RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION
Restoration activities have been carried out in the Hermitage ever since the 1760s when the Picture
Gallery of the Hermitage was founded. The Department consists of fourteen restoration laboratories
for scientific restoration: of easel painting, tempera painting, mural painting, Oriental painting,
graphic works, sculpture and semi-precious stones, applied arts, organic materials, textiles, timepieces
and musical mechanisms, precious metals, furniture, chandeliers and photographs. It has one hundred
and thirty-two staff members, five of whom hold Candidate degrees.
DEPARTMENT OF EXAMINATION and Authentication of Works of Art
Founded in 1936, it was the first in Russia and one of the first in the world Xray analysis laboratories.
In 1970, it became a separate laboratory, and in 1997 was amalgamated with the chemistry laboratory
and transformed into the Department of Expert Examination. Now it is amongst the largest centres
engaged in the examination of works of art and culture in the country. It has fifteen staff members,
five of them hold Candidate degrees.
LABORATORY FOR BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
The Laboratory was created around the group of disinfection specialists which was established
in the 1960s to combat insect pests. In 1990 it was reorganised into a research laboratory
with highly qualified experts in entomology, mycology and microbiology.
It has nine staff members, three of whom hold Candidate degree.
Laboratory for Climate Control
The Laboratory’s major task is to provide favourable conditions for the storage and display
of the museum objects. Its staff monitors the climate conditions of the exhibition
and storage areas in the main State Hermitage Museum complex and its branches.
The Department develops major requirements of museum storage for different types of collections.
It has six staff members, one of whom holds a Candidate degree.
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awards
awards
Since 2005, the Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation has been awarding grants to members
of the Hermitage staff. Grants are allocated in several categories: exhibit restoration, launches of new
permanent displays and organisation of temporary exhibitions in museum rooms and other cities
and countries, publication of books and multimedia educational programmes, preparation of theses,
curators’ work, development of research and education programmes, exhibition and book design,
and other projects. All applications are evaluated on a competitive basis by the Hermitage Grants
Committee and subsequently approved by the museum’s Academic Council.
In 2012, the Hermitage received 50 grants for the completion of the most valuable projects.
Mikhail piotrovsky awarded the lev nikolayev gold medal
On 26 November 2012, an awards ceremony was held at the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts
in Moscow, during which the cultural figures who had made a special contribution to education, arts
and research were presented with the Lev Nikolayev Gold Medal. One of the award-winners was
Mikhail Piotrovsky, General Director of the State Hermitage.
The Lev Nikolayev Gold Medal was created by the Russian Ministry for Education and Science
jointly with the Civilisation TV Channel. It commemorates the prominent cinema figure, educator,
TV anchor and filmmaker.
Mikhail piotrovsky awarded the russian presidential
certificate of appreciation
Vladimir matveyev, deputy director of the state Hermitage,
awarded the medal for contribution to the kaliningrad region
In October 2012, the Governor of the Kaliningrad Region N. Tsukanov signed the ordinance to mark
Mr. Matveyev’s contribution to the cultural development of the region. The decision to award
the Medal to Vladimir Matveyev was initiated by the Regional Council of Museums, supported
by the Ministry for Culture of the Kaliningrad Region.
A native of Kaliningrad, Vladimir Matveyev has made an important contribution to the development
of the region’s museums, introducing new methods and promoting Russian cultural and historical
heritage.
russian government certificates of appreciation awarded
to the hermitage employees
At the end of 2012, the Russian Government’s Certificates of Appreciation were awarded to employees
of the State Hermitage.
The recipients of the Government awards were:
N. Kozlova, Head of the Oriental Department
V. Fedorov, Head of the Department of the History of Russian Culture
Ye. Zvyagintseva, Head of the Publishing Department
T. Baranova, Head of the Department of Scientific Restoration and Conservation
M. Denisova, Head of the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Textiles
I. Malkiel, Head of the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Precious Metals
L. Korabelnikova, Head of the Press Service
P. German, Head of the Department of Electronic Technique, Alarm Systems and Communication
A. Moskaleva, Head of the Restoration and Repairs Department
N. Dubinina, Head of the State Purchases Department
winners of the competition for the vladimir potanin
charitable foundation awards-2012
item processing, handover and acceptance
V. Panchenko, N. Ryatte
Making of the electronic catalogue of the Classical Antiquity
Department collections
Ya. Ivanova
Creation of the electronic database of museum items released
by the State Hermitage to be exhibited elsewhere (1950–1990)
S. Kokareva
Phototopographic records of the glyptics collection (108,000 items),
acceptance of the intaglio collection
T. Kosourova
Acceptance of the collection of Western European lace from
the 15th – early 20th centuries
S. Senatorov, Ye. Chistikova
Acceptance and handover of museum items from the research
and auxiliary stock from the collection “Early Medieval Artefacts
from Eastern Europe: the Sarkel – Belaya Vezha Site”
temporary exhibitions
and temporary exhibition catalogues
at the hermitage
N. Avetyan
Preparation of the temporary exhibition and catalogue:
“The Age of Daguerreotype. Early Photography in Russia”
A. Babin
Preparation of the temporary exhibitions and catalogues: “Russian
Descendants of the French Empress: the Dukes of Leichtenberg
in St. Petersburg” and “Pool in a Harem and Other Works
by Jean-Léon Gérôme in the Hermitage”
N. Guseva
Preparation of the temporary exhibition and catalogue: “Mikhail
Lomonosov and the Time of Elizabeth I” and the organisation
of the eponymous academic conference
A. Ippolitov, V. Uspensky
Preparation of the temporary exhibition and catalogue: “Ruins,
Palaces and Prisons. Giovanni Battista Piranesi and Italian
Eighteenth-Century Architectural Fantasies”
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Ye. Stepanova
Preparation of the temporary exhibition “‘In Written Words
Alone…’. On the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Academician
Nikolay Petrovich Likhachev”
DESIGN
V. Korolev
Design of the temporary exhibitions “Santiago Calatrava.
The Quest for Movement”, “Mikhail Lomonosov and the Time
of Elizabeth I”
beyond the hermitage
N. Babina, A. Larionov
Preparation of the temporary exhibition and catalogue: “Rubens,
Van Dyck, Jordaens: Flemish Painters from the Hermitage”
at the Hermitage • Amsterdam Centre
T. Ryabkova, K. Chugunov
Preparation of the temporary exhibition and catalogue: “Nomads
of Eurasia on the Road to Empire” at the Hermitage • Kazan
Centre
S. Savateyev
Preparation of the temporary exhibition and catalogue:
“The Hermitage at the Prado”
publications
B. Asvarishch
Collection catalogue “Belgian and Dutch Painting.
19th – 20th Centuries”
A. Bolshakov
Publication of “Ancient Egypt at the Hermitage. New Discoveries”
I. Zasetskaya
Monograph “Treasures from the Khokhlach Barrow.
Novocherkassk Hoard”
V. Zalesskaya
Collection catalogue “Byzantine Applied Art: Byzantine Ceramics
from the 9th – 15th Centuries”.
A. Kostenevich
Publication and exhibition “Edgar Degas. Place de la Concorde ”.
“Restored Masterpieces” Series
awards
O. Kostiuk
Collection catalogue “French Jewellery from the 18th and Early
19th Centuries at the State Hermitage”
T. Chizhova
Conservation and restoration of a seventeenth-century Russian icon
The Life of St. Cyril of Belozersk
M. Kramarovsky
Monograph “A Man from the Medieval Street. The Golden Horde.
Byzantine Empire. Italy”
S. Teploukhova
Restoration of the ceiling painting from a cave monastery
(Xinjiang; Bezeklik, 8th – 9th centuries)
G. Printseva
Monograph “The Siberian Route of Pavel Piasetsky”
O. Khakhanova
Restoration of an Old Russian fresco (Pskov, the Kremlin,
Cathedral of the Holy Trinity; 12th century)
A. Trofimova
Monograph “Imitatio Alexandri. Portraits of Alexander the Great
and Mythological Images in Hellenistic Art”
theses defended
N. Avetyan
Dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Art Theory and
History: Sergey lvovich levitsky and some problems of the study
of russian nineteenth-century photography
I. Kalinina
Dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Cultural Studies: Historical
Semantics in Cultural Studies: Research Subject and Method
M. Lapshin
Dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Art Theory and History:
Pavel Korin: Artist, Restorer, Collector
permanent displays
A. Ivanova
Organisation of the permanent display of Soviet porcelain
T. Kumzerova, I. Maistrenko
Creation of the permanent display of Soviet porcelain
organisation of conferences
D. Guk
Organisation of the International academic conference “Virtual
Archaeology” (4–6 June 2012)
research and education programmes
Ye. Malozemova
Preparation of the academic and methodological background
for tours and lectures on the exhibition “Culture and Art of Middle
Asia”
publishing
editing
Ye. Adamenko
Editing of temporary exhibition catalogues: “Ruins, Palaces
and Prisons. Giovanni Battista Piranesi and Italian EighteenthCentury Architectural Fantasies”, “Santiago Calatrava.
The Quest for Movement”; catalogue of the collection of sixteenthcentury German medals; Transactions of the State Hermitage
Museum [V.] 59: “Ceramics and Porcelain from the Far East:
Problems of Style and Mutual Influences”
A. Rodina
Editing of temporary exhibition catalogues: “In the Shade
of the Cross. Western European Crosses and Crucifixes of the 8th –
19th Centuries”, “Architecture in Islamic Arts. Treasures of
the Aga Khan Museum”, “The Hermitage in Photographs–2011”,
“‘In Written Words Alone…’. On the 150th Anniversary of the
Birth of Academician Nikolay Petrovich Likhachev”, “Tylos.
The Journey beyond Life. Rituals and Funerary Traditions in Bahrain.
1st Century BC – 3rd Century AD”; A. Kostenevich’s publication
“Edgar Degas. Place de la Concorde. Notes on the Painting”
multimedia projects
artistic photography
A. Maslova
Creation of the concept, screenplay and texts for the DVD film
The Siberian Route of Pavel Piasetsky
V. Terebenin
Photographic illustrations to the following publications:
“The Vikings: the Museum of Normandy”, “Nomads of Eurasia
on the Road to Empire”, “We Will Build a New World...:
Early Soviet Porcelain from the Collection of the State
Hermitage”, “History of European and Russian Glass at the State
Hermitage”
completion of restoration projects
V. Brovkin
Restoration of the painting Place de la Concorde by Edgar Degas
V. Kashcheyev
Restoration of a cabinet (Venice, first half of the 18th century)
M. Michri
Restoration of a “box with a lid” (China, 2nd – 1st centuries BC)
M. Tikhonova
Conservation and restoration of an archaeological artefact:
a felt carpet (Noin-Ula, 1st century BC – 1st century AD;
embroidery, appliqué over wool, silk, felt)
18
awards
design
I. Dalekaya
Design and proofs for the following publications: “Mikhail
Lomonosov and the Time of Elizabeth I”, “In the Shade of
the Cross. Western European Crosses and Crucifixes in the 8th –
19th Centuries”, “The Age of Daguerreotype. Early Photography
in Russia”, “From Birch Bark to Paper. The Book in Old Rus”,
“The Siberian Route of Pavel Piasetsky”, “The Hermitage Attics”,
“‘In Written Words Alone…’. On the 150th Anniversary of the
Birth of Academician Nikolay Petrovich Likhachev”, “The State
Hermitage Museum Annual Report 2011”, “Tylos. The Journey
beyond Life. Rituals and Funerary Traditions in Bahrain.
1st Century BC – 3rd Century AD”
V. Kraineva
Design and proofs for the following publications: N. Brodskaya,
“Paris at the Hermitage”; A. Trofimova, “Imitatio Alexandri.
Portraits of Alexander the Great and Mythological Images
in Hellenistic Art”, Transactions of the State Hermitage
Museum [V.] 59: “Ceramics and Porcelain from the Far East:
Problems of Style and Mutual Influences”; Transactions of
the State Hermitage Museum [V.] 50: “Museums of the World
in the 21st Century. Restoration, Reconstruction, Renovation”
(in English)
special programmes
S. Filippova
Organisation of 15th season events at the Friends of the Hermitage
Club
19
composition of the hermitage collection as of 1 January 2013
The State Hermitage Museum inventory contains
3,106,071 items
in 2012, there was an audit of extant stored
collections (Inv. Nos.) WHICH WERE CHECKED AGAINST
THE ACCOUNTING DOCUMENTS
Including:
Collection of Western European painting
at the State Hermitage paintings16,903
graphic works
622,452
excavation finds from the settlement of Panskoye I
(Homestead U 6)
sculptures12,798
archaeological materials from the excavation of the necropolis
at Myrmekeyon objects of applied art
357,725
archaeological materials from the excavation at Gorgippia
archaeological atrefacts
751,045
archaeological materials from the excavation of the Ilurat site numismatic objects
1,122,769
rare books
arms and armoury
341
13,954
documents56,899
history of technology and techniques objects
printed objects
other items
3,017
270
147,898
3,190 exhibits (as per inventory) entered the State
Hermitage Museum in 2012 as gifts and acquisitions
through the museum’s Purchasing Commission
and archaeological expeditions.
archaeological materials from the Nymphaeum mound necropolis archaeological materials from the excavations of the small towns
in the Bosporus (Tiritaka and Porthmion)
archaeological materials from the excavation
of the Tanais-Nedvigovka site
archaeological materials from the excavation at Theodosia
JJ
10,657
143
78
289
91
gaetano gandolfi (1734–1802)
madonna and child
Italy, 18th century
Oil on canvas. 45 × 36.4 cm
Acquired through the Purchasing Commission
Gaetano Gandolfi belongs to the prominent Gandolfi
family of artists who enjoyed wide popularity in their
own time. In the second half of the 18th century,
he and his brother Ubaldo were the leading masters
of the Bolognese school. The art of Gaetano Gandolfi
reflects the transition from the late Baroque to Neoclassicism. He was a man of many talents: artist,
sculptor, brilliant draughtsman and engraver, who
also created works of applied art. He was first taught
painting by his older brother and then continued
his studies at the Accademia Clementina. In 1760,
both brothers went to Venice to continue their education, which was made possible by their patron,
the Bolognese merchant Antonio Buratti. Exposure
to works by Venetian masters, most notably Sebastiano Ricci and Giambattista Tiepolo, had a considerable impact on the development of the artist’s
professional style: his colour schemes became more
intense, his brushstroke freer and more energetic.
After his return to Bologna, Gaetano took commissions from churches, produced many altar pieces and
frescos, as well as mythological paintings. He also
received many private commissions, including portraits. The years between 1775 and 1780s mark the
high point of Gaetano’s career.
Apart from large-scale, complex compositions involving many figures, Gaetano also painted smallscale works. One of his frequent subjects was Madonna and Child, sometimes with images of St. Joseph
and the young John the Baptist. The newly-acquired
painting belongs to this type. The Madonna is depicted wearing a traditional red dress and a blue
cloak. She has a light-coloured headdress made of
thin striped cloth. She has put her right hand on her chest and is holding the Baby in her left, lightly
touching him with her fingertips. Maria’s gaze is turned upwards, while the Infant Christ is looking directly at the viewers. The background is neutral, with the outline of the drawing seemingly
glimpsed through the painting, which is a typical device often used by Gandolfi. The short, casual
brushstrokes in light colour over the darker shade of the hair are also one of his characteristic traits.
This type of female face with a small plump mouth, short upper lip, and large, slightly protruding
eyes, can often be seen in his works from the 1780s. Madonna and Child is painted on a rectangular
piece of canvas, but the artist fits the image into an oval, as if placing it in an imaginary frame and
highlighting its volume with light shadows along the outline of the oval and in the corners. The painting was later placed in a richly decorated gilded and carved frame, which may have been intended
by the commissioner specially for this painting.
This work is the first canvas by Gaetano Gandolfi in the Hermitage.
193
44
363
28
archaeological materials from the excavation of a homestead
(Myrmekeyon)10
archaeological materials from the excavation of the Semibratnye
burial mounds
389
Russian paper money from the collection of V. Lukianov
and other collections 4,732
paper money. The collection of K. Antipin and the new
acquisitions 9,774
Total: 26,791 Inv. Nos. (29,028 museum items)
The safe storage documents audited and the presence of museum
items ascertained by:
Curator K. Chernyshev (Numismatic Dept.)
Curator T. Malinina (History of Russian Culture Dept.)
11,566
1,500
Safe storage documents audited by:
Curator T. Korshunova (History of Russian Culture Dept.)
12,028
Curator G. Smirnova (Archaeology of Eastern Europe
and Siberia Dept.) 12,028
Curator T. Malinina (History of Russian Culture Dept.) Audit of the presence and condition of exhibits
for timely restoration
2,318
74,413
Audit of the presence and condition of museum exhibits
transferred from one curator to another during the preparation
of exhibitions10,330
Audit of the presence and condition of museum exhibits
transferred from one curator to another for permanent
safe storage
20
most notable acquisitions of 2012
45,823
21
icon of the virgin and child axion estin
Greece, Athos, first third of the 19th century
Cypress (icon board), levkas priming, mixed technique,
coloured varnish, engraving. 71.5 × 55.8 cm
The icon is a half-length representation of the Virgin with the Infant Christ in her arms. The Infant
is holding an opened scroll with a Greek text. In the upper part of the icon, the Archangels Michael
and Gabriel are crowning Mary and holding red medallions with her monograms.
The icon is a replica of a prototype credited with miraculous properties, which is kept in the Protaton, in the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin on Mount Athos. It has the same size as the original. There are only a few of these replicas in existence, and they were all specially commissioned.
The icon can be dated to the first third of the 19th century; it was painted by one of the leading Athos
artists. The painting is finely coloured and delicately and painstakingly painted. The icon-painter
combined the traditions of Greek and “academic” painting, typical for the Athos workshops of the
18th – 19th centuries.
The Hermitage collection of icons from the Holy Mountain is the best in the world. Considering
the rare iconography and the high artistic value of the work acquired, it is safe to say that the icon
has become an important addition to the Hermitage collection of Byzantine and post-Byzantine
painting.
22
luigi premazzi (1814–1891)
view of the red drawing room of Grand Duchess
maria fedorovna in the anichkov palace
1866–1867
China ink, pencil, white pigment. 207 × 184 mm
Luigi Premazzi is a watercolour artist famous for his veduta paintings and watercolour views
of St. Petersburg palace interiors. Along with Edward Hau and Konstantin Ukhtomsky, Premazzi
was commissioned by Emperor Nicholas I to paint views of the New Hermitage and the Winter Palace
and produced a series of watercolours depicting the Anichkov Palace rooms. Premazzi was a tutor
of drawing at art schools and privately founded the Society of Russian Watercolour Artists. While
working on views of palace rooms, the artist would produce a sketch from life, and then make a preliminary drawing in pencil, with every detail carefully noted, the stumping put in place and highlights
marked with white pigment. Watercolour would be the final stage. The arrangement of the painting,
the minute depiction of architectural details and scrolls, the pencil stumping and light touches of
white on the objects are all typical of Premazzi’s manner, which are also evident in the newly-acquired
drawing. It is a unique graphic image of the interior of the drawing room. The State Hermitage has
quite a large number of other pieces by Premazzi, but there have been no views of the Anichkov Palace before the purchase of the work. This makes it an important addition to the Premazzi collection.
The drawing is of special interest for the museum: among the objects in the room, it shows Francesco
Francia’s Madonna and Child with St. Anthony the Abbot and St. Dominic, which was in the Anichkov
Palace after the second half of the 19th century before it was returned to the Hermitage in 1918.
23
alexander orlovsky (1777–1832)
return of the soldier
St. Petersburg, 1802
Paper over carton, graphite pencil, watercolour, bistre, ink, gallic ink
Base 43 × 58.5 cm; mirror passe-partout 47.4 × 61.5 cm
mantelpiece clock shaped as a vase
Paper over carton, graphite pencil, watercolour, bistre, ink, gallic ink
Base 43 × 58.6 cm; mirror passe-partout 48.4 × 62 cm
Bronze master Robert Osmond (1713–1789, active from 1746). Clock mechanism:
David-Louis Courvoisier (d. 1773)
Paris, late 1760s
Bronze, casting, embossing, gilding; clock face: metal, glass, enamel
Plinth 26 × 30 cm, height 64 cm
soldier ’s bravery
The body of the clock is shaped as a Classical vase, with inbuilt clockwork mechanism. The body
of the clock is decorated with massive laurel wreaths, and its lower part bears a pattern of leaves.
Two large C-shaped handles are decorated with garlands of acanthus branches on the outside;
the cone-shaped lid is crowned with a ball. The body of the clock is mounted on a round leg with
a round base and a laurel wreath along the rim. The three-step rectangular plinth on four legs is decorated with a meander of hanging floral garlands. The face of the clock is made of white enamel,
and the hours are marked in Roman numerals and black enamel, while the minutes are marked
in Arabic numerals (at a five-minute interval). The hour and minute arms are gilded and executed
in openwork. The mechanism is in working order. The bronze is of classic make, made using the deep
mercury “fire-gilding” method (or moulu), careful embossing, and demonstrates a characteristic
attention to the detail of the dull surface of the gold with polished relief contours.
Robert Osmond was a Paris bronze worker, caster and gilder, promoted to the rank of master in 1746.
His workshop was located in Paris, where he worked in cooperation with his nephew, Jean-Baptiste
Osmond, who later inherited the workshop in 1789. The clock maker David-Louis Courvoisier was
a freelance worker in 1759 and worked for the Lepaute clan. He had his own workshop in Paris and
took all kinds of trade – sold ready-made Swiss watches and clocks and mechanisms of his own making for mantelpiece clocks made by bronze masters such as Foulet, Osmond, Saint-Germain.
The acquisition of a clock made in the period of French Neoclassicism, which is poorly represented
in the Hermitage collection, is an important addition to the museum’s collection of bronze works.
The drawing entitled The Return of the Soldier shows a Russian soldier who has come back home
to his peasant hut and is greeted by his family. A marching column of soldiers can be seen in the
background. On both sides of the title, there is a dedication written in gallic ink: “Dedie a sa Majeste
l’Imperatrice Marie Fedorovna” (“Dedicated to Her Majesty Empress Maria Fedorovna”). On the
lower right, there is an artist’s inscription: “Par son tres humbles et tres obeisant serviteur Alexandre Orlowski Peintre Dessinateur de A.M. le grand Duc Constantic Pavlovitch” (“From her most
humble and obedient servant Alexander Orlovsky, painter and draughtsman of His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich”).
The drawing entitled Soldier’s Bravery shows Russian Grenadiers attacking French soldiers.
The French are wearing the Republican Army uniforms, and there is an officer with a banner among
them. In the field below, there is a coat of arms with a double-headed eagle drawn in China ink, with
the French title of the work: “LA BRAVOUR DU SOLDAT”. There is a dedication on either side of
the coat of arms: “Dedie a son Altesse Imperiale Monsegneur le Grand Duc Constantin Pavlovitch”
(“Dedicated to His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich”). On the lower right, there
is an artist’s inscription reading: “Par son tres humbles et tres obeisant serviteur Alexandre Orlowski” (“From his most humble and obedient servant Alexander Orlovsky”).
The drawings illustrate scenes from the Italian or Swiss campaigns of Alexander Suvorov (1799),
in which Grand Duke Konstantin (the artist’s patron) took part.
The acquired drawings are a valuable addition to the collection of military graphics of the Arsenal
Department, which already has over 80 other works by Alexander Orlovsky, but has so far included
none of his genre or battle scenes.
24
25
two ice-cream vases with lids
France, Sèvres Porcelain Factory, 1808. Painted by Marie-Victoire Jaquotot
Porcelain, overglaze painting, gilding, diverging patterns. Height 33 cm
The two paired ice-cream vases with lids, shaped like Classical urns (“urnes antiques”). The body
with a wide neck is mounted on a leg with a solid rectangular base. The base is gilded, as are the
leg and the lower body, and decorated with stylised laurel and acanthus leaves; the body is white,
with medallions in gold frames, decorated with diverging patterns. The paintings in the medallions
imitate cameos depicting Classical gods and heroes. The neck is wide, gilded, and decorated with
laurel leaves and palmettes. The handles are shaped as gilded elephants’ heads. The lid has a gilded
rim and a gilded handle/top. The reverse of the base bears the stamp of the Sèvres Porcelain Factory.
The Sèvres porcelain services were mostly made in the Napoleonic age as bespoke commissions from
Napoleon himself, to be used as especially important diplomatic gifts. They were among the gifts to
the participants of the Congress of Erfurt, and one of such services was later presented to the Russian Foreign Minister, Nikolay Rumiantsev, who accompanied Emperor Alexander I to Erfurt.
The archives of the Sèvres Factory retain the descriptions of a dessert service presented to Rumiantsev (two plates out of ninety six are at the Hermitage). Two ice-cream vases are listed among the
two hundred pieces in the service. Considering that their deçor is very close to that of the Hermitage
plates, it is highly likely that the ice-cream vases belong to the Rumiantsev service.
The elephant heads on the bodies of the vases are a motif from Chinese and Japanese ceramics that
was adopted by European porcelain-makers and used by the Sèvres Factory in the 18th century
to produce unique, extraordinary pieces. Not wishing to part with this tradition, the Sèvres masters
of the Empire age often tried to combine these rocaille motifs with the pure Classical lines of the
Empire style. The shape of the vases designed by the sculptor Brochard and combining the Classical
urn with elephants’ heads turned out to be so popular that several similar paired vases with different
ornaments were made in the 1810s. They are now in the collections of the world’s largest museums:
the British Museum, Palazzo Pitti, the Berlin Museum of Decorative Arts.
The painting imitating Classical cameos and carved stones, which was used at Sèvres from the
1770s, was also becoming popular again in the 1810s.
The acquired vases are rare masterpieces of the Napoleonic age and combine the finest features
of the Empire style.
Water decanter with inscription on the body:
“In the Memory of the Capture of Paris on 19 March 1814”
St. Petersburg, Imperial Glass Factory, mould from a drawing by A. Barmin, 1814–1820s
Glass, blowing, gold paint, gilding, diamond cut, cutting, polishing
The cylinder-shaped decanter is made of emerald-coloured glass. The body is decorated with diamond cut, and the neck with three gilded rings with gold palmettes between them. In the central
part of the body, there is a gold-framed medallion which contains the monogram AI and an inscription reading: “Въ память взятiя Парижа 19 марта 1814” (“In the memory of the Capture of Paris
on 19 March 1814”). The decoration of the piece is typical of the Imperial Glass Factory.
After Russia’s victory in the War of 1812, the Imperial Glass Factory started to produce a range
of commemorative wares decorated with overlaid medallions made of milk or coloured glass showing portraits of military leaders, allegorical images or triumphal inscriptions.
The decanter was made of glass based on drawings by the Factory artist Alexander Barmin. The lifestory of this artist, who was the author of many items in crystal services and commemorative souvenirs, has been little studied. Nevertheless, Barmin’s role in the creation of unique works of art
as well as mass-produced service ware was very important.
The decanter is an excellent example of the work of Russian masters in the first quarter of the
19th century, which takes a worthy place in the State Hermitage, adding to the collection of memorial objects commemorating the events of the Patriotic War of 1812.
26
27
Books on SEVENTEENTH- AND EIGHTEENTH-century heraldry
for the Heraldry Room in the memory of Sergey Troynitsky
13 books
Donated by G. Vilinbakhov
notebook in a case
Russia, second half of the 19th century
Paper, silk, velvet, wood, metal, printing, gold stamping, carving
10.5 × 7.5 × 1.0 cm (book); 14.0 × 11.0 × 2.0 cm (case)
Donated by A. Zhukov
The English, German, and French seventeenth- and eighteenth-century publications on heraldry containing a large number of engravings, including those painted by hand. The books retain the ex libris
of Georgy Vilinbakhov designed by the military artist O. Kharitonov.
The name of Sergey Troynitsky has become part of the history of the Hermitage. His contribution as
a brilliant expert in applied art and his efforts to protect the museum in the difficult years following
the Russian revolution are hard to overestimate. He was one of the most prominent heraldry scholars, an editor of Gerboved journal and compiler of the guide to armorial devices of Russian, Polish,
Finnish and Baltic aristocracy; companions to the General Book of Armoury of the Noble Families
of the Russian Empire, the Book of Armoury of the Kingdom of Poland and the List of Persons
Granted Diplomas with the Right to Bear Arms in the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Poland by
His Imperial Majesty (together with V. Lukomsky); published seminal collections such as The Book
of Arms of Anisim Titovich Knyazev of 1785 and Arms of the Senior and Junior Officers and Privates
of the Life Company.
The Hermitage already has rooms commemorating the most prominent members of the “Hermitage
family”. It was thought fitting to mark Troynitsky’s name in the same way by creating the Heraldry
Room named after him in the Old Hermitage building, near the Small Entrance, where his study
used to be. The furniture from the study has been preserved as well, making it possible to recreate
a memorial study of one of the Directors of the Hermitage.
The Hermitage Research Library received the notebook in a red
velvet binding, made in the second half of the 19th century,
as a gift from A. Zhukov and G. Zhukova. Both binding covers
are decorated with carved wooden boards with floral patterns;
there is a monogram “LS” under a princely crown in the centre
of the upper cover. The leather case in which the notebook is kept
is decorated with white silk and velvet on the inside.
antony gormley
AG 1133 level
2010
Cast iron
Donated by the British Council
The cast-iron sculpture Level (volume 51,038 cm3, cast in 2011, weight 369 kg, height 204 cm,
width 56 cm) is a three-dimensional image designed on a computer using 30–40 thousand computer-
generated spatial coordinates. The sculptor uses the language of architecture to create a mass
of solid, smooth, intersecting rectangular volumes which together make up the figure of a lying man.
The pose of the sculpture is uncertain, unnatural and not quite symmetrical; it looks like the body has
lost control over its movements.
The sculpture was made by Antony Gormley for the temporary exhibition at the Hermitage entitled “Still Standing: A Contemporary Intervention in the Classical Collection” (2011) housed
in the rooms of the Hermitage Department of Classical Antiquity, where Gormley’s cast-iron sculptures were juxtaposed to the idealised marble statues made by Classical Greek and Roman masters.
The Classical sculptures were removed from their plinths, opening a unique dialogue between ancient and modern. Such a dialogue is one of the key objectives of the Hermitage 20/21 project, which
aims to show and collect contemporary art in a classical museum.
The sculpture became a worthy addition to the Hermitage collection of contemporary art.
28
29
acquisitions by the state hermitage museum in 2012
JJ
DEPARTMENT OF WESTERN EUROPEAN
FINE ARTS
Gifts:
Sculpture
Cremonini S.p.A.
Bruno Liberatore
Planet
Rome, 1982
Bronze
Bruno Liberatore
Bruno Liberatore
Façade and Cupola
Rome, 1976
Bronze
Bruno Liberatore
Wall
Rome, 1970–1972
Bronze
Bruno Liberatore
Façade
Rome, 1976–1978
Bronze
Bruno Liberatore
Gates
Rome, 1978
Bronze
Bruno Liberatore
Arch and Wall
Rome, 1999
Terra cotta, bronze, iron
Through the Purchasing Commission:
Painting
Anonymous artist
Two female and two male portraits
in profile
Italy, c. 1500
Tempera on wood
Follower of Albecht Dürer, Studio (?)
Portrait of a Man in a Beret
Germany, 16th century
Oil on wood
Gaetano Gandolfi (1734–1802)
Madonna and Child
Italy, 18th century
Oil on canvas
30
Étienne Desrochers (1668–1741)
Portrait of Charles XII (1682–1718)
France, 18th century
Etching, chisel; print on paper
Mantelpiece clock shaped as a vase
Bronze master Robert Osmond (1713–1789,
active from 1746) Clock mechanism:
David-Louis Courvoisier (d. 1773)
Paris, late 1760s
Bronze, casting, embossing, gilding; clock face:
metal, glass, enamel
Clock mechanism for a cartel clock
Made by Henri Lacan
Paris, middle – second half of the 18th century
Metal, gilding
Francois le Villain (born c. 1790)
Portrait of Adam Czartoryski (1770–1861)
Western Europe, 1820s – 1830s
Lithograph on paper
Anonymous artist
Portrait of the Royal Surgeon Antoine Philippe
Pasquier
France, first half of the 1840s
Oil on canvas
A. Fonrouge
Portrait of Alexander Dumas Père (1803–1870)
Paris, 1820s – 1830s
Lithograph on paper
Carel Christiaan Last (1808–1876)
Portrait of Jacques-Henri Bernardin
de Saint-Pierre (1737–1814)
Western Europe, 19th century
Lithograph on paper
Bernard and Delarue (?) or Mlle Formentin
Portrait of Walter Scott (1771–1831)
Paris, mid-19th century (?)
Lithograph on paper
DEPARTMENT OF WESTERN EUROPERAN
APPLIED ARTS
Rinaldo Rinaldi (1793–1873)
Female Portrait
Italy, mid-19th century
Marble
Graphics
Luigi Premazzi
View of the Red Drawing Room of Grand
Duchess Maria Fedorovna in the Anichkov
Palace
1866–1867
China ink, crayon, white pigment
Antonio Tempesta (1555–1630)
Equestrian Statue of Cosimo I, Grand Duke
of Tuscany (1519–1574)
Italy, c. 1608
Etching; print on paper
Charles Etienne Pierre Motte (1785–1836)
Portrait of Gustav III (1746–1792)
Western Europe, 1828
Lithograph on paper
Michael van Lochom (1601–1647)
Portrait of Christian IV (1577–1648)
Paris, after 1629
Chisel; print on paper
Augustin de Saint-Aubin (1736–1807)
Portrait of Jean Necker (1732–1804)
France, 1784
Anonymous artist
The Death of Kotzebue (1761–1819)
Etching; print on paper
Francois Garnier
Portrait of Charles X (1757–1836),
King of France (1824–1830)
Paris, second third of the 18th century
Chisel; steel
Anonymous engraver
Portrait of Charlotte Corday (1768–1793)
Western Europe, early 19th century
Coloured mezzotint; paper
Jean-Marie Gudin (1782–1831)
Portrait of Louis XVIII (1755–1824),
King of France (after 1814)
France, early 19th century
Stipple; print on paper
Anonymous artist
Portrait of William Tell
Western Europe, second half
of the 18th century
Stipple, etching; print on paper
Thomas de Leu (c. 1555 – c. 1620)
Portrait of the Libyan Sybil
Paris, second half of the 16th – early
17th century
Pieter de Jode (1606–1674)
Portrait of Albert Wallenstein (1583–1634)
Antwerp, 17th century
Jean Morin (1590–1650)
Portrait of Cardinal de Richelieu (1585–1642)
France, 17th century
Thomas de Leu (c. 1555 – c. 1620)
Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I of England
(1533–1603)
Paris, second half of the 16th – early
17th century
Francois le Villain (born c. 1790)
Portrait of Rafael del Riego y Nuñez
(1784–1823)
Paris, first quarter of the 19th century
Lithograph on paper
Nicolas de Larmessin the Elder (1640–1725)
Portrait of King Charles XI of Sweden
(1655–1697)
France, second half of the 17th century
Decorative and applied art
B. Gautier
Portrait of Jacob Johan Anckarström,
“the Swedish Brut” (1762–1792)
Paris, 1780s – 1820s
Stipple; print on paper
Christian Wilhelm Dietrich
Landscape with a Shepherdess and Flock
Germany, 1731
Oil on canvas
Sculpture
Gifts:
M. Kryzhanovskaya
Bell-pull
Western Europe or Russia (?), second half
of the 19th century
Bronze, gilding, stamping, silk,
cotton cloth, embroidery in threads
and beads
Plaque with a Nativity scene
Carved bone
Yu. Pyatnitsky
Textile with a paisley pattern
Western Europe, 1860s – 1870s
Printed wool
Tray
Made by Johann Valentin Gevers (1662–1737)
Augsburg, 1710s – 1720s
Silver
Table-top mirror in a silver frame shaped
as a lyre
Made by John Samuel Hunt
England, mid-19th century
Silver, wood, glass, brass
Two ice-cream vases with lids
France, Sèvres Porcelain Factory, 1808
Porcelain, overglaze painting, gilding, diverging
patterns
Glass with the arms of Paris and twelve views
of the city
France, Sèvres Glass Workshops, c. 1900
Discoloured glass, chemical engraving, gilding
Boxes of beads and two needle sets
43 pieces
Western Europe (?), 1910s
Beads, metal
M. Lopato
Friedrich Becker
Kinetic bracelet
Germany, Dusseldorf, 1997
Steel, synthetic rubies, plexiglass
Whistle-rattle
London, Charles Rawlings and William
Summers Co., 1862–1863
Engraved and cast silver
Bruno Martinazzi
Daffodil bracelet and brooch
Turin, 1996
Gold, soldering, embossing
L. Dukelskaya
Shirt front
Western Europe, late 19th century
Textile, embroidery
Sugar tongs
England, 1802
Fish knife
Germany, late 19th century
A. Gnedovsky
Sigrid: a set of ornaments for a king’s wife
3 pieces
Made by S. Belov, K. Chernov, A. Yaniutin
Moscow, 2011
Silver, gold, weaving, casting
31
Two bonnets
Western Europe, late 19th century
Textile, lace, embroidery
Collection of female secular dress accessories
11 pieces
Western Europe, second half of the 19th – early
20th century
Linen, silk, lace, embroidery
Collection of lace samples with supplier tags
19 pieces
France, Valenciennes, early 20th century
Linen, lace
Collection of samples of metallic and black lace
9 pieces
Linen, metal, lace
Collection of light lace
24 pieces
Western Europe19th – early 20th century
Linen, lace
Embroidery samples
2 pieces
Silk, lace; glass beads, bugles, embroidery
Strip of light lace
France, Valenciennes, 19th century
Linen, lace
Samples of black lace
(removed from ladies’ clothes)
France, third quarter of the 19th century
Silk, lace
Samples of black lace
(removed from ladies’ clothes; five parts)
France, Puy or Clunis, last quarter
of the 19th century
Lace, weaving
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARCHAEOLOGY
OF EASTERN EUROPE AND SIBERIA
Gifts:
Yu. Serikov
Sacrificial vessel shaped as an elk figure
Shigir peat bog, 4th – 3rd millennium BC
Wood
DEPARTMENT OF MODERN ART
Gifts:
Graphics
Santiago Calatrava
Drawings by Santiago Calatrava
8 drawings, 2012
The Sergey Tchoban Foundation Museum
of Architectural Drawings
Drawings from the project “European
Embankment in St. Petersburg”
15 drawings, 2011–2012
Painting
G. Manevich
Paintings by Eduard Steinberg
11 works, 1972–2009
Hermitage Museum Foundation (USA)
M. Barush
Oleg Vasiliev
The Artist’s Concept-2009
Oil on canvas
Sculpture
Flower stand (jardiniere). Underglaze blue
stamp on the bottom: “E II”
St. Petersburg, Imperial Porcelain Manufactory,
second half of the 1760s – 1770s
Porcelain, relief, gilding
The British Council
L. Cherkasskaya
Antony Gormley
AG 1133 Level
2010
Cast iron
Napkin ring
St. Petersburg, Imperial Porcelain Manufactory,
1840s – 1850s
Porcelain, underglaze cover, gilding
Gifts:
Graphics
M. Kiselev
M. Kiselev
Engraved views of St. Petersburg
2 pieces
Etching, chisel, sepia print on paper
Documents
A. Nikolayeva
Specialised map of European Russia.
Volumes I–III
St. Petersburg, 1860s – 1870s
Paper, cardboard, printing
S. Androsov
Cigarette case with lacquer painting
Russia, Lukutin Factory, 19th century
Papier-mâché, lacquer, painting, metal
O. Drozdov
Documents, photographs
Photo album
Russia, early 20th century
Leather, cardboard, metal
Patent for the rank of Second Major issued
to Captain Pyotr Okunev bearing the signature
of Catherine the Great
Vellum; ink, manuscript, engraving (print)
Photographs
G. Vilinbakhov
Negative photo images of children
6 pieces
Russia, 1930s – 1940s
Glass, black and white negative photo
Painting
Portrait of Nicola Blazy
Moscow, 1864
Albumen print on paper
Anonymous artist
Portrait of a Young Woman Holding a Mask
Russia, late 1780s – early 1790s
Oil on canvas
Sculpture
A. Yershova
Portrait of Young Peter the Great
Mould made by V. Putimtsev (1946–2004),
casting by I. Andruykhin
St. Petersburg, 1992–2002; cast in 2009
Bronze casting from a plasticine mould, brass
Two-tier walnut wardrobe
Russia, first half of the 18th century
Walnut, coniferous wood, bone, inlay, carving,
inlay
V. Zubritsky
Shawl Heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812
Russia, Pavlovo-Posad Shawl Factory, 2012
Silk, printing
Shawl The Battle of Vokhna in the War of 1812
Russia, Pavlovo-Posad Shawl Factory, 2012
Silk, printing
Ye. Khodza
Tongs for stretching new kid gloves
Wood, lacquer, metal, lathework
32
Map of the Lands Owned by the Tsar
and Emperor of Russia in Europe and Asia
with the Road from Moscow to Beijing Drawn
from the Memoirs of N. Witsen, Evert Isbrand,
P. Avril and Others
Paris, Workshop of Nicolas de Fer (1646–1720),
1704–1720s
Etching, chisel; watercolours on paper
Stefan Pannemaker (?)
Engraving board Election of Mikhail Fedorovich
Romanov as Tsar
France, c. 1880
Copper, wood
V. Kucherov
DEPARTMENT OF THE HISTORY
OF RUSSIAN CULTURE
N. Voitinskaya
Series of lithographs
12 pieces
St. Petersburg, с. 1910
Graphics
Anonymous artist
Miniature Portrait of G. Teplov
Bone, watercolours, gouache
M. Tikhonov
Portrait of Nam Jogi Alan
Russia, Priyutino, 1817
Paper, cardboard, watercolours
Ernst von Liphart (1847–1932)
Female Portrait
Russia, 1903
Graphite pencil on paper
Portrait of Empress Maria Fedorovna
in her drawing room
St. Petersburg, Studio of Levitsky and Son,
first half of the 1870s
Albumen print, carton
Portrait of A. Nedzvetskaya (née Yenisherlova)
in a frame decorated with inlaid coloured stones
Russia, Penza, Workshop of Khrustalev and Cо.,
late 1870s
Albumen print, carton, metal, stone, glass,
textile, mosaic
Chalice
Moscow, 1701–1710
Silver, embossing, gilding, engraving
Finger ring with a miniature photograph
of Emperor Nicholas I
Gold, enamel, glass, miniature photograph
Bell
St. Petersburg, Firm of Carl Fabergé,
made by Victor Aarne, 1899–1903
Silver, wood, almandine, gilding
Cigarette case in the original cover
early 20th century
Steel, gold, rubies, oxidation
Cover: wood, textile
Octagonal box
made by Mikhail Perkhin, 1899–1903
Silver, rose-cut diamonds, stones, enamel,
gilding, guilloche
Memorial laurel wreath
Moscow, Factory of P. Ovchinnikov, 1888
Silver, enamel, stamping, casting, niello,
soldering
Brooch shaped as a stag beetle
St. Petersburg, Workshop of N. Kemper,
1908–1917
Gold, garnets, diamonds, rubies, pearls, casting,
soldering, fastening
Toilet box
St. Petersburg, Fabergé Firm,
made by Heinrich Wigstrom
Silver, gold, stones, enamel, mirror,
gilding, guilloche
Photographic portrait of the heir to the throne,
Grand Duke Nicholas Alexandrovich in a case
St. Petersburg, Studio of Levitsky and Son,
before 1892
Albumen print, carton, imitation leather, silk
Brooch with a topaz
St. Petersburg, K.E. Bolin Company,
made by V. Finikov
Gold, silver, diamonds, topaz, rose-cut
diamonds, wood, velvet, silk, metal
Memorial table dated 25 June 1833
Constantinople, 1833
Engraved bronze
Folding table Centipede
St. Petersburg, Company of Heinrich Gambs,
1825
Wood
Writing desk
Moscow, Factory of P.A. Schmidt, from a design
by F. Schechtel (?). 1890s
Coniferous wood, wood (oak) (base), mahogany
(veneer), textile (modern), metal, carving,
polishing
Cupboard with stained glass
Russia, late 19th – early 20th century
Wood, glass, metal, carving, stained glass
Rocking chair
Vienna, Firm of Jacob & Josef Kohn,
late 19th – early 20th century
Wood, gilding; stamping, polishing
Relief with a portrait of Emperor Nicholas I
Russia, Urals, Verkh-Isetsk Factory, 1826–1830
Cast iron, casting, painting
Equatorial sundial of the “Augsburg” type
Made by Lorentz Groesl
Last quarter of the 18th century
Copper alloy
Pocket watch in a case
Switzerland, 1873
Gold, enamel, glass, engraving
Cup and saucer
Russia, Volyn Province, Novograd-Volynsk
District, Baranovka, M. Mezer’s Porcelain
Manufactory, 1830s
Porcelain, gilding over varnish, overglaze
polychrome painting
33
Presentation tray with the image of the Russian
state coat of arms
Russia, Moscow District, village of Verbilki,
F. Garnder’s Porcelain Factory, 1850s
Porcelain, overglaze monochrome cover,
gold paint
Snuffbox with inscription “PETRUS
ALEXIEWITZ CZAR MAG: RUSS: IMP”
Russia, 18th century
Carved horn
Goblet with lid
Russia, Potemkin Glass Factory, late 1770s
Colourless glass, blowing, cutting, gold paint
Water decanter with inscription on the body:
“In the Memory of the Capture of Paris
on 19 March 1814”
St. Petersburg, Imperial Glass Factory, mould
from a drawing by A. Barmin, 1814–1820s
Glass, blowing, gold paint, gilding, diamond cut,
cutting, polishing
Vase shaped as a cornucopia
Russia, the Bakhmetevs Nikolsko-Pestovsky
Glass Works, 1840s – 1850s
Colourless glass, gold ruby glass, blowing,
cutting, carving, finishing, polishing; marble,
copper alloy, casting, gilding
Vase with a portrait of Grand Duke
Alexander Alexandrovich
Russia, Nikolsko-Pestovsky District, Penza
Region, Nikolsko-Bakhmetevsky Glass Works,
1870s
Colourless glass, gold ruby glass, milk glass,
blowing, gold and enamel paint, polishing
Vase shaped as a bratina (grace cup)
Russia, Imperial Glass Factory (?),
1870s – 1880s
Colourless glass, blowing, enamel paint, gilding
Flagon
St. Petersburg, Imperial Glass Factory,
1840s – 1850s
Double glass (colourless and gold ruby),
blowing, cutting, finishing
Glassware set consisting of a bottle with lid,
six small glasses and a tray
Artist Yelizaveta Bem (1843–1914)
Russia, Dyatkovo Glass Works, 1897
Glass, blowing, enamel paint, gilding
B. Fedorov
Composition Tablets of the Covenant
(in two parts)
Russia, Dyatkovo Glass Works, 1987
Crystal, coloured glass, casting using the artist’s
mould, finishing
O. Kozlova
Decorative sculpture Storm
Russia, Gus-Khrustalny, 2001
Colourless crystal, coloured thread,
dull finishing, wide-facet cut
Icon Resurrection
Russia, Kholmogory, 1830s
Bone, wood, textile, carving, engraving
Presentation tray
Russia, 1909
Carved wood
Tray
Russia, P. Lukutin Factory, after 1830
Papier-mâché, black lacquer, stamping
Photo album with a lacquer miniature
Russia, Lukutin Factory, second half
of the 19th century
Lacquer, painting, stamping, gilding, leather,
cardboard, paper, metal
Dark red round tray with tortoise shell effect
Russia, Moscow area, late 19th century
Papier-mâché, gilding, lacquer, painting
Box
Moscow, Vishnyakov & Son Factory,
19th – early 20th century
Papier-mâché, lacquer, painting
Box
Moscow, Vishnyakov & Son Factory,
19th – early 20th century
Papier-mâché, lacquer, painting
Glass in a case shaped as a barrel
Moscow, Fedoskino Workshop of the Lukutin
Factory, early 20th century
Papier-mâché, metal, lacquer, painting
Album
Moscow, last quarter of the 19th century
Paper, papier-mâché, metal, leather, lacquer,
painting
Album
Moscow, P. and A. Lukutin Factory, 1860s
Paper, papier-mâché, metal, leather, lacquer,
painting
Plaque showing a girl with a fan
Germany, Braunschweig, Stobwasser Heirs
Factory, 1840s – 1850s
Metal, wood, lacquer, painting
P. Chernikovich
Vase shaped as the ship Russia
Nizhny Novgorod, 2004
Bone, mammoth ivory, lace carving, relief
carving
M. Galemsky
Goblet Soviet Circus
Russia, 1988
Bone, mammoth ivory, open carving, relief
carving, 3d carving
A. Krylov
Chess set dedicated to the 200th anniversary
of the Patriotic War of 1812 (32 pieces)
Amber, wood, velvet, carving, inlay, colouring
Items of man’s clothing: dress coat, trousers,
waistcoat
St. Petersburg, 1910s
Textile, metal
Man’s frock coat
St. Petersburg, early 20th century
Wool, silk, hand and machine sewing
Man’s waistcoat
Wool, silk, metal, hand and machine sewing
Formal uniform of a 4th-rank (?) civil servant
of the Popular Education Department
St. Petersburg, early 20th century
Woollen cloth, silk, velvet, gilded thread, metal,
machine and hand sewing, gold embroidery,
stamping, gilding
Man’s shirt
Western Europe (?), early 20th century
Cotton cloth, hand and machine sewing
Man’s gloves
Domestic animal skin, metal, dye, hand
and machine sewing
Man’s gloves
Western Europe (?), Russia (?), early
20th century
Domestic animal skin, mother-of-pearl, silk
thread, hand and machine sewing
Handkerchief with a monogram
Western Europe (?), Russia (?), early
20th century
Batiste, silk threads, embroidery, hand sewing
Wedding dress
Russia, 1911
Lace, chiffon
Woman’s batiste summer dress
Russia, mid-1910s
Batiste, mother-of-pearl
Woman’s night gown
Russia, 1900s
Cloth, lace, mother-of-pearl, embroidery
Handmuff
Russia, 1910s
Fur, silk
Scarf
Russia, 1900s
Batiste, lace
Woman’s gamashes
Russia, 1910s
Wool, woollen cloth, rubber, leather, metal
Lady’s handbag
Russia, 1910s
Textile, beads, bugles, embroidery
Lady’s theatre purse
Russia, 1910s
Silk, beads, silk threads, embroidery
34
Lady’s handbag
Russia, 1910s
Silk, beads, bugles, mirrors, embroidery
Lady’s handbag
Russia, 1910s
Silk, beads, metal, embroidery
Woman’s shoes
USA, Walk Over TRADE MARK REG
US PAT OFF Custom Trade, 1910 Leather, metal, cotton thread
Woman’s shoes
Russia, 1900s
Chamois leather, rib cloth, metal
Foot stool embroidered with beads
Russia, late 19th century
Wood, canvas, beads, embroidery
Serviette with an embroidered monogram
“V. and E.L.” under a prince’s crown
Russia, mid-19th century
Textile, embroidery
Pillow case with a monogram “VM”
under an aristocratic crown
Russia, 1845–1848
Linen thread, weaving, embroidery
Canvassing shawl
USSR, 1927
Cotton cloth, printing
DEPARTMENT OF CLASSICAL
ANTIQUITY
Gifts:
N. Malevskaya-Malevich
Tara amphora
Heraclea Pontica, 4th century BC (?)
Clay
Oval gem
Milos, late 7th – early 6th century BC (?)
ORIENTAL DEPARTMENT
Gifts:
Painting
T. Kryzhanovskaya
M. Kryzhanovsky, T. Kryzhanovskaya
Palden Lhamo and Mahakala
2007 (?)
Mineral paints on canvas
Graphics
Hisa Ichikawa
Cojima Sogetsu (active in 1880s – 1890s)
Arrival of the Heir to the Russian Throne.
Triptych
Japan; publ. 1891, 8 April
Engraving; colour print on paper
A. Balash
Part of a screen panel with a pasted fragment
of a silk curtain
China, 18th century
Wood, lacquer, woven silk, gold thread, painting
Painting
Icon of the Virgin and Child Enthroned,
Faneromeni
Corfu, turn of the 18th century or first third
of the 18th century
Wood (cypress), plaster of Paris, carving, mixed
technique, coloured varnish, overlay margins
Icon of the Virgin and Child Axion Estin
Greece, Athos, 19th century
Cypress (icon board), poplar wood (pins), levkas
priming, mixed technique, engraving, coloured
varnish
Manuscript of the Quran
Middle Asia (?), copying finished
in 1147 (1734–1735)
Paper, leather
Anonymous artist
Bird on a Shimenawa
Japan, late 18th – early 19th century
Colour xylography on paper
Hakuho Ekigi
New Year Performance
Japan, 1790s – 1800s
Colour xylography on paper, kirazuri
Utagawa Kunisada (1786–1865)
Actor Bando Hikosaburo in the Role of Ashikaga
Naoyoshi
Japan, 1862
Kajita Hanko (1870–1917)
Girl in a Garden
Japan, c. 1910
Colour xylography on paper, printing, karazuri,
shomenzuri, bokashi
Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847–1915)
Series of engravings “Long Live Japan!
A Hundred Battles, a Hundred Smiles”
60 pieces
Japan, 1894–1895
Utagawa Toyoharu (1735–1814)
Chung Kuei
Japan, 1770s
Xylography
Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769–1825)
Actor Onoe Matsusuke
Japan, 1800s
Colour xylography
Okumura Masanobu (?) (1686–1764)
Red-Light District (Interior of a Brothel)
Japan, 1740s
Colour xylography
Hishikawa Moronobu (?) (1631–1694)
Illustration to a scene from a novel (play?)
Japan, 1675–1680
Colour xylography
Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Three engravings: Katsuta Shinemon Takataka,
Takebayashi Sadashichi Takashige,
Miura Jiroemon Kametsuke
Japan, 1847–1848
Colour xylography
Fragment of an Ancient Egyptian Plaquette
Egypt, 15th – 14th centuries BC
or the Post-Amarna Period
Carved wood, inlay
Two fragments of mummy cartons
Egypt, 3rd – 1st centuries BC
Linen cloth, levkas priming, painting
Tray
China, late 16th – early 17th century
Porcelain, cobalt paint
Water vessel (hookah bowl?)
China, 18th century (porcelain), 19th century
(metal)
Porcelain, cobalt paint, glazing with crackle
effect, white metal, embossing
Sauce jar
China, mid-18th century
Box
China, 18th century
Wood, priming, engraved colour lacquer, smooth
black lacquer, gilding
Round tray with images of three peaches
China, 18th century
Wood, priming, red and coloured lacquer,
engraving, gilding
Tray with images of flowers
China or the Ryukyu Islands, 18th century
Wood, priming, brown lacquer, engraving,
gilding
Brush glass
China, end of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911),
Bamboo, wood, carving
Walking stick with a mushroom-shaped tip
Japan, late 19th century
Bamboo, carving, brass, steel
Two pottery tiles
Middle Asia, early 14th century
Burned and carved clay
Nagamati Shuzan
Chinese Official with a Fan
Japan, Osaka, early 19th century
Painted wood
Door knocker
Middle Asia, 19th century
Engraved and cast bronze
Senkyo
Japan, first half of the 19th century
Wood, negoro nuri lacquer
Matrix for the making of leather writing pads
Middle Asia, late 18th – early 19th century
Engraved and cast bronze
Spoon
China, Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), Yongle tag
and period (1402–1425)
Iron, gold and silver inlay
Vase
China, first quarter of the 19th century
Porcelain, overglaze painting in red pigment
Two vases
China, 1730s – 1740s
Porcelain, painting in the Famille Rose style
Cups
2 pieces
China, first quarter of the 17th century
Saucers
3 pieces
China, first half of the 17th century
Tray
China, late 17th century
35
Throw with the image of ducks in a pond
China, Suzhou Workshops, last quarter
of the 19th century
Atlas silk, embroidery in coloured silk thread
Collection of Turkmen carpets
12 pieces
Wool, cotton, silk, hand weaving
LLC Leibstandart
Chest
Wood, textile, metal
Photographs
N. Vetoshnikova
Photograph of Nikolay Kalugin, Cornet
of the Cavalry Grenadier Regiment
of the Life Guards
St. Petersburg, 1886–1888
Photograph, cardboard, printing
Painting
Alexander Orlovsky (1777–1832)
Return of the Soldier
Paper over carton, graphite pencil, watercolour,
bistre, ink, gallic ink
Alexander Orlovsky (1777–1832)
Soldier’s Bravery
Paper over carton, graphite pencil, watercolour,
bistre, ink, gallic ink
Photographs
Photographic portrait of Yemelyan Danilov,
Sub-Praporshchik of the Chasseur Regiment
of the Life Guards
St. Petersburg, V. Pogorelov photography shop,
early 20th century
Photographic paper, photo print, carton
Portrait of Yemelyan Danilov with his wife
and children, mounted in a passe-partout
St. Petersburg, с. 1911
Photographic paper, photo print, carton
Man’s pocket watch in a case
Switzerland, Henry Moser, early 20th century
Watch: gold, guilloche, engraving; case:
papier-mâché, lacquer, velvet, silk, metal,
enamel
Gifts:
Tip of the sacred banner
Iran, late 18th – early 19th century
Steel, forging, yellow metal damascening,
carving over metal
Weapons
ARSENAL
E. Chaperon du Larrêt
Banner of the Ice March of the Volunteer Army
Russia, 1918
Textile, cord, appliqué, painting over textile
Pair of pistols with flint locks
Turkey, second half of the 18th century
Steel, silver, wood, beating, casting, embossing,
engraving, filigree, silver and gold inlay
Sabre
Iran, second half of the 18th century
Steel, bone, forging, carving over steel and bone,
yellow metal damascening
Pendant with a 1 dinar coin
Montenegrin Coast, 1925
Brass, copper and nickel alloy, glass, filigree,
stamping
Dervish’s axe
Iran, late 18th – early 19th century
Steel, forging, yellow metal damascening,
carving over metal
O. Stepanova
NUMISMATIC DEPARTMENT
Gifts:
N. Moiseyenko
Five banknotes of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe, 2008–2009
S. Pavlov
2 bahts
Thailand, 2009
Aluminium bronze
Ye. Manukhina
Korean money
7 pieces
Yu. Polozov
5 lari
Georgia, 2008
Paper
10 lari
Georgia, 2008
Paper
Georgian coins
5 pieces
A. Akopyan
Modern Icelandic coins
22 pieces
10 rouble coins
4 pieces
Russia, 2010–2011
A. Raya
1 leu
Romania, Romanian National Bank, 2005
Plastic
20 Euro cents
Italy, 2002
Yellow alloy
5 Euro cents
Netherlands, 2009
Yellow alloy
V. Kalinin
Modern British coins
26 pieces
10 roubles, commemorative “Russian
Federation. Republic of Buryatia”
St. Petersburg Mint, 2011
White alloy, yellow alloy, stamping
10 rouble coins
3 pieces
Russia, 2008–2011
V. Kuleshov
Kufic coins
16 pieces
Pendant with a Croation 25 para coin
Yugoslavia, 1920
Brass, copper and nickel alloy, glass, filigree,
stamping
36
J. Kotler
500 krona
Iceland, 2001
Paper
Dirham. Abbasid imitation
Eastern Europe (?), 9th century
Silver (?), stamping
Coins and other items from the 9th century
109 pieces
Badge of BDU (Belorussian State University)
Belarus, early 21st century
Yellow alloy, enamel
Transport tokens
4 pieces
USA
Oriental coins
3 pieces
Eastern Europe, late 9th – early 10th century
P. Gaidukov
Two badges of the Third All-Russian
Archaeological Congress in Staraya Russa
Russia, 2011
Bank card using the VISA credit system
Moscow, Sberbank
Plastic, with a chip
10 roubles, commemorative “Ancient Russian
Cities. Yurievets”
Dirham. Abbasid imitation
Eastern Europe (?), 9th century
Silver (?), stamping
RF Central Bank Head Directorate, Tver Region,
not dated (21st century)
Paper, glue
10 roubles, commemorative
“50th Anniversary of the First Man in Space”
Yellow alloy, stamping
10 rouble coins
6 pieces
Russia, 2011
Six Russian coins
1705–1764
5 roubles, 1903. Forgery (?). In a souvenir
package with a lead seal
Russia
Yellow metal
5 roubles, 1904. Forgery (?). In a souvenir
package with a lead seal
Russia
Yellow metal
Ye. Lepekhina
Souvenir coin “Victory in the Great
Patriotic War of 1941–1945”, to the value
of 200,000 karbovanetz
Ukraine, National Bank of Ukraine, 1995
White alloy, stamping
V. Guruleva
10 roubles, commemorative “Ancient Russian
Cities. Solikamsk, Perm Region”
M. Postarnak
10 roubles, commemorative “Cities of Military
Glory. Malgobek”
Yellow alloy, stamping
N. Zykov
State Bank Note, 10 roubles
Russia, 1997
Paper
Belorussian money
3 pieces
State Bank Note, 10 roubles
Russia, 1997
Paper
Czechoslovakian money
Ye. Shchukina
Souvenir of the Russian Federation Central Bank
made of fragments of 5,000-rouble banknotes
to the total value of 1,250,000 roubles
Ukrainian money
3 pieces
2005–2006
A. Zhukov
I. Emmanuel
Stamp of the Kazan Cathedral, St. Petersburg
Bronze, wood
Set of medals made from designs
by Alexey Olenin
13 pieces
Stamp with an image of Calvary and the Passion
of Christ and the inscription “Behold! The Lamb
of God who Takes away the Sin of the World”
Bronze, wood
V. Lukin
Bagde “Municipal Affairs Bureau. 1706–
2006. Committee for Urban Development
and Architecture”
St. Petersburg, early 21st century
Yellow alloy
Yu. Pyatnitsky
Badge of the participant of the Tenth
Anniversary Forum “Dialogue of Civilisations”
Received by Yu. Pyatnitsky
Greece, Rhodes, 2012
White alloy, enamel, textile
Certificate of the participant of the Tenth
Anniversary Forum “Dialogue of Civilisations”
Greece, Rhodes, 2012
Paper, printing
V. Rabinovich
Medal commemorating the 55th anniversary
of the victory over Nazism
Israel, 2000
Medal commemorating the 60th anniversary
of the victory over Nazism
Israel, 2005
N. Mikhaleva
Modern Croatian coins
10 pieces
1993–2011
I. Saverkina
Modern Maltese coins
8 pieces
2008
V. Meshcheryakov
The Russia Abroad House
Memorial coin: “1812: the Heroism
of the People in the Memory of Russia Abroad”
By N. Golovaneva
Moscow, 2012
Copper, stamping
Collection of denarii
82 pieces
Germany, 11th century
Silver, stamping
1/2 Mark Gustav I Vasa (1523–1560)
Sweden, 1543
Silver
Stamp matrices
3 pieces
Brass
Badge marking graduation from the Institute
of Railway Engineers. In the original box
St. Petersburg, Arnd Company, 19th – early
20th century
Silver, leather, textile, metal
Badge marking graduation from the Institute
of Railway Engineers, miniature. Stamp
reading “N.A.”
St. Petersburg, late 19th – early 20th century
Silver
Badge marking graduation from the Mining
Institute
St. Petersburg, Workshop of Dmitry Osipov,
last quarter of the 19th century
Silver
Brooch shaped as a miniature dagger and pistol
Russia, 1886–1896
Silver, gilding, niello
Token marking the 200th anniversary
of St. Petersburg with an image of the Trinity
Bridge
Russia, c. 1903
Silver, gilding, enamel
Ye. Yarovaya
Badge marking the 200th anniversary
of St. Petersburg for the employees
of the St. Petersburg Municipal Autonomous
Public Body
Russia, Eduard Company, c. 1903
Western European coins
12 pieces
Badge marking the 200th anniversary
of St. Petersburg for the employees
Italian coins of Vittorio Emmanuele III
1940–1942
6 pieces
37
of the St. Petersburg Municipal Autonomous
Public Body, miniature
Badge marking graduation from the Imperial
Alexander Lyceum in Tsarskoye Selo
St. Petersburg, Schubert Company,
Silver
Badge of the Central Council, Society of Friends
of Aviation
USSR, 1923–1925
Silver, enamel
Medallion with a portrait of Grand Duke
Nicholas Nikolayevich Romanov (junior)
wearing the uniform of the Hussar Regiment
of the Life Guards
Russia (?), late 19th – early 20th century
Cast bronze
MUSEUM OF THE Porcelain
Manufactory
Gifts:
Graphics
V. Levshenkov
Drawings by Z. Kobyletskaya
4 pieces
Leningrad, late 1920s
M. Vorobyov
Drawings by Boris Vorobyov
32 pieces
Sculpture
M. Vorobyov
Sculptures by Boris Vorobyov
4 pieces
Leningrad, State Lomonosov Porcelain
Manufactory
T. Martinson
Sculptural group Ladies on a Bench
Porcelain, overglaze polychrome painting,
gilding
M. Kryzhanovskaya
Sculpture The Actress N. Tiraspolskaya
in the Role of the Matchmaker in One
of the Plays by Ostrovsky
Mould by A. Kryzhanovskaya (1895–1970)
Manufactory, 1940s – 1950s
Porcelain, overglaze polychrome painting
T. Charina
Cup painted in the Oriental style with an image
of a horseman and hunter (?)
Design by M. Mokh
Manufactory, 1939
gilding
T. Afanasieva
Plaquette showing a seated woman in classical
clothing holding a teapot
Artist Ye. Yeropkina
Manufactory, 1984
Coloured unglazed porcelain
St. Petersburg, Imperial Porcelain Manufactory
OJSC
Tray To the Custodians of Eternal Values
Mould by A. Borisov
OJSC
Porcelain, underglaze polychrome painting,
overglaze polychrome painting, silvering,
diverging patterns
Vase Aligned Planets
Artist T. Afanasieva
OJSC, 2011
Porcelain, underglaze monochrome p ainting,
overglaze polychrome painting, gilding,
diverging patterns
Vase Aligned Planets
Artist T. Afanasieva
OJSC, 2011
Porcelain, underglaze monochrome p ainting,
overglaze polychrome painting, gilding,
diverging patterns
Documents
S. Chekhonin (1878–1936)
Congratulatory address “From the Employees
of the Political Board of the Baltic Navy”
to D. Gessen
Petrograd, 1920
Paper, pencil, watercolours, gouache, ink
Collection of drawings by G. Zimin,
artist at the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory
(later Leningrad Lomonosov Porcelain
Manufactory)
38 pieces
Paper, pencil, watercolours, gouache
38
Collection of printed works and manuscripts
from the archive of G. Zimin
81 pieces
Paper, tracing paper, pencil, ink, watercolours,
photographs, newspaper cutouts
Photographs from the archive of G. Zimin
32 pieces
Photographic paper, printing
Cup and saucer with a winter landscape
Painted by G. Zimin (1875–1958)
Leningrad, 1948
gilding
S. Yakovleva (1910–1993)
Vase
Factory, 1950s
Glazed porcelain
MENSHIKOV PALACE
Gifts:
Van Paris Christian Guy Marie Joseph
Six ceramic stoves and 43 stove tiles
49 pieces
Advertising plaquettes
6 pieces
Klebaur Colmar House, 19th century
Documents
A. Prokhorov
Admiral Prince A. Menshikov
Lithograph on paper
V. Klassen
First Cadet Corps Cotillion accessories
Paper, phototype
acquisitions by the state hermitage museum in 2012♥
uniforms from the reign of Empress
Anna Ioannovna
Paper, phototype
From the book Historical Survey
of the 2nd Cadet Corps
Lithograph on paper
V. Klassen
First Cadet Corps Staff officer of the Gentry
Corps (1732)
Paper, phototype
P. Fernlund
Officer, drummer and cadets from the reign
of Emperors Nicholas I and Alexander II
Lithograph on paper
V. Klassen
First Cadet Corps Grenadier cadet from
the reign of Emperor Paul I; Musketeer cadet
from the reign of Emperor Alexander I
Paper, phototype
V. Klassen
First Cadet Corps Grenadier cadet from
the reign of Emperor Alexander I Grenadier
cadet from the reign of Emperor Nicholas I
Paper, phototype
P. Fernlund
Officers and cadets in the reign
of Empress Catherine II
Lithograph on paper
P. Fernlund
Officer and cadet from the reign
of Emperor Paul I
Lithograph on paper
P. Fernlund
Officer, drummer and cadets from the reign
of Emperor Paul I
Lithograph on paper
P. Fernlund
Officers, bugler and cadet from the reign
of Emperor Alexander I
Lithograph on paper
P. Fernlund
Officers and cadets from the reign
of Emperor Alexander II
Lithograph on paper
ARCHITECTURE AND ARCHAEOLOGY
SECTOR
Gifts:
A. Filippova
Part of a vessel: ochre-coloured crown, grey wall
Grey clay ceramics, burning, glossing
Arrow head
Russia (?), second half of the 17th century (?)
Iron, melting, forging
Collection of artefacts: flint fragments, beads
and clasp
12 pieces
Archaeological finds from the town of Primorsk
31 pieces
RESEARCH LIBRARY
Gifts:
Books
Western European publications on the
history of Classical Art, specialised Classicist
dictionaries and reference books, catalogues
of the largest museum and private collections,
guide books, photo albums, contemporary
research papers on the history of Classical art,
monographs and catalogues
Books from the collection of O. Neverov
54 pieces
Russian publications on the history of Classical
art, catalogues of Russian and international
museum collections, memoirs and historical
studies on the time of Napoleon
47 pieces
Studies in the history of ancient glyptics,
academic catalogues of the largest Western
European collections of carved stones,
collections of studies and conference
proceedings, letters, memoirs, and documents
59 pieces
German and French editions of Classical
authors in Greek and Latin, books published
by B.G. Teubner Publishing House
54 pieces
Rare translations of Classical authors into
Russian, works by Russian Classic scholars,
translations of Western European publications,
catalogues of private art collections and state
museums, publications by Academia
49 pieces
DEPARTMENT OF MANUSCRIPTS
AND DOCUMENTS
Documents
books
G. Vilinbakhov
V. Klassen
First Cadet Corps officers and cadets in uniform
from 1732 to 1907
Paper, phototype
P. Fernlund
Cadets from the reign of Emperor Alexander I
Lithograph on paper
Books on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century
heraldry for the Heraldry Room in the memory
of S. Troynitsky
13 pieces
V. Klassen
First Cadet Corps. 1. Grenadier cadet;
2. Staff officer; 3. Cavalry Squadron cadet;
4. Musketeer cadet; wearing ceremonial
P. Fernlund
Banner-bearer, officers and cadets
of the 2nd Cadet Corps from the reign
of Emperor Nicholas I
Notebook in a case
Russia, second half of the 19th century
Paper, silk, velvet, wood, metal, printing, gold
stamping, carving
A. Zhukov
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Materials from the personal archive of I. Ratiev
Late 20th – early 21st century
33 pieces
Materials from the personal archive of L. Rakov
85 pieces
EXHIBITIONS
EXHIBITIONS
In 2012, the Hermitage held 31 temporary exhibitions
(objects from the Hermitage and other museums).
In museums around Russia the Hermitage held five exhibitions
(2,944 exhibits) and took part in twelve exhibitions (352 exhibits).
Outside Russia the Hermitage held six exhibitions (1,251 exhibits)
and took part in 21 exhibitions (447 exhibits).
JJ
TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS IN THE HERMITAGE
Carlo Gavazzeni Ricordi. Imaginary Theatres in Rome
03.02.12 – 25.03.12
Exhibition of works by the contemporary Italian artist and photographer featuring photographs of romantic ruined interiors of the Theatre in the Villa Torlonia near Rome and the Villa Medici. The photographs, reminiscent of Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s etchings, were given the composite title “Imaginary
Theatres”, an allusion to Piranesi’s “Imaginary Prisons” series.
Opening of the exhibition “Carlo Crivelli. The Annunciation with
St. Emidius from the National Gallery in London. From the ‘Masterpieces
from the World’s Museums in the Hermitage’ Series”
Opening of the exhibition “Surimono. Poetic Greeting”
Surimono. Poetic Greeting
Carlo Crivelli. The Annunciation with St. Emidius from the National Gallery in London.
From the “Masterpieces from the World’s Museums in the Hermitage” Series
06.03.12 – 02.09.12
This exhibition from the State Hermitage repository featured works in the Surimono print technique –
an original type of Japanese woodblock prints, published in limited editions on private commissions:
not for sale, but as gifts for friends. As a rule, they were commissioned by members of poetry clubs,
so a Surimono was a blend of image and poetry, including one to three verses by the poets themselves.
14.02.12 – 27.05.12
The Annunciation with St. Emidius, Carlo Crivelli’s most famous work, was lent by the National Gallery
in London in exchange for the right to display Leonardo Da Vinci’s Madonna Litta in their exhibition
“Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan”.
“In Written Words Alone...”. On the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Nikolay Petrovich
Likhachev
A Second Life. Coins and Medals in European Applied Art
06.03.12 – 28.10.12
20.04.12 – 22.07.12
This exhibition from the State Hermitage repository was devoted to the use of numismatic monuments
in decorative applied art from the 1st to 20th centuries. The exhibits included necklaces, caskets, cups,
snuffboxes, pendants, tankards and ladles decorated with coins and medals. In becoming elements
of the décor of objects of applied art, the coins and medals took on “a second life”.
This exhibition, devoted to the history of letters and documents, featured written records from the collection of the scholar Nikolay Petrovich Likhachev, which numbered around 80,000 exhibits – from
the age of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt to the 20th century. Today these texts are kept in the State
Hermitage and other scholarly institutions in St. Petersburg.
Opening of the exhibition
“Carlo Gavazzeni Ricordi.
Imaginary Theatres in Rome”.
Mikhail Piotrovsky, Carlo Ricordi
“‘In Written Words Alone...’.
On the 150th Anniversary
of the Birth of Nikolay Petrovich
Likhachev”. Victor Pleshkov,
Yelena Stepanova, Georgy
Vilinbakhov
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EXHIBITIONS
At the exhibition “Degas. Place
de la Concorde. From the ‘Restored
Masterpieces’ Series”. Henri
Loyrette, Mikhail Piotrovsky
EXHIBITIONS
At the exhibition
“Tylos. The Journey beyond Life.
Rituals and Funerary Traditions
in Bahrain. 1st Century BC –
3rd Century AD”
848. The Collection of Georges Matcheret and Nadia Wolkonsky
Degas. Place de la Concorde. From the “Restored Masterpieces” Series
18.05.12 – 17.01.13
29.06.12 – 22.07.12
Edgar Degas’s painting Place de la Concorde, which was long thought to have been lost, was put on
display after restoration. The natural scene, actually painted in the Paris square, is in stark contrast
to the overwhelming majority of canvases painted in Europe in the 1870s and is characteristic of the peak
of the artist’s career.
The exhibition featured a collection of works from the late 20th and early 21st centuries belonging
to Georges Matcheret and his wife Nadia Wolkonsky. The 848 art epistles, made on blank envelopes for
their collector friends by well-known Moscow painters, poets, researchers and theatre directors, were
added to the State Hermitage collection of contemporary art in 2012.
Santiago Calatrava. The Quest for Movement
Anthony Cragg. Luke
27.06.12 – 30.09.12
29.06.12 – 01.08.12
Exhibition by one of the best-known contemporary architects, who has designed over forty major buildings all over the world in the last thirty years – museums, stadiums, railway stations, bridges – and has
received several dozen prestigious awards and prizes. The display included models, sketches, blueprints,
sculpture and ceramics.
Luke, by one of the best-known contemporary British sculptors, was put on display in the Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace. The sculpture is part of the Rational Beings cycle, in which the artist explores
the correlation between geometric and biological forms.
Tylos. The Journey beyond Life. Rituals and Funerary Traditions in Bahrain.
1st Century BC – 3rd Century AD
02.06.12 – 14.10.12
This exhibition from the Bahrain National Museum described the daily life, culture and beliefs of the people of Bahrain in the Tylos age (from the end of the 1st millennium BC to the early centuries AD). The display featured over 250 objects discovered during excavations of Hellenistic necropolises in the last few
decades.
Enrique Celaya. The Tower of Snow
10.07.12 – 30.11.12
Sculpture depicting a boy on crutches carrying a house, whose belt is strangling him. This theme, a symbol of duality and fragility, occurs frequently in the work of the contemporary artist, poet, philosopher
and critic Enrique Martinez Celaya in drawings and paintings, and in 2011 it was cast in bronze.
The Book as Art. Twenty Years of the Rare Books from St. Petersburg Publishing House
11.09.12 – 04.11.12
Exhibition timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of a publishing house specialising in rare books.
As a rule, the circulation is no more than 25 copies and in some cases is limited to one or two. The display included Biblical texts, works by ancient authors, Russian and European classics and world epics,
as well as books by contemporary writers.
Opening of the exhibition “Santiago Calatrava. The Quest for Movement”
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EXHIBITIONS
Opening of the exhibition “Russian Lithographic Portrait
of the 19th Century”. Niele Masyulionite, Galina Mirolyubova
Opening of the exhibition “Paula Modersohn-Becker and Worpswede
Artists. Drawings and Prints. 1895–1906”. Svetlana Adaksina,
Vladimir Matveyev
EXHIBITIONS
Opening of the exhibition “Marc Chagall and the Livre d’artiste.
Selected Prints”. Mikhail Balan
Opening of the exhibition “Architectural Library: Architectural
Drawings from the State Hermitage and Sergey Tchoban’s Collection”.
Valery Shevchenko
Russian Lithographic Portrait of the 19th Century
Medals of Dishonour
21.09.12 – 13.01.13
28.09.12 – 13.01.13
150 works from the Hermitage collection of lithographic portraits were displayed for the first time.
Among the exhibits which reflected the main stages in the development of the art of lithography were
portraits of members of the Imperial family, statesmen, military leaders, high society ladies, artists and
other representatives of Russian society in the 19th century.
The exhibition from the British Museum and several private collections, shown in London in 2009, was
supplemented by exhibits from the State Hermitage and shown in a new guise. The display included
around 150 examples of the medallist art – medals of a particular type, little known to the general public, which reflect a negative point of view towards historical events and political personalities.
Paula Modersohn-Becker and Worpswede Artists. Drawings and Prints. 1895–1906
21.09.12 – 11.11.12
The Wild Swans. Découpages and Costumes Designed by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II
of Denmark for the Film Adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tale
This exhibition, devoted to one of the most outstanding periods in German art at the turn of the 19th and
20th centuries, included over 60 drawings and prints by Paula Modersohn-Becker and her colleagues
from the Worpswede colony of artists, as well as documentary photographs of their life. The exhibition
was part of the Year of Germany in Russia and Russia in Germany – 2012.
The exhibition featured the découpages and costumes designed by Queen Margrethe for the film based on
Andersen’s fairy tale. The display included 43 découpages, eleven costumes made especially for the film,
and the green screen technology used in the film. The film itself was shown in one of the museum’s rooms.
08.10.12 – 02.12.12
Marc Chagall and the Livre d’artiste. Selected Prints
11.10.12 – 25.11.12
“The Wild Swans. Découpages
and Costumes Designed by
Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II
of Denmark for the Film
Adaptation of Hans Christian
Andersen’s Fairy Tale”
The livre d’artiste (“artist’s book”) is a particular type of publication dating from the turn of the 19th
and 20th centuries. The Hermitage collection contains eleven of Chagall’s books acquired in the 1980s
(nine of them as gifts from the artist himself). The exhibition featured prints from five books – from
major projects of the 1920s (black-and-white engraving on metal) to works from the 1960s (colour
lithographs and woodcuts).
Architectural Library
12.10.12 – 16.12.12
The exhibition included over 80 architectural drawings from the 18th to 21st centuries from collections
of varying types – the current developing collection of practising architect Sergey Tchoban, which he
has amassed in a little over a decade, and the old Imperial collection that goes back to the acquisitions
of Catherine II and is now part of the State Hermitage collection.
Jake and Dinos Chapman. The End of Fun
19.10.12 – 13.01.13
The works by the British artists the Chapman Brothers shown in the exhibition belong to The Disasters
of War genre first introduced in the celebrated series of etchings of the same title by Francisco Goya
(1746–1828). The display featured the Chapmans’ installations The End of Fun, Traumatize, in Order
to Offend, The Disasters of War and a series of “completed” Goya etchings.
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EXHIBITIONS
“Jake and Dinos Chapman.
The End of Fun”. Dmitry Ozerkov
“There is No One to Help them”. Tragedy in the Graphic Works of Francisco Goya
19.10.12 – 13.01.13
The exhibition featured 40 sheets of graphic art from the State Hermitage collection – prints from four
different series and several drawings done in lithographic crayon. The exhibition was staged in parallel
with the exhibition by Jake and Dinos Chapman who employed the themes of Francisco Goya in their
work.
The Artist’s Room in the Hermitage. Dmitri Prigov
06.11.12 – 15.01.13
The Dmitri Prigov Room is devoted to the work of the Russian poet, prose writer, artist, sculptor and
actor, one of the founders of Moscow conceptualism. The display featured part of the body of Prigov’s
works received by the museum as a gift from his heirs.
Opening of the Dmitri Prigov Room
in the Hermitage
The exhibition “The Book as Art.
Twenty Years of the Rare Books
from St. Petersburg Publishing
House”. See p. 47
46
EXHIBITIONS
EXHIBITIONS
EXHIBITIONS
able collections. The exhibition to mark the library’s 250th anniversary featured the most outstanding
and significant collections with which the Hermitage Library collection started and continues to exist.
The Hermitage in Photographs – 2012
The Hermitage in Publications – 2012
07.12.12 – 16.12.12
Traditional annual exhibitions devoted to the academic and exhibition activity of the State Hermitage
in the past year. The display included publications issued by the State Hermitage Publishers and other
Russian and foreign publishing houses in collaboration with the museum, as well as photographs reflecting the most outstanding events of the past year.
The Adoration of the Magi. Triptych by Hugo van der Goes. Restoration Completed
09.12.12 – 27.01.13
The exhibition marked the completion of restoration work on the triptych by the fifteenth-century Dutch
master. More recent layers of paint had concealed approximately 50% of the original, and badly darkened layers of varnish and dirt had altered the colour to such an extent that the painting had become
grey-brown. As a result of the restoration begun in 2007 the authentic fifteenth-century work was revealed, striking in the richness of its colours.
Antique Style in Russian Imperial Porcelain in the Second Half of the 18th Century.
From the “Christmas Gift” Series
21.12.12 – 31.03.13
The eleventh annual exhibition in the “Christmas Gift” series was devoted to the theme of the influence
of the antique heritage on Russian porcelain in the second half of the 18th century. Along with exhibits
from that period, the display also featured authentic ancient pieces, porcelain in the European Neoclassic style and works by contemporary porcelain masters, united by the theme “Antiquity in Porcelain”
and made especially for this project.
“‘The Thunder of 1812...’.
The Patriotic War of 1812
in Hermitage Collections”
Opening of the exhibition “A Treasury of Books.
250 Years of the Hermitage Library”
Opening of the exhibition “Antique Style in Russian Imperial Porcelain
in the Second Half of the 18th Century”
“An Artist of All Schools”. Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich (1712–1774)
27.11.12 – 08.03.13
Exhibition to mark the 300th anniversary of the birth of the German artist who won recognition and
fame in Germany and Europe during his lifetime. The display featured paintings, engravings and drawings by the master, who was able to recreate the style of many of his celebrated predecessors.
A Sentimental Journey: Wedgwood in Russia
07.12.12 – 31.03.13
Exhibition marking the centenary of the exhibition of Wedgwood ceramics in the Imperial Academy
of Arts; one of the curators of that exhibition was Sergey Troynitsky (1882–1948), the first Director
of the State Hermitage. In addition to items that were displayed in the 1912 exhibition, the Hermitage
presented objects from the museum’s reserves that were unknown to the public and had not previously
featured in literature.
A Treasury of Books. 250 Years of the Hermitage Library
07.12.12 – 17.03.13
For two centuries and a half, by the will of Emperors and as the Imperial Hermitage developed,
the library has amassed books on a variety of themes that with the passage of time have become valu-
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EXHIBITIONS
“‘The Thunder of 1812...’.
The Patriotic War of 1812
in Hermitage Collections”
“The Thunder of 1812...”.
The Patriotic War of 1812 in the Hermitage Collections
25.12.12 – 07.04.13
The exhibition was timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of victory over Napoleon in the Patriotic War of 1812. It included around 600 exhibits describing events from the age of the Napoleonic Wars.
The display covered the period from the first encounter of the two Emperors in 1805 to the death of Napoleon on the island of St. Helena in 1821, highlighting the major battles from Austerlitz to Leipzig
and the history of diplomatic contacts between Russia and France.
“United we shall be, as one!”. The Patriotic War of 1812 in the Medals
of Alexey Olenin and his Contemporaries
25.12.12 – 07.04.13
This exhibition was devoted to the projects of Alexey Olenin (1763–1843), President of the Academy
of Arts and Director of the Imperial Public Library, united in a separate manuscript entitled “A Collection of Drawings of Medals for the Famous Events of 1812, 1813 and 1814”. The project was only
brought to life by the St. Petersburg Mint two centuries after it had been conceived, and presented
as a gift to the State Hermitage.
Toy Soldiers in the Hermitage. On the 200th Anniversary
of the Patriotic War of 1812
25.12.12 – 07.04.13
This exhibition, marking the 200th anniversary of victory in the Patriotic War of 1812, featured tin
soldiers representing not only the Russian and French armies at the time of the Napoleonic Wars, but
also the armies of their allies: Prussians, Austrians, Bavarians and Saxons. The exhibition included individual portrait figures, groups depicting regiments and compositions reproducing battle scenes.
We Draw and Paint in the Hermitage
29.12.12 – 20.01.13
“Toy Soldiers in the Hermitage.
On the 200th Anniversary
of the Patriotic War of 1812”
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Annual exhibition of children’s drawings, featuring works by pupils of the State Hermitage Art School
Centre in 2012.
EXHIBITIONS
JJ
EXHIBITIONS
EXHIBITIONS IN MUSEUMS AROUND RUSSIA
Two Centuries of French Elegance. Decorative Art of the 17th and 18th Centuries
from the State Hermitage Museum Collection
Hermitage • Vyborg Centre, Vyborg
10.04.12 – 14.10.12
The exhibition demonstrated the main stages in the development of French decorative applied art
in its heyday. The display included bronze, porcelain, tapestries and furniture that formerly belonged
to the Imperial family, as well as items from the private collections of the Russian nobility that were
nationalised after the 1917 revolution.
Nomads of Eurasia on the Road to Empire
Hermitage • Kazan Centre, Kazan
18.06.12 – 31.03.13
Exhibition devoted to the characteristic features of the culture of the nomadic tribes of Eurasia,
based on material from archaeological excavations and private collections of the late 19th – early
20th century. It featured over 2,000 exhibits from the Hermitage, covering the period from the beginning of the 1st millennium BC to the formation of the Great Mongol Empire in the 13th century.
Boris Vorobyov. Porcelain and Graphic Art from the State Hermitage
and Imperial Porcelain Manufactory Collections
Novgorod Museum-Reserve
14.09.12 – 09.12.12
This exhibition of the work of the Leningrad sculptor Boris Vorobyov included around 150 exhibits from
the collections of the State Hermitage and the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory. In addition to the sculptor’s original porcelain works, the exhibition also featured his graphic art.
The exhibition “The Last Russian Emperor.
The Family and Court of Nicholas II at the Turn of the 19th – 20th Centuries”
The Last Russian Emperor. The Family and Court of Nicholas II at the Turn
of the 19th – 20th Centuries
26.10.12 – 07.04.13
The exhibition was devoted to the way of life of Nicholas II and his family, as well as the diplomatic,
religious and court ceremonies of the Imperial Court. It featured over 250 exhibits from the Hermitage collection, including memorial items that were once in the Winter, Anichkov, Alexander, NovoMikhailovsky and Yusupov Palaces.
Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Palaces, Ruins and Prisons.
Architectural Fantasies
Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts
14.11.12 – 24.02.13
The display devoted to the great Italian master of etching, engraver, draughtsman and architect featured
59 of his works, as well as an engraved portrait of Piranesi himself done by one of his contemporaries.
Piranesi constructed only one real building in his whole life – the rest remained bold ideas on paper,
which led to him being called a “paper architect”.
Opening of the exhibition “Two Centuries of French Elegance.
Decorative Art of the 17th and 18th Centuries from the State Hermitage
Museum Collection”. Alexander Kostenko, Larisa Bulkina
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Opening of the exhibition “Nomads of Eurasia on the Road to Empire”.
Mintimer Shaymiyev, Konstantin Chugunov
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PARTICIPATION IN EXHIBITIONS IN MUSEUMS AROUND RUSSIA
EXHIBITIONS
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EXHIBITIONS ABROAD
Rembrandt. Master of the Copper Plate. Prints from the Rovinsky Collection
at the State Hermitage
An Imaginary Museum
Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow
Sinebrychoff Museum, Helsinki, Finland
28.04.12 – 29.07.12
02.02.12 – 29.04.12
I Want to Go to Gatchina!
The exhibition included 55 etchings by Rembrandt from the Hermitage collection, bequeathed to the museum in 1897 by Dmitry Rovinsky. The etchings are on Biblical, mythological and literary themes, genre
scenes, landscapes, portraits and self-portraits.
Manege Central Exhibition Hall, St. Petersburg
06.05.12 – 22.05.12
The Death of the Family of Nicholas II. A Century-long Investigation
State Archive of the Russian Federation, Moscow
FECIT AD VIVUM. Portraits of Artists in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century
Western European Engravings
25.05.12 – 29.07.12
Lithuanian Art Museum, Vilnius, Lithuania
Russians and Germans: 1,000 Years of History, Culture and Art
08.03.12 – 10.06.12
21.06.12 – 25.08.12
The exhibition included 100 portraits of artists from the Hermitage collection of Western European
engravings. Its broad chronological range was determined by the time when the genre was at the height
of its popularity, when, like painted portraits, it reflected features of all the stylistic trends.
Treasures of the Order of Malta. Nine Centuries of Loyalty to the Faith
and Charitable Work
The Face of an Era. 400 Years of European Masterpieces from the State Hermitage
Museum
Kremlin Museums, Moscow
National Arts Centre, Tokyo, Japan
05.07.12 – 09.09.12
25.04.12 – 16.07.12
Traditions of a Craft. The Art of Woodwork
Nagoya Municipal Museum, Japan
State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg
28.07.12 – 30.09.12
10.09.12 – 20.11.12
Kyoto Municipal Museum, Japan
The Architectural Legacy of Harald Julius von Bosse. To Mark the 200th Anniversary
of his Birth
10.10.12 – 07.12.12
State Historical Museum, Moscow
The exhibition, which was shown in three Japanese cities, featured 89 paintings from the Hermitage collection. It was divided into thematic sections covering the period from the 16th to 20th centuries, each
of which included works by great masters who became symbols of their time – Titian, Van Dyck, Rubens,
Rembrandt, Delacroix and Picasso.
Academy of Arts Museum, St. Petersburg
28.09.12 – 02.12.12
Fontanny Dom. An Encounter 300 Years Later
State Museum of Theatrical and Musical Art, St. Petersburg
The exhibition “Catherine the Great,
an Enlightened Empress”
18.10.12 – 18.12.12
Exhibition of Painting and Graphic Art to Mark 175 Years of Railways in Russia
Russian Ethnographic Museum, St. Petersburg
24.10.12 – 06.11.12
Sword and Zlatnik. Marking the 1,150th Anniversary of Russian Statehood
State Historical Museum, Moscow
02.11.12 – 27.02.2013
Still Life. Metamorphoses. Dialogue between Classic and Contemporary Art
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
02.11.12 – 24.02.13
The Spellbinding Charm of Finland. Nicholas Roerich and Finnish Cultural Figures
Roerich Family Museum-Institute, St. Petersburg
23.11.12 – 21.04.13
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EXHIBITIONS
Impressionism: Sensation and Inspiration. Masterpieces from the State Hermitage Museum
EXHIBITIONS
JJ
Hermitage • Amsterdam Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands
PARTICIPATION IN EXHIBITIONS ABROAD
16.06.12 – 27.01.13
The exhibition featured 80 works from the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries – paintings,
graphic works and sculptures – from the Hermitage collection. Works by Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste
Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Camille Pissarro – masters of Impressionism who opened a new age in the development of art, were displayed in the context of the broad artistic panorama of their time.
Matisse. Pairs and Series
Catherine the Great, an Enlightened Empress
07.03.12 – 18.06.12
Pompidou Centre, Paris, France
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
13.07.12 – 21.10.12
Gifts of the Sultan: The Art of Giving at Islamic Courts
The exhibition highlighted the many facets of the Russian Empress’s personality, as well as Russian art
and culture during her reign. The display featured over 600 exhibits from the Hermitage collection, including memorial items, works from Catherine II’s personal collection and objects linked with important
events of the time.
Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar
Alexander the Great. 2000 Years of Treasures
National Art Centre, Tokyo, Japan
21.03.12 – 02.06.12
Cézanne: Paris–Provence
28.03.12 – 11.06.12
Australian Museum, Sydney
23.11.12 – 28.04.13
La Sainte Anne, l’ultime chef-d’œuvre de Léonard de Vinci
This exhibition from the Hermitage collection was devoted to Alexander the Great, his Eastern campaign and the consequent influence of Hellenism on world artistic culture. The display included over
400 exhibits covering a period of more than 2,500 years, from the 5th century BC to the 20th century.
The exhibition had previously been shown at the Hermitage and at the Hermitage • Amsterdam Centre.
Louvre, Paris, France
29.03.12 – 25.06.12
Women. Pablo Picasso, Max Beckmann, Willem de Kooning
Gallery of Contemporary Painting, Bavarian State Picture Collection, Munich, Germany
The exhibition “Alexander
the Great. 2000 Years of Treasures”
Photograph by Carl Bento
© Australian Museum
30.03.12 – 15.07.12
Titian’s First Masterpiece: The Flight into Egypt
National Gallery, London, UK
04.04.12 – 19.08.12
The Splendour of Painting on Porcelain. Charles Nicolas Dodin and the Vincennes-Sèvres
Manufactory in the 18th Century
Chateau de Versailles, France
16.05.12 – 09.09.12
The Early Dürer
German National Museum, Nuremberg, Germany
24.05.12 – 02.09.12
The Small Utopia. Ars Multiplicata
Palazzo Ca’ Corner della Regina, Venice, Italy
06.07.12 – 25.11.12
Cosroe Dusi 1808–1859, Diario artistico di un veneziano alla corte degli Zar
Lower Castle, Marostica, Italy
07.07.12 – 14.10.12
Matisse – Doubles and Variations
State Art Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark
14.07.12 – 28.10.12
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EXHIBITIONS
Il Tiziano mai visto. La fuga in Egitto e la grande pittura veneta
Academy Gallery, Venice, Italy
EXHIBITIONS
ANNIVERSARY OF THE WAR OF 1812
29.08.12 – 09.12.12
During 2012, as part of the celebration of the 200th anniversary of victory in the Patriotic War of 1812, the State Hermitage showed battle pictures commissioned by Nicholas I from
the Bavarian artist Peter von Hess. Hess travelled around the
battle locations with General Kiel, making numerous sketches
and studying examples of military uniform and weaponry from
the time of the war. The artist painted twelve pictures between
1840 and 1857. Those currently in the Hermitage are The Battle of Kliastitzi, The Battle of Smolensk, The Battle of Valutina
Gora, The Battle of Borodino, The Battle of Tarutino, The Battle
of Maloyaroslavets, The Battle of Vyazma, The Battle of Krasnoye and The Retreat of the French across the River Berezina.
The paintings were put on display in the formal rooms of the
Winter Palace throughout the year on the days when the battles
had taken place.
Chardin
Mitsubishi Ichikogan Museum of Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan
08.09.12 – 06.01.13
Canaletto à Venise
Maillol Museum, Dina Verni Foundation, Paris, France
19.09.12 – 10.02.13
Gypsies
Grand Palais, Paris, France
26.09.12 – 14.01.13
The Ecstasy of Colour – Munch, Matisse and the Expressionists
Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany
29.09.12 – 20.01.13
Francesco Guardi – 1712–1793
Correr Museum, Venice, Italy
29.09.12 – 06.01.13
Russians and Germans: 1,000 Years of Art, History and Culture
New Museum, Berlin State Museums, Germany
06.10.12 – 13.01.13
Splendors in Smalt: Art of Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain
Shanghai Museum, China
19.10.12 – 20.01.13
El joven Van Dyck
Prado National Museum, Madrid, Spain
20.11.12 – 31.03.13
Giambattista Tiepolo
Villa Manin, Passariano, Italy
15.12.12 – 07.04.13
Peter von Hess. The Battle of Smolensk. 5 (17) August 1812. 1846
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EXHIBITIONS
EXHIBITIONS
In 2012 the Hermitage • Amsterdam Centre staged two temporary exhibitions from the State Hermitage collection.
“Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens. Flemish Artists from the Hermitage” opened at the end of September 2011 and was extended until the beginning of June 2012. There are virtually no seventeenthcentury Flemish paintings in Dutch museums, so public interest was extremely high. The exhibition
was visited by 230,000 people, though it should be noted that the subject was of interest mainly
to the older generation. One of the marketing ploys used in the run-up to and during the exhibition was the so-called Rubens Tram. For several weeks famous Rubens portraits could be seen
on the No. 9 tram, which stops close to the Hermitage • Amsterdam Centre – an original way of inviting Amsterdam’s residents and visitors to the exhibition.
The Centre organised its traditional extensive thematic programme to accompany the display.
As usual, open concerts were held on the first and last Sundays of every month in the Centre’s
Church Room; music from Rubens’s time could not have been heard in a more appropriate setting
than in a room dating from that period.
The second half of the year featured French art from the second half of the 19th century in “Impressionism: Sensation and Inspiration”, an exhibition which had been anticipated in Amsterdam
for a long time. It was the second display in a series devoted to the French art of the 19th and early
20th centuries; the Hermitage is justly proud of its collection.
About 507,000 people visited the exhibition.
Early in 2012 the Hermitage • Amsterdam Centre was approached by the Director of the Van Gogh Museum with a request to consider the possibility of making the Centre’s empty
second wing available for the exhibition of masterpieces from
the Van Gogh Museum, which was to be closed for restoration
until 1 May 2013. As a result, for six months two famous collections were displayed under one roof: the Impressionists from
the Hermitage and the best works of Vincent van Gogh, who had
known and had been friendly with many members of the celebrated French school. A combined ticket was available for both
displays.
There is a tall building on the Ij that can be seen from almost
anywhere in Amsterdam. For several weeks this building sported
a 59-metre depiction of Claude Monet’s Lady in the Garden, so
virtually everyone in Amsterdam knew that the Hermitage’s Impressionist collection was visiting the city.
The second half of 2012 was taken up in preparations for the
Year of the Netherlands in Russia and Russia in the Netherlands,
during which the Centre had the honour of receiving guests from
Russia. Russian Vice-Premier Arkady Dvorkovich made several working visits to the Hermitage •
Amsterdam Centre.
2012 was the first year of the Centre’s new Director, Cathelijne Broers. She made several working
visits to the State Hermitage during the year to become more closely acquainted with her colleagues
in St. Petersburg.
HERMITAGE CENTRES
HERMITAGE • AMSTERDAM CENTRE
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EXHIBITIONS
HERMITAGE • ITALY CENTRE
The Centre’s activities developed in various ways during 2012. In spring, as in previous years, the
State Hermitage had a stand at the 19th International Salon on the problems of the restoration and
conservation of cultural monuments in Ferrara. Two laboratories were represented in accordance
with the long-term programme – the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Easel Painting and
the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Sculpture and Semi-Precious Stones. A master class in
the Russian mosaic technique using malachite was conducted by the restorer Alexander Androkhanov. His virtuoso knowledge of the material and artistry evoked lively interest in the audience.
At a Hermitage seminar during the Salon Svetlana Petrova, Head of the Laboratory for Scientific
Restoration of Sculpture and Semi-Precious Stones, described methods of conservation and spoke of
restoration projects that had been completed (in particular, the discovery of Vladimir Beklemishev’s
Fugitive Slave). Several lectures devoted to the completion of the restoration of The Annunciation
by Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano were given by experts from the Laboratory for Scientific
Restoration of Easel Painting (Victor Korobov, Kamilla Kalinina and Irina Artemieva). A separate
subject was the restoration of large-scale canvases that had been kept on rollers (Marina Guruleva).
From the beginning of the year a new cycle of lectures and conferences on various matters of art history – seventeen in all – was held in the conference hall of the Hermitage • Italy Centre in Ferrara
(Palazzo Giglioli). However, unexpected adjustments to the plans had to be made – a two-day conference on the importance of digital media in the dissemination of information concerning museums
and other cultural heritage institutions, scheduled for 21 May, had to be postponed owing to the
severe earthquake that struck on 20 May, the epicentre of which was the Emilia-Romagna Region.
The Hermitage • Italy Centre was the first cultural institution in the country to organise a seminar
to assess the damage to cultural monuments in the region caused by the earthquake and to discuss
urgent measures to save them. The seminar’s participants were welcomed on 3 July 2012 by Mikhail
Piotrovsky, General Director of the State Hermitage, who was in Ferrara for the latest session of the
Centre’s Scientific Committee, at which the lists of the Centre’s scholarship holders were confirmed:
grants were awarded to twelve Hermitage employees and sixteen young scholars from Italy, the
Netherlands and France.
In July in Florence a protocol concerning collaboration between the Hermitage • Italy Foundation and the Mayor’s Office in Florence was signed. There was also a ceremonial announcement of
the formation of a Hermitage Friends’ club in Italy, whose aim will be support of the Hermitage’s
museum projects and various cultural initiatives of the Hermitage • Italy Foundation. At about the
same time a collaboration agreement was concluded with the Mayor’s Office and museums in Turin
which envisaged exhibition exchanges and the extensive participation of Turin in the celebrations for
the Hermitage’s 250th anniversary.
In October the Hermitage received its first gift from Italy for its forthcoming anniversary – Villa
Russiz introduced a white Friulano wine with a special label featuring the emblem of the anniversary
year (devised by Italian graphic artists).
In December the Hermitage General Director Mikhail Piotrovsky signed another collaboration
agreement – with the mayor’s office and museums in Padua. It envisages the exchange of materials
and specialists, mainly concerning the problems of the restoration of fresco painting; the Hermitage
suggested involving Novgorod museums in this work.
The Hermitage’s exhibition activity on the Apennine Peninsula was as intensive as ever and was
co-ordinated by the Hermitage • Italy Centre. Exhibitions were held with support of the Centre
in Pavia (“Nineteenth-Century Italian Painting”, 11 February – 12 April, after the successful showing of this display in the Hermitage); “Cosroe Dusi” (7 July – 14 October, Lower Castle, Marostica);
the “Francesco Guardia” anthology (29 September 2012 – 6 January 2013, Correr Museum, Venice); “Giambattista Tiepolo” (15 December 2012 – 7 April 2013, Villa Manin in Passariano, Udine).
The main “premiere” of the past year was the display of Titian’s The Flight into Egypt at the Academy Gallery in Venice. This unique painting by the great Venetian master was visiting its homeland
after being shown at the National Gallery in London.
The final event of 2012 for the Hermitage • Italy Centre was the publication of a collection of materials from a conference held in the Palazzo Barberini in Rome on 20 October 2011, devoted to the publication of a catalogue of seventeenth-century Italian painting (author: Svetlana Vsevolozhskaya).
The broad discussion of the Hermitage catalogue in Rome, where interest in the material published
so comprehensively is particularly great, could and should become a welcome tradition.
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HERMITAGE • KAZAN CENTRE
Chronicle of Events
2–7 January
20 January
14 March
5 April
17 May
18–19 May
18 June
8 September
10 October
20 November
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Special “New Year with the Hermitage!” museum-based educational programmes were featured in
the “Christmas Fantasies with Glass” exhibition, including an introduction to the exhibition, meetings with the artists and a creative lesson in painting on glass with transparent paints.
Opening of an exhibition by the XOLST art association, formed in Moscow by a group of artists
working at the meeting-point between classical and contemporary styles of painting. The exhibition featured over 40 works, including landscapes and cityscapes, still life paintings and portraits.
The exhibition in Kazan was sponsored by the Art Finance – a subsidiary of Gazprombank formed
to facilitate art projects and support Russian artists.
The exhibition “Spanish Art from the State Hermitage Collection” featured “Fan. Guitar. Flamenco” programme staged in conjunction with the Triana Flamenco School and the Vernissage String
Trio.
A seminar entitled “The Educational Activity of a Museum: Principal Directions and Trends of Development” on the theme of “The Exhibition, Cultural and Educational Activities of the Hermitage • Kazan Centre” was held in conjunction with the Republic of Tatarstan Institute for Further
Education of Socio-Cultural and Art Specialists. It raised problems relating to the study, preservation and transmission of the cultural heritage and discussed the following matters: the special
characteristics of the Centre’s exhibition and museum-based educational work, the use of knowledge
in the field of museum communication, museum teaching and sociology to devise new ways of working with the target audience, and the actualisation of the heritage by means of various museumbased educational programmes.
The Centre participated in a discussion on “Patriotism, Citizenship and Cosmopolitanism in School
Programmes” at the Polish-Russian debates on “Citizenship, Patriotism and Other Means of Identification in One’s Native Land” in Warsaw. Report: “The Hermitage • Kazan Centre – State Hermitage Exhibition and Educational Programme”.
“International Museum Day and Night in the Kazan Kremlin”. The programme included a visit
to the “Spanish Art from the State Hermitage Collection” exhibition and the “Fan. Guitar. Flamenco” music and dance show, staged in conjunction with the Triana Flamenco School and the
Vernissage String Trio.
Opening of the exhibition “Nomads of Eurasia on the Road to Empire”
To mark the seventh anniversary of the Hermitage • Kazan Centre a musical and theatrical programme entitled “By the Roads of the Nomads” was staged in conjunction with a folk dance ensemble directed by Nadezhda Budylenko. The programme featured a dramatised tour of the exhibition
“Nomads of Eurasia on the Road to Empire” and a performance by the Republic of Tatarstan State
Chamber Choir.
A methodological seminar entitled “The Formation of a Global Cultural Zone. The State Hermitage
Programme in Kazan” was held for employees of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Sakha
(Yakutia). It presented the history of the establishment of the Hermitage • Kazan Centre, its programme of collaboration and development.
Opening of the “Blockade Cello” exhibition from the collection of the St. Petersburg State Museum
of Theatrical and Musical Art. It was devoted to the musicians, actors and artists who continued
EXHIBITIONS
EXHIBITIONS
HERMITAGE • VYBORG CENTRE
“Nomads of Eurasia on the Road
to Empire”
2012 saw the closing of the exhibition “Italian Baroque Painting and Sculpture in the Hermitage Collection” and the opening of the exhibitions “Two Centuries of French Elegance. Decorative
Art of the 17th and 18th Centuries from the State Hermitage Museum Collection” and “The Last
Russian Emperor. The Family and Court of Nicholas II at the Turn of the 19th – 20th Centuries”.
The latter was one of a number of Hermitage projects marking the 400th anniversary of the House
of Romanov. In addition, as part of its art education activities, the Centre staged twelve thematic
exhibitions that included works by artists from Vyborg and St. Petersburg, as well as those by foreign masters.
Around 30,000 people visited the Centre in 2012: they came from Vyborg and the Vyborg District,
ten districts of the Leningrad Region and 70 cities in various regions of Russia – from St. Petersburg
and Moscow to Vladivostok, Kamchatka, Nakhodka and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Every seventh person
was a visitor from abroad (CIS countries, Bulgaria, Germany, the Netherlands, China, the UAE and
the USA).
By tradition particular attention was devoted to children who were granted entrance to the Centre
free of charge and the services of a guide at a reduced rate. 5,000 children from 26 schools in Vyborg and the Vyborg District visited exhibitions in 2012. They took part in conferences, competitions
and special lessons linked to the exhibitions. For instance, there was a scientific and practice conference for senior pupils of Gymnasium No. 11 on Italian Baroque. Younger children learned about
Greek gods and heroes at the exhibition of Italian art, and about the etiquette of the royal court at
the French exhibition. At the display devoted to the family of Nicholas II lessons were held on the
theme “Visiting the ‘Children’s Quarters’: Olga, Maria, Anastasia and Alexey”.
In January 2012 a number of competitions were held for children and their parents. Over 300 photographs were submitted for the “Museum Europe through the Eyes of Vyborg Residents” photography competition. Almost 150 works in various techniques were entered for the 3rd Christmas
exhibition “Handmade Christmas Tree Decorations”.
Members of the Korchaginets Club for wheelchair invalids regularly visited the exhibitions. Partnership relations were established with a naval instruction unit.
For adult visitors the Hermitage • Vyborg Centre hosted meetings with artists in the Art Foyer.
On 18 May 2012 – International Museum Day – a presentation by the Vyborg Culture and Art Society brought together people of creative professions. Their combined efforts led to the staging of individual exhibitions by Albert Bakun, Mikhail Siymes, Sergey Kiselev and Leonid Frolov – both in the
Centre and in the “Art Hall” Gallery that comes under its jurisdiction.
In July 2012 the 2nd “V.I.P. – Vyborg Intelligent Performance” Musical and Theatrical Festival
was held at the Centre and at the Vyborg Children’s Art School. Every evening the Centre’s inner
courtyard became a jazz venue, while chamber theatre performances and one-man shows took place
at the school.
A substantial proportion of the Hermitage • Vyborg Centre’s foreign visitors are Finnish citizens,
which facilitates, to a significant degree, the close relations with the Viipuri Centre in Vyborg and
Viipuri Keskus, its main partner in Helsinki. In conjunction with the Viipuri Centre, the District
Administration and Gymnasium No. 11, the Centre staged the international project “Vyborg –
the Birthplace and Final Refuge of General Teslev”, devoted to the 200th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812. The result of the project was the unveiling of a monument to Infantry General
Alexander Teslev at the city’s Southern Cemetery (formerly the Lepola Cemetery). Nearly thirty
descendants of the famous native of Vyborg came from Finland to take part in the ceremony.
Finnish museums take a great deal of interest in the Centre. Close partnerships have been established with the Armoury of South Karelia in Lappeenranta.
In April 2012 Swedish descendants of the Nobel family staged an exhibition of their family archive
at the Centre entitled “The Story of the Life of the Nobel Family and the Family Estate of AlaKarjola on the Outskirts of Vyborg”.
With support of the Consulate General of Poland in St. Petersburg and the Polish Cultural Institute
the Centre staged an exhibition of photographs of the restoration of the frescoes in the nineteenthcentury Holy Trinity Chapel in Lublin by Russian masters and an exhibition of works by Nadezhda
Anfalova entitled “The Light and Shade of Two Capitals”, reflecting the St. Petersburg artist’s view
of Warsaw and Krakow.
Visitors to the Hermitage • Vyborg Centre in 2012 included the Consul Generals of Finland, Germany, Poland and South Korea, and official delegations from China, Sweden and the USA (State
of Maryland).
to paint pictures, act in plays and make musical instruments in Leningrad during the blockade.
It included some unique exhibits: photographs, graphic works and sketches of scenery, bills of performances and musical instruments that survived those dreadful years with the musicians.
21 November
28 November
4 December
20 December
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The Centre held a methodological and museum-based educational seminar entitled “Multimedia
Programmes and Web Resources for Teaching Purposes in Children’s Art Schools”.
At the “Nomads of Eurasia on the Road to Empire” exhibition there was a round table discussion on
“The Question of the Unity of Cultures in Eurasia”, dedicated to the 110th anniversary of Nicholas
Roerich’s birth.
Museum-based educational programmes entitled “Lessons in History” were held at the “Nomads
of Eurasia on the Road to Empire” exhibition for history teachers in Kazan. Among the participants
were Fayaz Khuzin, Corresponding Member of the Republic of Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, and
Ildus Zagidullin, Doctor of History.
Opening of the exhibition “Christmas Tales about Felt”, which included over 200 items: felt boots
of all shapes and colours, sculptures and panels, clothes and accessories, female adornments and
toys. They are all handmade by masters from Kazan and Kukmor, Moscow and Izhevsk. In their
hands familiar objects are transformed into exquisite works of decorative art.
During the year the Hermitage • Kazan Centre held music and art programmes in the Hermitage
Drawing Room. The programmes included visits to exhibitions accompanied by special musical programmes aimed at various categories of visitors. The concerts featured the “Sergiev Posad” Chamber Choir, the “Razdolye” Russian Folk Choir, and pupils of the Nazib Zhiganov Music School and
the Triana Flamenco School.
The Youth Club continued to operate. As part of the “Original Strategies in Contemporary Art”
programme of the 20/21 Club the work of major foreign contemporary artists, contemporary art
prize-winners working in new media (installation, performance and video art) was shown.
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CURATORS ON EXHIBITIONS
EXHIBITIONS
SANTIAGO CALATRAVA. The Quest for MOVEMENT
State Hermitage
27.06.12 – 30.09.12
“In Written Words Alone...”. On THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE BIRTH OF ACADEMICIAN NIKOLAY PETROVICH LIKHACHEV
State Hermitage
20.04.12 – 22.07.12
Nikolay Petrovich Likhachev was a palaeographer and epigraphist of international stature, an outstanding specialist in diplomatics, codicology, textology and sphragistics, a bibliophile and expert
on icons, and also a great collector. His unique collection, compiled in the early decades of the
20th century, was officially named the Museum of Palaeography in 1925. The museum’s main aim
was to demonstrate the development of the written word from ancient times to the early 20th century, based on specific documents. Likhachev was repressed in 1930, and a few years later, after his
death, his museum was dismantled. The exhibits ended up in various museums, principally the Hermitage, and in academic institutions, where they remain to this day. In paying tribute to the academician, it was decided to assemble in a single display, albeit temporarily, the most interesting and
representative documents from Likhachev’s collection. This predetermined the main aim of the exhibition – to trace the principal stages in the development of the written word, to display various
types of writing on soft and hard materials, and also to show various types of documents – official
and private, manuscripts, textbooks, codes and autographs.
The display featured a total of 460 exhibits – cuneiform tablets, Ancient Egyptian stone inscriptions,
Ancient Greek and Roman monuments, Greek and Coptic papyruses, Byzantine, Old Russian and
medieval Western and Eastern manuscripts and documents; New Age materials: deeds, autographs,
manuscripts and leaflets from Russia, Western Europe and the East, seals, coins, incunabula,
Elzeviers and a great deal besides. All the material was divided into four large sections: “The Origin
of the Written Word. Writings of the Ancient World”, “Writings and Documents of the Middle Ages
and Renaissance”, “Documents of the New Age from Russia and Western Europe” and “Written
Documents from the Medieval and New East”.
The exhibition was complemented by an extensive memorial section that included documents from
Likhachev’s huge personal archive, now kept in the St. Petersburg branch of the Academy of Sciences’ archive. This section featured materials describing the history of the Likhachev family, Nikolay
Petrovich’s childhood and youth, his family, his scientific, teaching and collecting activities, and the
difficult period of his life after the revolution.
The exhibition was organised by the State Hermitage in conjunction with the St. Petersburg Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the St. Petersburg branch of the Academy
of Sciences Archive, the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences and
the Academy of Sciences Library. The staff of these institutions prepared the catalogue of the exhibition, which included three introductory articles about Likhachev himself, his collecting activity and
the history of the Museum of Palaeography, descriptions of 460 written documents from various
periods, and an annex containing the names of about 300 antiquaries, collectors and scholars with
whom Likhachev was in direct contact when forming his collections.
During the period of the exhibition the State Hermitage and the St. Petersburg Institute of History
held a joint scientific conference entitled “The Legacy of Nikolay Petrovich Likhachev: Text and Image Interpretation”, devoted to the study of written and artistic monuments from the academician’s
collection.
Yelena Stepanova
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“Santiago Calatrava.
The Quest for Movement”.
Santiago Calatrava
Santiago Calatrava is one of today’s most renowned and prolific architects. In just thirty years
he has designed over forty major projects throughout the world – museums, stadiums, railway stations and bridges. He has received several dozen important awards and prizes.
Calatrava graduated from the Architecture Faculty of the Polytechnic University in his native city
Valencia in 1974 and from the Swiss Technical University in 1979, where he first obtained a degree
in civil engineering and then a doctorate in technical sciences. Thanks to this fundamental combination of architectural and engineering education, the master’s work features in equal proportions
the emotional impulse of an artist and the scrupulous research of a designer.
At the basis of each Calatrava project is the observation of nature. The filigree steel supports of the
Oriente railway station in Lisbon bear the awnings above the platforms like the branches of a tropical forest, the sails of the vault of the Marina d’Arechi and the Tenerife Opera are curved like palm
leaves, and the steel “petals” on the roof of the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro stretch
towards the sun with thin spikes.
The organic world suggests to the master not only figurative, but also technical elements. The bridges in Dublin and Haarlemmermeer, the TGV railway station at Saint-Exupery Airport in Lyon and
the Milwaukee Art Museum in Wisconsin, USA, are like hovering birds. Movement is a most surprising element in such a static art form as architecture. Experiments with movement and statics in
sculpture and architectural designs open up new possibilities in form for Calatrava.
The exhibition in the State Hermitage was the first full-scale display of Santiago Calatrava’s work
in Russia, revealing every sphere of the architect’s interests in his thirty-year career; from his early
designs of bridges and stations, including the famous railway station in Zurich (1992), to his most
recent works – the TGV station in Liege (2010) and sketches for the Ground Zero railway station in
New York. The exhibition featured models, sketches, blueprints, sculpture (in marble, bronze and
wood) and ceramics. Some of the exhibits were made by the artist especially for the Hermitage
display.
The project was part of the year of cultural co-operation with Italy and Spain. It was the first in a series of Hermitage exhibitions devoted to classic exponents of contemporary architecture – a subject
which is essential for a full and objective display of contemporary art.
Ksenia Malich
At the exhibition
“Santiago Calatrava.
The Quest for Movement”
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EXHIBITIONS
EXHIBITIONS
A TREASURy of Books.
250 YEARS OF THE HERMITAGE LIBRARY
“The Thunder of 1812...”.
THE PATRIOTIC WAR OF 1812 IN the HERMITAGE Collections
State Hermitage
07.12.12 – 17.03.13
State Hermitage
25.12.12 – 07.04.13
The Hermitage Library celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2012. For two centuries and a half,
by the will of Emperors and as the Imperial Hermitage developed, the library has amassed books on
a variety of themes that with the passage of time have become valuable collections. Books from these
remarkable collections were displayed in this anniversary exhibition.
Some sections began to take shape as early as Catherine II’s reign. They included collections of engraved albums and picturesque travel books, architectural treatises and ouvrages, geographical
maps and atlases. The numismatic book collection was started at the same time as the formation
of the Münzkabinett in the Hermitage. Collections of symbols and emblems occupied an important
place in the Imperial collection. Catherine II’s fascination with Russian history led to the inclusion
of Slavic manuscripts and copies in her library. Books on military matters arrived with the formation of Peter III’s library. There is a bibliographical rarity in this collection: a multi-volume publication by Alexander Viskovatov entitled “A Historical Description of the Clothing and Armour
of Russian Troops”.
From the 1920s, after the formation of the Hermitage’s Research Library, it began to receive books
from nationalised private and institutional libraries. The Hermitage book collection received manuscripts and publications that substantially increased the existing collections and was also enriched
in many subjects that were previously represented by few examples.
One of the most interesting collections is of books presented to Emperors – from Catherine II
to Nicholas II. There is also a collection of artistic book-bindings by European and Russian masters.
The study and systemisation of the owners’ and dedicatory inscriptions marked the beginning of the
collection of Russian and European autographs. A special place in the Hermitage book repository
is occupied by European and Russian editions of the Bible and books on Biblical themes. A separate
collection consists of drawings and engravings with views of Russian localities, cities and places
of interest. Another interesting collection contains books with drawings and prints of flora and fauna, some of them in colour, and of peoples of the world. Next to this section are albums of drawings
and woodcuts by seventeenth- to twentieth-century Japanese artists. The Hermitage Library also
has a fine collection of fashion magazines dating from the 18th to 20th centuries and books on the
history of fashion.
In recent years the collection of bibliophile and original books has been supplemented by the works
of acknowledged masters of the genre in the 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as interesting
examples of works by contemporary authors and publishers. The section of outstanding historical
Russian books – rare manuscript books and low-circulation publications – is not only the pride of the
Hermitage Library, but also a part of the world’s cultural heritage. One of the new collections that
is of paramount importance for the library and the museum is the so-called “Hermitagiana” – a full
collection of works published in the 18th to 21st centuries about the museum, its buildings, collections and individual art works. The exhibition featured only publications connected with the Hermitage Library. Among the manuscript catalogues of the book collections that make up the Hermitage
repository it was possible to see catalogues of Imperial, regimental and major private libraries.
The Hermitage Library’s book collections are carefully preserved and continue to increase.
The opening of this exhibition in the Field Marshals Room of the Winter Palace was the last in a series of ceremonies devoted to the victories of Russian arms in the Patriotic War of 1812.
The Hermitage is closely linked to the events of 200 years ago. Their memory is perpetuated in the
architecture of Palace Square, in which Carlo Rossi’s Triumphal Arch stands close to Montferrand’s
Alexander Column, in the decoration of the Alexander, Picket, Field Marshals and Armorial Halls
and other rooms in the Winter Palace. The most important part of the Hermitage from this point
of view is the War Gallery: 332 portraits of commanders of the Russian army, as well as portraits
of the allies’ monarchs and generals who commanded the troops of the anti-Napoleon coalition,
making it a real Pantheon of glory of heroes of the 1812–1814 campaign.
The opening date of the exhibition was not chosen at random: it was on 25 December 1812 (6 January 1813 new style) in the town of Vilno that Emperor Alexander I of Russia confirmed the “Imperial
Manifesto of Giving Thanks to the Lord God for the Liberation of Russia from the Enemy Invasion”.
On the same day Alexander I signed another decree – concerning the building of the Cathedral
of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.
Two years later, at the Emperor’s behest, an annual “celebration of thanksgiving” was established.
The day was celebrated as the anniversary of the deliverance of Russia from the invasion of Napoleon’s army. Parades took place in Palace Square, beginning with a ceremony in the War Gallery.
Representatives of each of the Guards’ regiments (one officer, two NCOs and five soldiers) received
military banners from the War Gallery and carried them out into Palace Square. They were awaited
there by combined detachments of soldiers and officers who had been awarded medals of distinction
in the Patriotic War campaigns in 1813 and 1814. Later, when few such people remained in service,
the combined detachments were made up of soldiers who had distinguished themselves in other
wars. The same evening a special thanksgiving prayer was said in all Russian churches following the
Christmas Liturgy. It was written by Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow “in remembrance of the deliverance of the Church and the Russian State from the invasion of the Gauls and twelve other peoples with them”.
This glorious episode in Russian history was reflected in numerous works of fine and applied arts
by both contemporaries and later artists and kept in the State Hermitage reserves.
The central exhibits in the display, around which the account of the events revolved, were the battle
paintings of Peter von Hess, commissioned by Emperor Nicholas I for the Winter Palace. They feature all the major battles in the campaign.
The display was complemented by numerous drawings and engravings, many of them by eyewitnesses
of the events, as well as material monuments of the war: Russian and trophy military banners, medals, orders, uniforms and equipment of Russian troops, cold steel and firearms, and memorial items.
They were not simply a collection of mementos of an era. The banners are impregnated with
the smoke of battle and many of the uniforms are signed by the soldiers and officers who wore them.
Their names are in the lists of their regiments. And the weapons saw the blood of their enemies.
The exhibition also featured trophies: Marshal Davout’s baton, captured by Platov’s Cossacks along
with his baggage train, examples of the Napoleonic army’s uniform and armaments, and trophy
French banners.
The exhibition was not exclusively about the Patriotic War of 1812. The large, all-embracing historical display covered the period from the first confrontation of the two Emperors in 1805 to Napoleon’s death on the island of St. Helena in 1821. The major battles (from Austerlitz to Leipzig),
the history of diplomatic contacts between Russia and France and the fate of Europe after the Napoleonic wars were reflected in over 500 exhibits displayed in the Field Marshals, Armorial and Picket
Halls and the War Gallery in the Winter Palace.
Victor Looga
Olga Zimina
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69
EXHIBITIONS
EXHIBITIONS
NOMADS ON THE road TO EMPIRE
Hermitage • Kazan Centre, Kazan
18.06.12 – 31.03.13
The exhibition showcased 2,190 objects from the State Hermitage collection covering a period from
the early 1st millennium BC to the formation of the Great Mongol Empire in the 13th century.
The material was arranged in a chronological order and divided into sections dealing with a variety
of nomad cultures in different European and Asian regions.
The first section was dedicated to the culture of the Scyths and included materials from the earliest
finds in Europe and Middle Asia to the Pazyryk monuments of the Altai and exhibits from Peter the
Great’s Siberian collection.
The next section had discoveries of the Hunnic Noin-Ula barrow and Sarmatian objects. The most
interesting complex of this period consists of the decorations from the extremely rich Khokhlach
barrow in the Lower Don.
The Migration period (middle of the 1st millennium AD) was represented by gold items crafted
in a semi-chrome style, adorned weapons and harnesses which had made up the material culture
of the European Huns. During this period, Turkic tribes appeared on the historical arena of Asia.
The stone sculptures of warriors, weapons, belts, harnesses and other items of material culture that
come from different places from Middle Asia showed the broad influence of Turkic culture over
a huge territory.
The antiquities from the Khazar Khaganate from archaeological digs from Sarkel on the Lower
Don demonstrated the multi-faceted nature of the culture and a multi-ethnic population. The finds
included gold and silver jewellery, dishes, richly decorated weaponry from the tomb of the Bulgarian
Khan Kuvrat of the Dnieper.
At the turn of the 1st and 2nd millennia in the Tian Shan foothills the Kara-Khanid Khanate was
established. The expansion of Islam to Karakhanid society enabled the development of magnificent
ornamentation in applied art. During the Middle Ages the southern Russian steppes were populated
by nomads of varied ethnicity. One of the best examples of monumental art of this period displayed
at the exposition is known as the Cuman Woman.
The concluding section was dedicated to the Mongol Empire which united the huge territory of Eurasia. Material from archaeological excavations of this state at Karakorum, and from other Mongol
city centres, now studied within Russia were put on display for the first time at this exhibition.
The “Nomads of Eurasia on the Road to Empire” exhibition was created to show the wealth and
diversity of nomadic culture during its development over a huge territory and to demonstrate the
possibilities and significance of archaeology. The items that archaeologists extract from the ground
are evidence of human existence and give us the opportunity to experience the enduring importance
of the creative and constructive activities of the nomadic world, making an invaluable contribution
to global civilisation.
Konstantin Chugunov
enamels and bone carving. The 17th century featured not only courtly festivities, but also military
actions. Weapons, like many other items in that century, were decorated in accordance with the
fashion, and some examples of armaments were included in the exhibition.
The 18th century, the heyday of French decorative art, was represented by two stylistic trends –
Rococo and Neoclassicism. In the rooms devoted to the first half of the century were dresses “with
Watteau pleats” that had been restored especially for the exhibition. The showcases contained jewellery items of gold, silver, precious and semi-precious stones. Porcelain – a material that was new
to Europe – was represented by two services arranged on tables. Tapestries in the 18th century more
and more resembled woven pictures, while strict rhythmical patterns were used to decorate fabrics
and embroidered panels.
The furniture clearly demonstrated the characteristics of the two eighteenth-century styles – masters of the Rococo period deliberately endeavoured to conceal the construction of chests of drawers,
armchairs and small tables, while in the second half of the century the decoration emphasised the
strict rectangular construction of secretaires, tables and chairs.
The Hermitage collection is considered to be one of the best in the world outside France. The standard of our collection was largely determined by the close relations that existed between Russia
and France. The exhibition demonstrated all the variety of artistic production over a period of two
centuries.
The exhibition in Vyborg was designed in an interesting way – the exhibits were arranged against
the background of posters depicting rooms in French palaces. The detailed labels were accompanied
by photographs of fragments of paintings and engravings that showed the purpose of the items and
how they were used.
The exhibition was accompanied by a well-illustrated catalogue.
The two centuries of elegance – the 17th and 18th centuries – made France the country that set the
tone for the development of fashion and for a long time it was the trendsetter of European taste. Visitors to the exhibition were able to verify the truth of that and to take a fresh look at the surrounding
conditions.
Tamara Rappe
THE LAST RUSSIAN EMPEROR. The FAMILY AND COURT of NICHOLAS II
AT THE TURN OF THE 19TH – 20TH CENTURIES
10.04.12 – 14.10.12
This was the first time the collection of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French decorative art –
from Louis XIV to Louis XVI – had been shown in Vyborg. The exhibition included superb examples
of furniture, tapestries, embroidery, silver, jewellery and ceramics. The exhibits gave an impression
of the wealth and luxury of the French court at this peak of artistic production and demonstrated
the main stages in the development of French applied art in the 17th and 18th centuries, which influenced the development of artistic crafts all over Europe, particularly in Russia.
The 17th century was represented by examples of furniture in the Boulle marquetry technique and
a magnificent ebony suite. Tapestries, embroidery, lace and ceramics helped to create the atmosphere of Versailles in the 17th century. Traditional French manufacture was illustrated by Limoges
26.10.12 – 07.04.13
The exhibition was organised as part of the celebrations for the 400th anniversary of the House
of Romanov. It featured around 300 works of pictorial and applied art from the State Hermitage
collection, many of which were being displayed for the first time. The exhibition’s four large sections
traced the life of the last Russian autocrat – as the ruler of the largest country in the world, but also
focusing on his relations with his family, other members of the House of Romanov and the court.
The first section was devoted to events in the life of Grand Duke Nicholas Alexandrovich before his
accession to the throne. A description of the wedding ceremony and coronation of Nicholas II and
Alexandra Fedorovna was accorded a special place in the display. All kinds of souvenirs were made
for participants in the ceremonies: glasses, bowls, mugs and kerchiefs. The display featured, for the
first time, kerchiefs depicting Their Imperial Majesties and state emblems made at the Prokhorovskaya, Tryokhgornaya and Danilovskaya factories.
The second section highlighted the relations between various generations of the House of Romanov
and the part played by religion in the life of the Imperial family. A special place was occupied by
items of wardrobe of the Imperial children and toys, which served as an illustration of the family’s
modest way of life. The icons on display in the exhibition, in particularly that of St. Seraphim of Sarov, demonstrated the importance of religion in the life of the last Emperor and his spouse.
Despite his attempts to stay out of the public eye, Nicholas II took part in diplomatic, military, court,
cultural, religious and other ceremonies, and that was the subject of the third section. The Russian
Museum of Alexander III was founded in St. Petersburg in 1895 in memory of Nicholas II’s father.
The event was immortalised by Karl Brozh, whose drawing was included in the exhibition. In 1903
a costumed ball was held in the Winter Palace to which guests had to come dressed in masquerade
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TWO CENTURIES OF FRENCH ELEGANCE.
DECORATIVE ART of the 17TH and 18TH CENTURies
FROM THE State HERMITAGE Museum COLLECTION
EXHIBITIONS
EXHIBITIONS
costumes in style characteristic of Russia before Peter I. The Emperor and Empress, who appeared
as Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich and Tsaritsa Maria Ilyinichna, aroused universal admiration. The 1903
masked ball was the best-known court festivity in Nicholas II’s reign and one of the few society
events attended by Empress Alexandra Fedorovna.
A particular highlight was a range of items that demonstrated the luxury and wealth of the Russian
court – dishes presented as gifts, elegant accessories and figurines of animals and insects made by
Heinrich Wigstrom, a master at Carl Fabergé’s company, and by Ivan Britsyn and Johan Olsonius,
famous jewellers at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of the exhibits were acquired
by the Hermitage relatively recently and were being shown for the first time.
The fourth section of the exhibition was devoted to the tragic years of Nicholas II’s reign. This short
but extremely intensive period in Russian history included two wars and three revolutions and ended
with a change of political regime, the downfall of the Romanov dynasty and the death of many of its
members. The exhibition featured graphic art illustrating events in the Russian-Japanese War and
the First World War, banners, and military uniforms worn by the Emperor and the heir to the throne
Alexey Nikolayevich.
The exhibition concluded with photographs of the Imperial family’s private apartments, taken before and after the storming of the Winter Palace in 1917. The chaos and disorder that reigned in the
rooms of the Emperor and Empress after the storming and that are recorded in the photographs
were a kind of symbol of the fall of the Empire, putting an end to the brilliant Imperial era in the
history of the Russian state.
Irina Zakharova
Over 90% of the masterpieces in the main Hermitage Impressionist collections, once collected by
Sergey Shchukin and Ivan Morozov, appeared all at once on the banks of the Amstel – nothing like
it had ever been seen there. Monet’s Lady in the Garden and two of his Montgeron canvases, Renoir’s
Portrait of Jeanne Samary, Child with a Whip and Woman with a Fan, Pissarro’s Place du Theatre
Francais, Cézanne’s Fruit and The Smoker, Gauguin’s Woman Holding a Fruit and many other outstanding works that are part of the most thoroughly compiled selection in world painting are desired
by the most renowned museums. They now form part of a historical construction built to the glory
of Impressionism.
The whole display of 80 paintings, sculptures and drawings began with the romantic masterpieces
of the Impressionists’ predecessors – Delacroix (Lion Hunt in Morocco), whose search for pure colour can clearly be seen, and Corot with his delicate nuances in conveying a sense of light and air
in his landscapes. They were supported by canvases of the Barbizon school – Theodore Rousseau,
Dupré, Daubigny and Diaz de la Peña, who painted French landscapes in a new and very observant
way. This historical review was rounded off with canvases by Cézanne, Gauguin and Moret, in which
the post-Impressionist phase is already noticeable.
An unusual characteristic of the exhibition was that, along with paintings by the Impressionists and
their Barbizon predecessors, it featured a wide selection of canvases by academists and stars of
the Salon – Bouguereau, Gérôme, Roybet and Laurens – which contributed to its success and gave
a more objective impression of the French art scene in the second half of the 19th century.
Impressionism: Sensation and Inspiration.
Masterpieces from the State Hermitage Museum
Hermitage • Amsterdam Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands
16.06.12 – 27.01.13
This exhibition with a title full of commercial traveller’s spiel (the idea of the Dutch organisers)
turned out to be really sensational – hardly surprising, then, that it attracted a record number of visitors: 370,000. The display was planned from the beginning to last a long time, but it proved so popular that it was extended still further – from the middle of May 2012 to the end of January 2013.
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Albert Kostenevich
ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 2000 Years of TREASURES
Australian Museum, Sydney
24.11.12 – 18.04.13
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This exhibition, which opened in the Australian Museum on 24 November 2012, was the largest
Russian exhibition ever to be staged in Australia (it was held at the State Hermitage in 2007 and at
the Hermitage • Amsterdam Centre in 2010–2011). The opening was an event of exceptional importance in the cultural life of Australia: the concept of the exhibition and the history of its formation
were featured extensively on national TV and radio, as well as in the press, and over 17,000 tickets
had been sold long before the opening. A conference held during the exhibition, devoted to the main
ideas of the display, the individual exhibits and the problems of studying the age of Alexander the
Great and Hellenism, was attended by world-renowned experts.
The exhibition was devoted to Alexander the Great, his Eastern campaign and the subsequent influence of Hellenism on world artistic culture. Visitors saw how the great civilisations – the Hellenic
world, the ancient empires of the East and the world of nomads – met; how the process of Hellenisation started wherever Alexander went – Greek art and architecture, the Greek language and way of
life spread everywhere. The focus of attention was Alexander’s historic role in the destiny of Western
Europe, Russia and the East, and Hellenism as a global process of interaction between civilisations
and cultures.
The first section of the display featured the myth of Alexander in New Age Western Europe. Visitors
were then plunged into the atmosphere of the ancient world that nurtured the conqueror – into the art
of classical Greece and Balkan culture. The main part of the exhibition was devoted to Alexander’s
Eastern campaign – the sections followed his route, featuring works of art from Asia Minor, Egypt,
Iran, Syria, Bactria and India. Among the masterpieces were depictions of Alexander on carved
stones and coins, portraits of rulers and jewellery items. There were unique exhibits in the “Hellenised East” section – monuments from Middle Asia, Parthia and the Greek-Bactrian kingdom.
The legacy of Alexander and Hellenism was the subject of the final section. It included monuments
from Byzantium – the last Hellenistic state that founded the Christian world on an ancient base.
In the 15th and 16th centuries Alexander, in the guise of Iskander, played a significant role in Persian literature. In the 18th and 19th centuries “The Alexander Story” became part of Russian culture – of education, political thought, art and literature.
Anna Trofimova
EXHIBITIONS
JJ
EXHIBITIONS
SOCIOLOGISTS ON EXHIBITIONS
Almost a third of the respondents (30%) said that the exhibition was one of their priorities in visiting
the museum; they all knew about the exhibition before their visit. Their main sources of information
were word of mouth, the Internet and outdoor advertisements.
About half of those questioned (53%) had specific motives for wishing to see the exhibition. There
was a wide range of these motives, linked with the following areas of knowledge:
– history (the Elizabethan age as a whole, Elizabeth’s decrees, an assessment of her reign, historical
personalities of the time, Lomonosov’s life and his role in Russian history);
– art history (the artistic style of the age, the architecture of St. Petersburg in the 18th century,
portraits of statesmen, interiors and costumes, tableware, items of court life);
– cultural studies (the way of life and the morals of the 18th century);
– personology (Empress Elizabeth’s personal belongings, Lomonosov’s way of life, Lomonosov
as a scholar, poet and artist, his interests and everyday items);
– natural sciences (geodesy and cartography in the 18th century, Lomonosov’s scientific works,
the making of mosaics, glass and porcelain, Lomonosov and porcelain);
– aesthetics (aesthetic standards of the 18th century).
The exhibition as a whole was highly appreciated by visitors and received only positive ratings from
the respondents – 80% of those questioned gave the exhibition the highest rating:
About a third of the respondents (30%) limited their description of their impressions of the exhibition to short emotional appreciative statements; the most common words used were “admiration”, “delight”, “amazement”, “impressive”, “interesting”, “instructive”, “superb” and
“unforgettable”.
14% of the respondents expressed their pride and admiration for Russia during the reign of Empress
Elizabeth:
– I was struck by the achievements of that time (housewife, St. Petersburg, 44, higher technical
education);
– I felt joy and pride of my country (St. Petersburg, male, 26, higher education in natural sciences,
emergency doctor);
– respect for our historic past (male architect, St. Petersburg, 62, higher artistic education).
10% of those questioned remarked that the exhibition superbly recreated the spiritual atmosphere
of the Elizabethan age:
– I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere in the exhibition hall, which fully immersed me in the
time of Elizabeth’s reign (female student, St. Petersburg, 17, currently studying at the Pavlov State
Medical University in St. Petersburg);
– there was a sensation of a different age and a real idea of life in the 18th century (female student,
Moscow, 18, uncompleted higher humanities education).
5% of the respondents noted the large number of exhibits, and the fine structure and design of the
exhibition:
– an exhibition that gave an all-round impression of the Elizabethan age (female student, Chelyabinsk, 20, currently studying at Chelyabinsk State Medical Academy);
– the exhibition is structured very logically and organically, and reflects many areas in the life of
that time (female guide at the Combined Artistic Historical-Architectural and Natural Landscape
Museum-Reserve in Moscow, 20, higher humanities education);
– an amazing blend of splendour and refinement (housewife, St. Petersburg, 37, higher economics
education);
– an excellently designed temporary exhibition (male student of natural sciences at St. Petersburg
State University, 19).
One of the aims of this sociological research was to clarify whether people’s concept of Mikhail Lomonosov had changed after visiting the exhibition, and if so, in what way. As it turned out, 15% of the
respondents said that they had learned something new about Lomonosov. Visitors in this category
obtained a more profound impression of Lomonosov’s personality, the versatility of his talents, his
areas of creativity, his way of life, the atmosphere that surrounded him, and his contemporaries.
It should be noted that the subject of Mikhail Lomonosov in itself arouses great interest from the
general public: 70% of those questioned expressed a desire to know more details about Lomonosov’s
life and work.
Anatoly Roshchin
VISITORS TO THE TEMPORARY EXHIBITION “MIKHAIL LOMONOSOV
AND THE Time of Elizabeth I”
This large exhibition, marking the 300th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian scholar-encyclopaedist Mikhail Lomonosov, was set out in formal rooms in the Winter Palace – the Anteroom, the Nicholas Hall and Concert Room. It included more than 700 exhibits from the collections
of the State Hermitage and other St. Petersburg museums, archives and libraries. The main aim
of the exhibition was to recreate the spiritual atmosphere of the reign of Empress Elizabeth, when
Lomonosov’s genius was so vividly revealed.
The age was represented by portraits, documents, architectural models, painting and graphic art,
decorative applied art, jewellery and costumes. As far as Lomonosov himself was concerned, the
exhibition featured unique documents in several languages with his signature, his extensive archive,
poetry and prose compositions, models of his estate and of his chemical laboratory on Vasilievsky
Island which has not survived, mosaic panels and panels of beads and bugles.
The temporary exhibition was open for 94 days and no special ticket was required to visit it. It was
seen by individual visitors and by those in groups, to whom guides showed the Hermitage’s formal
rooms and the exhibitions in them. A total of 350,000 people visited the exhibition.
A questionnaire was circulated among visitors to the exhibition on a random basis. The visitors
were predominantly women – 77% of the total. The exhibition attracted primarily young people
under 30 – 64%. Elderly people (aged 51 and over) accounted for 19% of the total and those
of a mature age (31–50) – 17%. Most visitors had a high level of education: half were graduates,
40% had not completed their higher education, while those with secondary education accounted
for just 11%.
The exhibition was visited primarily by active working people. Most of them were professionals in
the fine art field, teachers at higher and secondary educational establishments, and engineeringtechnical employees. A significant proportion of visitors were students in courses of higher education and unemployed people (housewives and pensioners).
Social Composition of Visitors to the Exhibition “Mikhail Lomonosov and the Time of Elizabeth I”
(% of the total completing questionnaires)
Students
Students in higher education
37
In Employment
Artists, architects, designers, art experts
12
Teachers in secondary and higher educational establishments
7
Engineering-technical employees
5
Entrepreneurs, commercial employees
4
Accountants3
Managers3
Medical employees
3
Workers2
Researchers2
Lawyers1
Financiers1
Not in Employment
Housewives9
Pensioners7
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EXHIBITIONS
EXHIBITIONS
SUCCESS OF THE EXHIBITION “SANTIAGO CALATRAVA.
The Quest for MOVEMENT”
This first exhibition in Russia of the work of one of the world’s leading contemporary architects was
a great success. It was the most popular in the Hermitage 20/21 series of projects, attracting around
730,000 people.
Let us take a look at the characteristics of those who visited the exhibition. There were not only many
from outside the city (53%), but also a good number of St. Petersburg residents (47%), who are
usually less active in the “high” season. The most numerous age group (62%) was, as always, young
people under 30, predominantly students. The percentage of male visitors, who, as is well known,
are particularly selective in visiting exhibitions, was more substantial on this occasion (44%), most
of them working in engineering-technical occupations or in information technology. Special mention
should be made of the number of professionals, mainly architects, who visited the exhibition (10%),
when for other exhibitions this indicator is usually in single figures. Other professionals included
sculptors, artists and art historians. The total of specialists and students at higher art schools was
as much as 22%.
The exhibition aroused a wide response in the city, judging by the fact that nearly every other respondent gave their source of information about it as advice from friends and acquaintances and the
recommendations of colleagues.
The overwhelming majority of those questioned (94%) gave the exhibition top marks. It appealed
equally to professionals and ordinary visitors. Such a unanimous positive response to works by a contemporary artist is quite exceptional – on a par with the usual ratings for traditional, classical art.
So why did visitors rate Santiago Calatrava’s work so highly? What was the cause of their feelings
of admiration and aesthetic pleasure?
The aspects most commonly remarked upon were the versatility of his talent, his innovativeness,
the freshness of his ideas, the fantasy, uniqueness and originality of his architecture with movement
as its unusual property, the beauty and technical perfection of his buildings, the accuracy of his
engineering calculations, the lightness, airiness and elegance of his constructions, the similarity to
nature, his solicitous attitude to the environment and the large scale of his designs.
The professionals among those questioned added to these Calatrava’s impeccable taste, the imagery
of his architecture, the link with tradition and, most tellingly, his enviable ability to bring his ideas
to fruition and work without restrictions.
The range of visitors’ artistic preferences was very wide, encompassing most of the works displayed.
The most popular of them were Wave (mentioned by 27% of respondents, mainly young people),
The Cathedral of St. John the Theologian, The Quadracci Pavilion of the Milwaukee Museum of Art,
Fountain and Samuel Beckett Bridge. Along with these, the most common replies were “I liked
everything”, “a lot”, “kinetic transformations”, “bridges” and “models”. The interactive displays
produced a great impression on ordinary visitors.
A question about the significance of the exhibition drew a lively response, with 84% of the most
varied replies.
Experienced architects, who, of course, knew and appreciated the work of their Spanish colleague,
most frequently spoke of the exhibition as “a professional event that should not be missed”, of the
opportunity “to have a fuller idea of Santiago Calatrava’s work”, “penetrate into his ‘kitchen’”
(meaning his sketches and drafts), and also of “the Hermitage’s competent display of contemporary
architecture”. Teachers at higher educational establishments remarked on the “not only the artistic,
but also the educational aspect of the exhibition”, “important for the new generation of St. Petersburg architects”.
The exhibition was a kind of “master class” for students of architecture from St. Petersburg and other cities, who saw it as “a chance to get to know something new, to learn”, “to obtain a huge amount
of useful material for reflection”, “to peep into the creative laboratory of the master”, “to feel and
assimilate new trends in contemporary art”. They characterised the exhibition as a source of information and a stimulus for creative development.
The topical nature of the exhibition for Russia and St. Petersburg was highlighted by both experienced architects and beginners; this interested section of the audience expressed the desire for
similar exhibitions to be held on a regular basis.
The replies of other visitors clearly referred to the educational significance of the exhibition. Here
are some of the comments: “It was an opportunity to see Calatrava’s fascinating and varied work”,
“with the masterpieces of his architecture”, “with examples of engineering genius”, “understanding
what contemporary architecture is as an art”, “its possibilities”, “comparison with our architecture
76
is, alas, not in favour of the latter”, “changing attitudes to contemporary architecture”, “seeing
that it is no inferior to classical architecture”. In the opinion of many respondents the exhibition was
topical, since it touched on the pressing problem of the current state of architecture and construction
in St. Petersburg and was an example of the kind of architecture that should be supported by the
authorities. The same visitors wanted architectural exhibitions in the Hermitage to continue.
The following data was further evidence that Santiago Calatrava has won recognition by the Russian
public as an outstanding contemporary architect. The question “Would you like to see this architect’s buildings in your city?” was answered emphatically in the positive by the majority of respondents (86%). Those St. Petersburg residents who objected were more concerned with intrusion into
the city’s historic centre.
The research showed that the exhibition was successful, effective and important for St. Petersburg. It fully justified the expectations of professionals and the artistic intelligentsia, and also had
a strong influence on budding architects open to fresh, innovative ideas. The exhibition fulfilled its
aesthetic-educational function, giving a wide range of social strata impressions of what exemplary
contemporary architecture is. The project turned out to be extremely successful.
Irina Bogacheva
VISITORS’ response TO THE EXHIBITION “JAKE AND DINOS CHAPMAN.
THE END OF FUN”
The End of Fun”.
The Chapman Brothers
77
The research was conducted in the first section of the exhibition, the subject of the most virulent
attacks in some of the media and on the Internet. We can draw the following conclusions from the
data collected:
The reactions of visitors entirely contradicted the statements in the media. The exhibition drew
a positive response from the majority of those who visited the exhibition and nobody made any protest. There had been similar reactions to the previous exhibitions in the General Staff Building: they
all passed peacefully, even “America Today. Charles Saatchi’s
Choice”, which caused such a furore in the press.
It has to be said, of course, that such exhibitions are visited by
people who are interested in contemporary art – not ordinary visitors to the main museum or tourists who end up in the exhibition
because it happens to be on their route and are inclined – unlike visitors with a special interest – to give it conflicting or even
negative ratings.
In fact, the number of visitors to the contemporary art displays in
the General Staff Building is not great – normally no more than
10,000. In this case, on account of the scandal, there were twice
as many.
At first the exhibition was visited by those with an active interest
in contemporary art, sufficiently well-trained to accept this type
of art and knowing what to expect from its radical forms. Approximately two thirds of the total number of visitors were young
people – students in higher education, budding specialists. Many
of them had a professional attitude to art as students in art colleges, gallery employees, artists or art
teachers. Some of them have their own blogs on the Internet where they discuss current events in the
art world. This part of the audience reacted to the Chapmans’ installations with characteristically
composed emotions and were able to reflect on what they had seen.
When the scandal provoked by the exhibition gathered pace, people in the older age bracket
(50 to 80) began to visit it. They were not necessarily particular admirers or connoisseurs of contemporary art, but found it interesting. They remembered the underground exhibitions of years gone by.
These people have cultural baggage as regular visitors to the Hermitage, as well as other art museums and exhibitions, concerts and theatrical productions. They came to the Chapmans exhibition
not simply to see with their own eyes works that had been attacked by the critics, whose objectivity
they doubted, but also to express their support for the Hermitage and its Director. Knowing of the
exhibition’s anti-fascist content and having personally suffered during the Great Patriotic War, they
were deeply offended by the attacks on the museum and expressed their feelings in no uncertain
EXHIBITIONS
The End of Fun”
terms. Here are some of the reactions: “I was
simply shocked that anyone could rate the exhibition negatively – my mother and her family had
lived through the siege and my grandfather had
been seriously wounded at the front. We must
never forget what the fascists had done to us, to
our city”; “here is the naked bestial essence of
fascism, all these crosses – excuse me, but that is
how the Romans had executed criminals – it was
not only Christ that was crucified, if you know
your history”; “When I heard about it, I rushed
here immediately, I am a regular here. I thought,
Mikhail Borisovich (Piotrovsky) – Doctor of Art
Theory and History and a renowned Oriental specialist – he would never permit any rubbish to
be shown here”; “all these speculations are just
black PR of our country for the whole of Europe,
for the whole civilised world”; “I saw these things
on TV, but if I had known that they had crucified
a clown, I would not have paid any attention.
Personally I cannot see whether the protests are
about the clown or the fact that it has been crucified”; “It might shock only those who see it not
as a work of art”; “it is simply an excuse to blacken the Hermitage and Piotrovsky”; “They want
a scandal”; “Now what those girls did in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour really did shock people
and offend believers’ feelings, but this is an art museum, a different place entirely”; “You cannot tell
me that Cossacks or devoutly religious people are really interested in modern art and go to exhibitions like this. On whose behalf are they concerned?!”
As the data obtained during interviews shows, both the younger and older generation rated the
exhibition “interesting” and “important”. The general impression it produced was characterised
as “powerful”, “great” and “striking”.
It has to be admitted that visitors experienced complex sensations and emotions in viewing the
installations. On the one hand, they were struck and even carried away by “the gigantic volume
of the artists’ work” and how it had been done – “precision and attention to detail”, “the workingout of each figure, each movement”. On the other hand, what they examined, as they themselves
admitted, “with curiosity” did not arouse particularly pleasant feelings. However, nobody said anything about shock. Here are a few of the opinions: “I did not experience any extremely negative
emotions, nor any rapturous delight or admiration”; “I could not say that I had pleasant feelings”;
“I would not say that I was shocked, because none of it is life-size”; “perhaps it is tough, but how
else can fascism be judged?!”; “I do not think it was particularly repulsive, as the figures are like
toys”; “the scale of the figures relieves the sensation of horror”; “if the exhibition had been in the
Winter Palace it probably would have been shocking, but not here”.
Almost all those questioned spoke of a definite “relieving” of sensations of horror, of repulsion,
i.e. actually of artistic perception.
Apart from that, the replies showed that the artists’ concepts were fully comprehensible to visitors (“the works relate to actual historical situations”; “it is about fascists devouring themselves”;
“the inevitable retribution for an ideology, for crimes”; “the artists themselves completely reject
what stands behind these characters”; “they have been able to convey the sense of horror at that
period in history, after which everything was different, and that is impossible to forget”; “the artists
understand what world they are living in and what mankind can expect”.).
Correspondingly, the challenge posed by the Chapmans’ works was seen by visitors as “a reminder
to people, a warning, and that is very important”; “so that people do not forget how many lives a war
costs, so that they do not repeat historical mistakes that can lead to apocalypse”; “so that we think
about what is going on in the world, that there are problems that we must not hide away from”; “how
we actually perceive cruelty, whether we have become accustomed to it”.
All those questioned were in favour of similar exhibitions being held in the General Staff Building.
They intend to visit such exhibitions and discuss them with their friends and fellow art lovers.
EXHIBITIONS
JJ
Carlo Gavazzeni Ricordi. Imaginary Theatres in Rome
Carlo Gavazzeni has brought an “eternal treasure” to St. Petersburg – views and panoramas of Rome. Enigmatic and mysterious, on
the cusp between dream and reality – that is how the city is presented in these photographs. The special effect is achieved by the technique of overlaying one photograph on another. What is produced is
actually a fashionable 3D effect, and it is all done with an old camera and ordinary film.
“The ‘Imaginary Theatres’ of Carlo Gavazzeni Ricordi
in St. Petersburg”, Rossiya K (Kultura), 3 February 2012
At a stretch of the imagination, The Gates of Rome XXXII could easily be a fragment of the scenery for The Sleeping Beauty, an ancient
wall imprisoned by an invisible but almost palpable web, age-old neglect and torpidity. Somewhere inside is life deprived of breath, and
above it all the frozen sounds of an orchestra...
Svetlana Rukhlya, “Nostalgia for the Present”,
Novyie Izvestia, 16 February 2012
The artist’s original vision gives the gloomy architectural landscapes
a sense of mystery: the desolate rooms are illuminated only by thin
strips of daylight, and the peeling walls are covered with rough, indecipherable inscriptions and drawings. This mysterious world of
Roman culture, this world of light and shade lures the viewer to go
behind the ancient railings and step on the dry grass.
Sabina Abdullayeva, “A Theatre of Fact and Fantasy
at the Hermitage”, Vesti newspaper, February 2012
Carlo Crivelli. The Annunciation with St. Emidius
from the National Gallery in London. From the “Masterpieces
from the World’s Museums in the Hermitage” Series
The latest exhibition of a single painting has opened in the Hermitage – a single masterpiece, to be more precise. This showing of
Crivelli’s work is an event not only because The Annunciation with
St. Emidius is considered to be one of the artist’s most important
works. There actually are none of his paintings in Russian collections – only the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts has a polyptych painted by his brother Vittorio.
Alexey Mokrousov, “The Good News from Carlo Crivelli has
Reached Russia”, Izvestia, 22 February 2012
You are quite likely to meet ufologists in the Hermitage today. Those
who love searching for truth that is close at hand have been interested in a painting by the Venetian artist Carlo Crivelli for several
centuries. They have identified an object that looks like a UFO on
The Annunciation with St. Emidius. And this work has been brought
to St. Petersburg, though not for long – until May – and in exchange
for Da Vinci’s Madonna Litta, which is equally valuable.
Irina Bogacheva
78
PRESS on EXHIBITIONS
Pavel Ryzhkov, “Ufologists have Identified a UFO in Crivelli’s
Masterpiece”, NTV, St. Petersburg, 14 February 2012
79
Carlo Crivelli’s best-known painting has come to St. Petersburg.
The Hermitage staff have been waiting for this gift for several
months, and not surprisingly: at the end of last year they sent Leonardo Da Vinci’s Madonna Litta to the National Gallery in London.
Now the “token of gratitude” – The Annunciation with St. Emidius –
has reached St. Petersburg.
Maxim Syu, “The British Thank the Hermitage with
a Venetian Masterpiece”, Komsomolskaya Pravda,
18 February 2012
A Second Life. Coins and Medals in European
Applied Art
There is something in this exhibition of one of the temptations that
Flaubert dreamed up for his St. Anthony: a hermit finds a cup with
a coin on the bottom of it; the coin is lifted and another one miraculously appears underneath it, a third... then all kinds of “staters,
shekels, darics and andrianics” pour out of the cup. The point is
that had the saint found a clay pot with the same coins, the effect
would have been less exciting. It is the same with this exhibition:
it is not difficult merely to show a couple of hundred coins and medals, but that would not be interesting without some kind of gesture on the part of the curator or designer. In this case the gesture,
it has to be admitted, is an original one: the exhibits are not simply fine numismatic pieces, but works of art made from these coins
(or medals).
Sergey Khodnev, “Artistic Money”, Kommersant Weekend,
March 2012
Surimono. Poetic Greeting
This exhibition of woodblock prints is essentially a monument to the
museum’s restorers who have managed to bring back to life these
unique examples of Japanese culture. These pages came to the Hermitage in very poor condition – the silicate glue used to stick the
prints to the mountings had turned into sharp crystals that were destroying the paper. The restorers have performed a miracle, and now
visitors can see “Surimono” – that is the name of this type of Japanese prints, which features poetry as well as pictures.
Yelena Medvedeva, “Japanese Prints and
Roman Coins – New Exhibitions in the Hermitage”,
Radio Rossiya, 6 March 2012
The exhibition “Surimono. Poetic Greeting” is not great in size, but
is still an outstanding event. It features only sixteen works – part of
a collection of ancient Japanese prints acquired by the Hermitage
in the 1980s. The 36 coloured woodblock prints were not in the best
condition and the whole collection had to be restored. As the specialists say, “the prints had been stuck to poor-quality paper with
silicate glue, were damaged and had stains on them”. The work
took almost three years and the results of the Hermitage restorers’
EXHIBITIONS
the delicate beauty that sometimes shines through even in texts that
are not at all intended to be admired. And, of course, it is about that
wonderful time when the market for antiquities was quite different
and a striking collection could be amassed not by an oil baron or an
arms manufacturer, but by an expert in palaeography.
Sergey Khodnev, “A Museum Document Presentation”,
Kommersant Weekend, 20 April 2012
Degas. Place de la Concorde. From the “Restored
Masterpieces” Series
The Hermitage is showing Edgar Degas’s Place de la Concorde
in its “Restored Masterpieces” series. This masterpiece by one of
the most prominent French Impressionists, which has been called
the most “enigmatic” and the most “Parisian” of his works, has
been restored and, as researchers confirm, is now as close as possible to the condition it was in nearly 150 years ago just after Degas
had painted it.
Svetlana Rukhlya, “The Revival of Place de la Concorde”,
Novyie Izvestia, 23 May 2012
At the exhibition “‘In Written Words Alone…’. On the 150th Anniversary
of the Birth of Nikolay Petrovich Likhachev”
labours can now be seen in Room 374 in the Winter Palace, next
to the Oriental collections and the art of the Impressionists. This
proximity may look like a coincidence, but Van Gogh and the French
Impressionists loved Japanese prints, collected them and sometimes
reproduced them on their own canvases.
Alexey Mokrousov, “The Hermitage is Showing Rare
Japanese Prints”, Izvestia, 6 August 2012
“In Written Words Alone...”. On the 150th Anniversary
of the Birth of Nikolay Petrovich Likhachev
“In Written Words Alone...” is, of course, a quote from Bunin, who
contrasted the solemn sound of writings with silent “tombs, mummies and bones”. In principle, it has suited science to ridicule this
lofty contrast – following proper examination, mummies and bones
are now actually very eloquent and completely honest to boot. As for
paper – well, as Tynyanov wrote, “there are formal documents, and
they tell lies, just like people do”. However, the exhibition does not
challenge us to take on trust all these myriad lines in living and dead
languages. It is about something quite different: man’s feeling for
the past, which comes out in these carved, printed or written lines,
80
It is difficult to call this event an exhibition in the direct sense of the
word: the painting has been installed in the place where it will hang
for quite a long time – until it moves to its new home in the General Staff Building along with its neighbours in the Impressionist and
Post-Impressionist rooms. However, there can be no doubting the
significance of this event: the canvas has been cleaned, made lighter, brighter and even a few centimetres larger. The restorers bent
back the lower strip of the canvas that was concealed underneath
the stretcher, and this has had a substantial effect on its present format… The main message of this “exhibition” is that the painting
was and still is one of the principal adornments of the Hermitage
collection. And nobody can argue with that.
Kira Dolinina, “The Viscount Strolls in Any Weather”,
Kommersant, 23 May 2012
Santiago Calatrava. The Quest for Movement
This exhibition is worth seeing not only on account of the great Calatrava, but also to see how an art exhibition can be made from a display of architecture and how fresh a view of a generally acknowledged idol can be.
What do we expect of an architectural exhibition? Blueprints,
models and designs. But here those are the last things you notice.
The curators (Christina Carrillo de Albornos on the Spanish side
and Ksenia Malich on the Hermitage side) have shown Calatrava as an artist. The main part of the display (not in quantity but
in importance) is devoted to his sculptures, drawings and art objects. They are shown not as preliminary studies or as the architect’s
sideline or hobby, but as an integral part of the aesthetic developed
by him.
Anna Matveyeva, “Santiago Calatrava.
The Quest for Movement”, ARTkhronika, No. 4, 2012
The Hermitage is staging an exhibition by the outstanding Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava entitled “The Quest for Movement”. It is the first time the work of a living star of architec-
EXHIBITIONS
ture has been shown in such a large-scale and spectacular way
in St. Petersburg.
As a rule, architectural exhibitions are unbearably boring: endless
stands with photographs, abstruse blueprints and tedious explanations. There is none of that here, for which we should be grateful
to the curators. At the opening visitors were already enthusiastically photographing each other against the background of the numerous intricate objects. The public were obviously delighted and
intoxicated by the kinetic models, abstract sculptures and elegant
watercolours.
Ilya Arkhipenko, “Architecture of Inconstancy”,
Stengazeta, 6 July 2012
At the opening of the exhibition by the Spanish architect Santiago
Calatrava, one of today’s most celebrated architects, in the Nicholas Hall of the Winter Palace your correspondent suddenly recalled
the well-known paradox – crooked female legs, though not recognised as the official ideal of beauty, excite men much more than the
perfect legs of models and ballerinas... And here they are – crooked
beauties, in all their glory – in the Hermitage exhibition: 150 designs, sculptures, drawings and models selected for the museum by
Senor Calatrava himself...
Calatrava’s exhibition – all these sculptures and designs of moving, revolving and turning buildings and bridges – on the one hand,
blends into the interior of the majestic Nicholas Hall and, on the other hand, has completely transformed its pompous, haughty Imperial
luxury, filling it with air, light and a playful spirit.
Zinaida Arsenyeva, “Santiago Calatrava would Like
to Build a Bridge across the Neva”, Vecherny Peterburg,
5 July 2012
The exhibition by the well-known contemporary architect Santiago Calatrava is being shown in the Nicholas Hall, the largest room
in the Winter Palace. The room is quite an ordeal for artists and
works of art. On several occasions it has brought recognised and
distinguished artists down to size, but it has acknowledged and accepted Calatrava. After all, the Hermitage is itself the creation
of great architects and contains a remarkable collection of architectural graphic art by seventeenth- to nineteenth-century foreign
artists.
The exhibition has turned out to be beautiful, exquisite (white on
white), fascinating and instructive from the point of view of broadening architectural horizons.
rejects any top-class contemporary architecture, so will not pass
without leaving a trace behind.
Kira Dolinina, “Intercostal Architecture”,
Kommersant, 3 July 2012
848. The Collection of Georges Matcheret
and Nadia Wolkonsky
The display in the foyer of the Hermitage Theatre features 200 envelopes painted by Russian underground artists in the final third of the
20th century. The names of widely recognised artists mingle easily
with those of their more modest colleagues, forming a cross-section
of “the second Russian avant-garde” – a phenomenon that existed in a particularly closed space and extended substantially further
than an exclusively artistic context.
Svetlana Rukhlya, “Messages to the Future”,
Novyie Izvestia, 10 July 2012
The exhibition that opened in the Hermitage on 29 June is not only
outstanding evidence of a whole age of contemporary art from
1980 to 2000, but also a reminder of how pleasant it was sometimes to receive letters in ordinary envelopes. These works cannot
be described as traditional mail-art, as none of the envelopes was
used for its original purpose and never reached a letter-box. They
cannot even be described as traditional art, but the power of the
works and the impression that remains from seeing the collection
are colossal!
Eva Istr, “Letters from Underground Soviet Artists
to Contemporaries”, Gallerix, 30 June 2012
Tylos. The Journey beyond Life.
Rituals and Funerary Traditions in Bahrain.
1st Century BC – 3rd Century AD
The Hermitage exhibition, according to the concept of the French
designer Didier Blin, should give visitors the sensation that they are
entering a tomb. The somewhat terrifying sight of the wooden sarcophagus, clay burial vessels and life-size photographic images of
a grave in the middle of the room gives way to interested contemplation of the treasures placed in the burial.
Liudmila Leusskaya, “Calatrava’s Serious Toys”,
St. Petersburg Vedomosti, 3 July 2012
Yekaterina Kalinina, “Archaeological Monuments of Ancient Tylos
from the Bahrain National Museum are on Display in the State
Hermitage”, ITAR-TASS, Moscow, 2 July 2012
However, all these knobs and attractions do not at all mean that
the exhibition is frivolous. On the contrary, it is one of the most well
thought-out exhibitions at the Hermitage in recent times. The normally gloomy, huge Nicholas Hall appears to be full of air. Calatrava’s light constructions, his abstract sculptures, oval shapes
in the arches and classical figures on enormous sheets of paper
form an entirely individual space within the formal palace interior. If the Hermitage continues this series of retrospectives of famous architects, as it has promised to do, then the tone has truly
been set. If, on the other hand, Calatrava remains the only star to
come here, it is nevertheless a lesson for the city, which essentially
As you go into the exhibition, it is as if you were entering an ancient
necropolis. This illusion is reinforced by various video-technical effects from the impressive exhibits – the wooden sarcophagus and
ceramic vessels – the burial places of small children. The gold, silver and bronze adornments, the items made of ivory and ceramics,
the weapons, coins and food and the original steles all help modern
people to understand how the residents of Tylos lived and what they
believed in.
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Eva Istr, “Burial Rites of Bahrain”, Gallerix,
5 July 2012
EXHIBITIONS
Enrique Selaya. The Tower of Snow
Medals of Dishonour
The Hermitage in St. Petersburg is gradually becoming also a museum of contemporary art. A five-metre sculpture by the Cuban-born
American artist Enrique Selaya can be seen in the Great Courtyard
of the Winter Palace. The bronze boy on crutches carrying a house
on his back is an allegory of man’s search for his place in the world.
Selaya was eight when his family was forced to leave Cuba: since
then the artist’s concern for the loss of his native land is evident
in almost all his works. Incidentally, the French word “ermitage”
means a “refuge”.
This exhibition was conceived in the British Museum, and this is
noticeable – one probably has to have an English sense of humour
to come up with such an elegant theme from the peripheral field of
medal art. The point is that the theme has been stood on its head –
whereas medals are usually a celebration of some event or personage, the objects in this exhibition show the “reverse side” of history,
moments of individual or collective disgrace and dishonour.
“Cuba is Nearby”, Vogue, August 2012
The Book as Art. Twenty Years of the Rare Books
of St. Petersburg Publishing House
The St. Petersburg publishing house which issues books with a circulation of no more than 25 has put its folios on display in the Hermitage – fairy tales, historical treatises and ancient plays in a unique
design. Books which every schoolchild would dream of having in his
or her library are now on show in the Hermitage. The exhibition
marks the publishing house’s anniversary: all the most fascinating
books published in the last twenty years have been put on display.
Each exhibit is a genuine work of art created with the use of unique
materials.
Pavel Ryzhkov, “The Old Curiosity Shop: Ancient Literature
‘Dressed’ in Ceramics and Carrara Marble”, NTV,
St. Petersburg, 11 September 2012
Russian Lithographic Portrait of the 19th Century
For the first time the Hermitage is showing 150 lithographic
portraits from its collection. The exhibition’s organisers have laid
special emphasis on the art of lithography in Russia, but visitors will
be much more interested in the subjects of the portraits. There are
certainly people who are worth a closer look: all the high society of
the last two centuries, including the extended Imperial family, top
military officers, writers and composers. Also included, of course,
is Pushkin – calm and even handsome.
Yelena Druzhinina, “What Handsome Faces, and How Long Ago
it Was”, Intellectualny Kapital, 22 September 2012
Paula Modersohn-Becker and Worpswede Artists.
Drawings and Prints. 1895–1906
Paula Modersohn-Becker has gone down in history as an outstanding Expressionist artist who revealed the potential of primitivism
and whose value was appreciated on the Paris art scene. The Hermitage exhibition features her drawings, engravings and etchings – country landscapes and scenes from peasant life. It is a pity
that we shall not see her celebrated series of self-portraits in which
the artist appears in the nude. Those works stuck in the memory
of her contemporaries and subsequently became cult symbols for
feminists.
Stanislav Savitsky, “Communism, Feminism
and the Third Reich”, Delovoy Peterburg, 19 October 2012
82
EXHIBITIONS
The exhibition “Architectural
Library: Architectural Drawings
from the State Hermitage
and Sergey Tchoban’s Collection”
Kira Dolinina, “Awarded with Contempt”,
Kommersant, 11 October 2012
The Wild Swans. Découpages and Costumes Designed
by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark for the Film
Adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tale
The art of découpage is individual, fragile and refined. The Danish writer’s fairy tale, familiar to most people from childhood,
is a triumph of good over evil, a manifesto of love and virtue. Their
“confluence” forms in an exhibition space a little corner of life
divorced from the real world – supernatural and extremely decorative. And it helps viewers to immerse themselves in the o ther
world.
Svetlana Rukhlya, “A Strange Universe”,
Novyie Izvestia, 29 October 2012
Marc Chagall and the Livre d’artiste. Selected Prints
A point of interest is that among the numerous fabulous images created by the artist the exhibition also features his own image.
His book “The Circus” resurrected in the artist’s memory reminiscences of his childhood in Vitebsk. And the sad clown making people
smile is the artist’s alter ego.
Anna Tsiopa, “Chagall Appears as a Sad Clown”,
Nevskoye Vremya, 16 October 2012
In the opinion of the exhibition’s curator Mikhail Balan, Chagall cannot and should not be reduced to a common denominator.
He is too diverse. The only thing he was never inclined to occupy
himself with was the decoration of a page. The link between his “illustrations” and the text, though frequently entirely paradoxical,
is always justified for a host of reasons. For Chagall, one of the most
recognisable twentieth-century artists who never deviated from his
style, each such book was a challenge. For today’s viewers it is an
amazing discovery of how somebody else’s text can be dealt with
on an equal footing.
Kira Dolinina, “Living Souls”, Kommersant,
16 October 2012
Architectural Library: Architectural Drawings
from the State Hermitage and Sergey Tchoban’s Collection
This “library”, somewhat Borges-like in its heterogeneity and degree of surrealism, is arranged in pairs. Sometimes the pairs are
obvious: two sheets by the same architect from the two collections.
Sometimes they are paired by closeness of themes. Sometimes
the theme is made up. Sometimes the theme works on contrasts.
And the crowning glory of the whole display (topographically everything starts from it) is the famous panorama of St. Petersburg
by Mikhail Makhayev (1749–1750). Until now we have known it
only from the numerous prints used to check the canonical panorama of the Neva with its perfect skyline. In Tchoban’s collection
Makhayev’s panorama is presented in the form of a preliminary
drawing, and one can imagine the surprise of specialists when they
see the noticeable differences from what appeared to be unshakeable fact.
Kira Dolinina, “Construction Pages”, Kommersant,
19 October 2012
Jake and Dinos Chapman. The End of Fun
In fact, showing the Chapman Brothers Disasters of War series in
a city that knows all the horror of war, and not by hearsay, is quite
logical. Whereas the nightmare of war and the blockade has been
blunted by a surplus of non-locals in the population, it is fast being
revived. The revulsion caused by the compositions of plastic fascists
enjoying cannibalism and self-destruction is psychologically fully
compatible with feelings of hatred for fascism.
Maria Roshchina, “Fascinated by Horror”,
Vash Dosug, 15–28 October 2012
The visitor contemplating this mini-hell in the Hermitage moves
from one glass showcase to another. There are nine of them, like
Dante’s circles of hell, but if you were to do the impossible and hover above the showcases, you would see that they form a swastika.
But the swastika cannot be seen! The visitors are on one side of
the glass, but their gaze is beyond the glass. They peer at the terrifying scenes of the fascist inferno, walk around them, then step
back from the glass and take in the panorama. Nothing but fascists! Even the soil is not simply impregnated with fascists – the soil
is fascists. Nobody but fascists. Fascists going who knows where,
fascists’ heads on stakes, shark-fascists with swastikas on their
fins, semi-decayed fascists, fascist goats with swastikas on their
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sleeves. Nobody is fighting with anyone else. The fascists are fighting among themselves.
Victor Mazin, “The Chapmans’ Hell in the Hermitage”,
Expert Online, 19 November 2012
There is no denying the boldness of the Hermitage. The Chapman
Brothers’ work has already been seen in Moscow, where it was
displayed in private galleries. For a museum of classical art with
a worldwide reputation to take such a step was not an easy decision,
though the Hermitage curators have taken precautions: they have
selected by far not the most provocative works of the scandalous
brothers, who are renowned for their “horrors”.
Zinaida Arsenieva, Boris Oskin, “Mikhail Piotrovsky:
In Fact This Fun will Never End”, Vecherny Peterburg,
22 October 2012
“There is No One to Help them”.
Tragedy in the Graphic Works of Francisco Goya
The opening of the new rooms in the General Staff Building would
have been a boring event had it not been for the Goya exhibition.
It includes many works from the famous Los Caprichos (Caprices)
series – uncompromising virtuoso drawings, a tradition of quality long forgotten by our contemporary artists. The display features instruments of torture, a mask for liquid torture, clamps for
the fingers and a mask for torture by starvation with surprisingly attractive sticking-out ears. This room is always full of interested visitors.
Stanislav Savitsky, “Toy Fascists”, Delovoy Peterburg,
26 October 2012
“An Artist of All Schools”.
Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich (1712–1774)
It is symbolic that this exhibition is a sort of preparation for the
250th anniversary of Russia’s principal museum of European art.
If one were to collect Dietrich’s vast legacy (around 2,000 paintings
EXHIBITIONS
in various museums and private collections in Europe) and display
them all in one palace, you would have a reduced version of the art
of old European masters from late Renaissance and Baroque to Rococo and Academism. It is also symbolic that Dietrich’s landscapes
were among the first purchases of the Berlin merchant Johann Gotzkowsky, beginning the picture gallery in the Hermitage in 1764. Dietrich’s genre scenes in the style of the “Small Dutch Masters” were
purchased by Catherine II in 1769 as part of the collection of the
Saxon minister Heinrich von Brühl.
Sergey Khachaturov, “The Imitator”, ARTkhronika,
18 December 2012
The Hermitage is staging an exhibition of works by the German artist Christian Dietrich, who never painted an original picture, but
copied canvases in the Dresden Gallery.
In the late 1990s Stefan Breitwieser, probably the most famous art
thief, explained that it was the German artist Christian Ernst Dietrich who inspired him to steal paintings. The Saxon painter’s first
monographic exhibition in Russia is being staged by the Hermitage
to mark the 300th anniversary of his birth.
Violetta Ryabko, “A Brazen Imitator and Inspirer
of Art Thieves”, Deutsche Welle, 20 February 2013
DAYS OF THE HERMITAGE – 2012
A Sentimental Journey: Wedgwood in Russia
It was not by chance that this exhibition was entitled “A Sentimental Journey”. As the Hermitage General Director Mikhail Piotrovsky explained, Britons and Russians have always had a sentimental attitude to each other, even though the countries may have often
been at loggerheads politically.
But how delightful this 200-year-old Wedgwood porcelain is! What
sweet paintings, what a charming frog – the Wedgwood symbol for
Catherine II’s service. You look at them, sigh, then go about your
business, but something remains within you...
Yelena Druzhinina, “An English Lesson”,
Intellektualny Kapital, 8 December 2012
DAYS OF THE HERMITAGE – 2012
A Treasury of Books. 250 Years of the Hermitage Library
The full code of laws of the Russian Empire, Catherine the Great’s
favourite albums and a valuable book with Voltaire’s autograph.
The Hermitage librarians are continuing the scholarly traditions
of their Imperial predecessors. The State Hermitage is preparing
to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its library. Tomorrow visitors
to the museum can see a wonderful collection of book treasures.
The exhibits include valuable folios from the collections of Emperors and Empresses, which are being shown to the general public for
the first time.
Pavel Ryzhkov, “Art Historians from the Imperial Library
are Showing Luxurious Folios from the Past”, NTV,
St. Petersburg, 6 December 2012
EXHIBITIONS
Antique Style in Russian Imperial Porcelain in the Second
Half of the 18th Century. From the “Christmas Gift” Series
Toy Soldiers in the Hermitage. On the 200th Anniversary
of the Patriotic War of 1812
The Last Russian Emperor. The Family and Court
of Nicholas II at the Turn of the 19th – 20th Centuries
The exhibition of remarkable pieces of Russian porcelain is complemented by genuine ancient artefacts (sculpture, ceramics and
carved stones) and by European Neoclassical works (graphic art
and porcelain). This material at one time provided the inspiration
for Russian antique-style porcelain.
Continuity in the use of ancient heritage is also demonstrated by the
original work of today’s porcelain masters. New designs under the
umbrella theme “Antiquity in porcelain” were selected especially
for this display.
Tin soldiers are of special significance for the Hermitage. Its collection of military-historical miniatures includes the collection of
the celebrated Lev Rakov, the Hermitage employee who founded the Museum of the Defence and Blockade of Leningrad. From
1938 there was a permanent exhibition in the Hermitage entitled
“The Military History of the Russian People”, initiated and created by Rakov. His miniature army now forms the basis of the new
display.
The new display reveals all the variety of the collections possessed by
the state museum. Despite the fact that exhibitions devoted to various periods of history and culture have been staged at the Vyborg
branch, this display is important in that it tells the story of one of
the most tragic periods in Russian history. “The exhibition vividly
reflects the course of history and the lesson in life that Russia underwent”, said Georgy Vilinbakhov, Deputy Director of the Hermitage
and State Herald-Master of Russia.
Zinaida Arsenieva, “Tin Soldiers – A Staunch People”,
Vecherny Peterburg, 25 December 2012
“The New Exhibition in the Hermitage • Vyborg Centre
has been Presented to a Delegation from Finland”,
BaltInfo, 26 October 2012
Yelena Druzhinina, “Porcelain in the Antique Style”,
Intellektualny Kapital, 21 December 2012
“The Thunder of 1812...”. The Patriotic War of 1812
in the Hermitage Collections
The centrepiece of the narrative is the battle paintings of Peter von
Hess depicting the major battles of 1812. They were commissioned
by Nicholas I for the Winter Palace. They are surrounded by works
of fine and applied art, including drawings and prints made by participants in the events of 1812. Of special interest to visitors are the
fighting and trophy banners, medals, orders, cold steel weapons
and firearms. These are not merely relics of an age: the uniforms
bear the signatures of the officers and soldiers who wore them, the
weapons saw enemies’ blood and the banners are impregnated with
the smoke of battle.
Liudmila Leusskaya, “A Landmark Year”,
St. Petersburg Vedomosti, 26 December 2012
The exhibition features some fascinating material. On the whole, the
selection of exhibits and the way they are shown create the impression that the events of those heroic years are thought of today as
mythological, allegorical, archaeological... The exhibition about the
thunderstorm continues the theme of an allegorical and symbolic
triumph. Peter von Hess’s battle paintings, commissioned by Nicholas I, depict all the principal battles of the campaign. There are
lots of orders, uniforms and medals. The enemy banners are thrown
down in the rooms like the German banners by the Kremlin wall.
Sergey Khachaturov, “A Minted Celebration”,
Neskuchny Sad, 4 February 2013
“United we shall be, as one!..” The Patriotic War of 1812
in the Medals of Alexey Olenin and his Contemporaries
The formation of the heraldic image of the victory over Napoleon
is featured in the Rotunda of the Winter Palace. The title of the exhibition is a line from the reverse side of an anniversary commemorative medal...
The exhibition is the first time that Olenin’s work has been shown
in an historical context: the medals are surrounded by works by Fyodor Tolstoy, Ivan Shilov, Karl Leberecht and even Empress Maria
Fedorovna, the widow of Paul I.
However, for visitors the most attractive part of the exhibition
was what they literally wanted to touch. Behind the glass of the
showcases are figures of Russian and French soldiers, compositions featuring several regiments and dashing cavalry. Part of the
collection was brought to the Hermitage by an ordinary Leningrad builder, who discovered a box with nineteenth-century boys’
amusements in the stove of an old house on the Petrograd Side after another war – the Great Patriotic War. The find supplemented
the Hermitage collection of tin soldiers, one of the richest in Russia. These three-centimetre men are capable of influencing the
public no less than huge battle paintings. After all, in history there
are no small details.
“The Hermitage is Staging Three Exhibitions to Mark
the Victory in the War of 1812”, Rossiya K (Kultura),
26 December 2012
HERMITAGE • VYBORG CENTRE, VYBORG
Two Centuries of French Elegance. Decorative Art
of the 17th and 18th Centuries from the State Hermitage
Museum Collection
Starting today Vyborg residents can immerse themselves in the mysterious atmosphere of seventeenth-century Paris and peep into the
couloirs of Versailles. The display in the Hermitage • Vyborg Centre features art from the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XVI... What
is notable is that the exhibits on display in Vyborg cannot be seen in
the Hermitage, as the collection on display is kept in the museum’s
reserves, so aesthetes from the Northern Palmyra will have to travel
to Vyborg to see these fine examples.
“Paris is to be Shown in Vyborg”, Online 47, 10 April 2012
The unusual presentation of material in “Two Centuries of French
Elegance” is not typical of the Hermitage. There are a large number
of fragments of pictures demonstrating the functional significance
of the exhibits. The graphic images explain what these luxury items
were made of, how they were made and how they were used. For instance, few people today know that the watches on chatelaines that
were popular in the 18th century were attached to the belt.
Liudmila Leusskaya, “Luxury Fit for a King”,
St. Petersburg Vedomosti, 23 April 2012
Alexey Zakhartsev, “Hermitage Director Mikhail Piotrovsky:
‘Our museum’s mission is to tell the story of the state
and military history of Russia’”, File-RF, 27 December 2012
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HERMITAGE • KAZAN CENTRE
Nomads of Eurasia on the Road to Empire
From the Scythians to Genghis Khan. The visitor’s route begins in the
Ural steppes and ends in Karakorum, the first capital of the Mongol
Empire. The vast display “Nomads of Eurasia on the Road to Empire” has opened in Kazan. Over 2,000 exhibits from the State Hermitage collection describe the culture of the nomadic tribes of the
Eurasian continent – from the beginning of the 1st millennium to the
13th century. This great, enigmatic civilisation of travellers, having
no written language, left their descendants their own chronicle of
objects, and each item here is unique. Moreover, many of them are
being shown for the first time.
“Nomads of Eurasia on the Road to Empire:
from the Scythians to Genghis Khan”, Rossiya K (Kultura),
19 June 2012
HERMITAGE • AMSTERDAM CENTRE, AMSTERDAM,
NETHERLANDS
Impressionism: Sensation and Inspiration. Masterpieces
from the State Hermitage Museum
The contrast between the Impressionists and adherents of classical
and Neoclassical painting makes it possible to sense the revolutionary character of the then new trend. The display is structured so as
to include not only the work of the Impressionists’ predecessors, but
also that of those that followed them, such as Paul Gauguin and Paul
Cézanne. According to the Hermitage General Director Mikhail Piotrovsky, “This exhibition is truly revolutionary art”.
Maria Fyodorova, “An Exhibition of Impressionists
from the State Hermitage Collection has Opened
in Amsterdam”, ITAR-TASS, 16 June 2012
restoration and conservation
In 2012, the Department of Scientific Restoration
and Conservation (headed by Tatiana Baranova)
restored 4,332 cultural and artistic objects
LABORATORY FOR SCIENTIFIC RESTORATION
OF EASEL PAINTING
Headed by V. Korobov
Including:
easel paintings 427
hugo van der goes (1435/1440–1482)
triptych The adoration of the magi
15th century
Oil on canvas, transferred from board. 96 × 77 cm (central part);
96 × 32 cm (side panels)
tempera paintings 27
murals 50
Restored by V. Brovkin
Oriental paintings 16
The restoration of the triptych started in May 2008 with a complex examination of the work: X-ray, infrared and ultraviolet
scanning, analysis of pigments and the varnish layer. These investigations revealed the presence of restorative inpaintings and
corrective additions made in the course of previous restoration attempts. The alien repainted pigment layers obscured about 50%
of the original painting, while the yellowed layers of varnish and
grime had altered the colour considerably, making grey and brown
the prevalent tone.
As early as 1908, Max Friedlӓnder, a scholar of Dutch painting,
noted that “the dull tones of the whole painting and the insufficient clarity of many details, especially on the sides, are deplorable and prevent the altar from appearing before us with its firstclass freshness, precision and artistic power. The poor state of the
painting seems to be the main reason for the undeserved attention it has so far received from the critics”. The painting has been
cleared of later overpainting layers. This was the most challenging and demanding part of the work, and it was completed under
a microscope. The clearing was made even more difficult by the
fact that there were extensive areas of petrified restorative mastic
graphic works, mounted and assembled works, books, book bindings and documents sculptures, objects of applied arts and objects
made of semi-precious stones objects of applied art made of decorative
and “new” metal, stained glass panels,
ceramics 887
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2,304
objects of applied art made of organic materials 199
textiles 134
timepieces and musical mechanisms 10
objects made of precious metals 80
chandeliers 33
furniture pieces 60
photos and photographic materials 49
Hugo Van der Goes. The Adoration of the Magi. After restoration
Before restoration. Detail
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After restoration. Detail
87
applications under the overpainting layers, which overlay both the
small areas of loss and sections of the original painting.
Many elements of the design were uncovered during the clearing.
After the thick layer of overpainting was removed, grass and flowers were revealed growing in the cracks between the stones, and
the texture of the stone revealed many shades of colour. It was
even possible to see the artist’s fingerprints in the glaze coat;
it is possible that the master applied his fingers to the fresh paint
to achieve an effect he could not get with a brush. The carpenter’s tools standing near the wall were more clearly outlined, and
the object that had looked like a stick turned out to be a saw. Before restoration, it had been impossible to understand the origin
of a green reflection on the soldier’s metal breastplate. It turned
out to be a reflection of bright green sleeves which had been overpainted in dark brown.
The background sections of the triptych showing earth, grass,
and the pedestal, had been painted over. On the central panel,
the light grey earth floor strewn with ears of corn and straw had
been painted dark brown, with horizontal wooden planks painted
over it. As a result, the painting appeared simplistic and lacked
the numerous details hidden under the new coats of paint. The previous restorers had altered the folds of the garments in some
places, while the many inpaintings had altered the original colour scheme. In the circumcision scene, the originally bright green
vestments of the priests had been painted an ungainly dark colour,
and the folds of the clothing had been changed. Each restoration
(there were four documented ones) added new alterations to the
original painting. The numerous overpainting areas did not merely
cover the areas of loss but extended far over the original painting,
changing its colour and tone and making the painting appear dark
and monochrome. Moreover, the thick layer of old yellow varnish
had become opaque and deteriorated into whitish spots, and in
places it was like a shagreen skin.
The lost areas of the painting were toned starting from 2012 using
Maimeri Restauro varnish colours. The abrasions and the more
obvious cracks and craquelure were also toned.
The most damaged areas of the original painting in the lower
part of the central panel (the clothing of the kneeling Melchior,
the hat, the cup and the wooden stand, were reconstructed in the
original manner on the basis of the surviving particles of paint.
The lacuna on the face of the Wise Man has also been filled in.
The young Ethiopian Balthazar’s left leg and the lower rim of his
clothes have been reconstructed as well. The section with the angel
holding the canopy on the right-hand side has also been restored
in the manner close to the original. The restoration took around
five years and was completed in November 2012. A number of elements of the triptych that had been hidden from researchers and
viewers for many years have emerged. This creates the opportunity
for a further study of the works of this great master. The original
fifteenth-century canvas, cleared of later overpainting, has striking saturated colours and pays close attention to minute details.
laboratory for scientific restoration
of TEMPERA painting
Headed by I. Permiakov
Anonymous Artist. Memento Mori. Before restoration
Anonymous Artist. Memento Mori. After restoration
lower part of the painting uncovered restoration priming applied
over the addition, which partly overlay the original paint layer.
On the figures, the removal of old repainting revealed coats of restoration priming applied over the well-preserved original painting.
The paint layer was restored over the original priming, which has
been levelled. On the added side boards, the dark paint layer had
been applied directly over the wooden boards. Corrective retouching was applied to it.
anonymous Artist
memento mori
(allegorical representation of the nature of earthly life)
In the process of cleaning. Detail
russian icon. northern school
st. cyril of belozersk with hagiographical border scenes
Late 17th – early 18th century
Oil on board. 32.7 × 28 cm
17th century
Tempera on board (pine). 124 × 105.5 × 5.5 cm
From the Church of the Holy Trinity, village of Nyonoksa, Belomorsk
District, Arkhangelsk Region (field trip of 1959)
Restored by N. Malinovsky
88
It is not known exactly when and where the painting underwent
a previous restoration. The backing wooden panel has through
cracks. The edges of the painting were reinforced on all sides with
wooden planks. The board had been cradled using the parquetage
technique. The painting had undergone several restorations.
The study in UV luminescence revealed repainting over nearly
the whole surface and another late restoration paint layer under
it across the sky, applied when the backing board was expanded.
The painting of the figures had been severely damaged by washing and “alterations” applied to individual local segments in oil,
which had changed its colour and tone. The original inscription
had not survived and had been painted anew. The earth in the lower part of the picture had been completely repainted. The thick
coat of varnish has darkened and cracked.
The museum’s Restoration Commission decided to thin out the
varnish coat and to remove the top layer of overpainting. When removing the repainting from the background, the letters of the new
inscriptions were left in situ. The removal of the repainting in the
Restored by T. Chizhova
In the process of restoration. Macro photo of part of the inscription
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The Hermitage collection of Old Russian icons was mainly augmented in the course of the collecting activities: from the 1950s on, field
trips were organised to identify and acquire objects of Old Russian
art. The Nyonoksa pogost (rural centre) was mentioned in an early
fifteenth-century chronicle as a large trading centre of the lands
around the Dvina River, which was part of the estates of Martha
Boretskaya, the widow of the Novgorod Posadnik (Mayor). Later,
this rich estate belonged to some large Northern monasteries. The
most significant historical artefacts from the area are the icons
from Nyonoksa’s St. Nicholas Church, primarily The Last Judgment (late 15th – early 16th century), and those from the Holy Trinity Church: St. Nicholas of Zaraisk with hagiographical scenes (first
half of the 16th century) and The Nativity of the Virgin (16th century). These icons are close to the Moscow and Novgorod originals
of the 15th century. But Nyonoksa had its own painters by the early
16th century (The Virgin Hodegetria, the State Russian Museum).
St. Cyril of Belozersk with hagiographical border scenes
after toning the losses
The seventeenth-century icon showing St. Cyril of Belozersk surrounded by hagiographical scenes comes from the same Church
of the Holy Trinity in Nyonoksa and was probably painted by a local artist. The icon was deeply revered, was repainted many times
and was encased in a metal stamped and embossed mounting case
(oklad) with a stylised geometric pattern.
The saint is depicted wearing a monk’s clothing in full-size front
view; he is sending a blessing with his right hand and holding
a scroll in his left. There are sixteen hagiographical scenes on
top and on the sides. The backgrounds of the scenes were covered
in haphazardly applied metal plates with engraved inscriptions.
The mounting case was poorly preserved, it had separated from
the painted surface and has insertions. The whole surface of the
painting was repainted with crude coarsely ground oil pigments.
At the start of the work aimed at removing the stamped mounting
case, it was revealed that it had been glued to the painting by a layer of glutinous blackened linseed oil varnish, which had caused
the paint layer to become detached from the gesso. This made the
restoration process much more difficult. It was necessary to remove the oil varnish, to stabilise the paint layer and to dismantle
the mounting case plates all at the same time. After the case was
removed, differently dated late gesso insertions were revealed in
areas where the original gesso had been lost, as well as numerous
areas of repainting which overlay one another. The painting previously hidden by the cover was in a much better state of preservation than the open areas of the icon.
Well-preserved seventeenth-century cursive writing has been revealed; lost areas were toned in an approximate manner without
reconstructing the pattern; the case and metal plates with inscriptions were mounted on canvas placed on a stretcher.
Part of the border scene The Vision of St. Cyril. Cursive writing. 17th century
Jacopo del Sellaio. Madonna and Child. Before restoration
Jacopo del Sellaio. Madonna and Child. After restoration
Jacopo del sellaio (c. 1441–1493)
madonna and child
The study of the painting in visible UV luminescence uncovered
a film of glue across large areas of the painted surface and allowed to identify a crude overpainting over the Child’s himation.
The study in infrared light did not provide a definite answer as to
the presence of the original paint layer. The rays could only penetrate the layers of semi-transparent oils on the Madonna’s cloak
as far as the tempera layers and revealed the extent of the damage to the lower paint layer as low as the priming on the frame.
The presence of large amounts of lead in the top painted layers
made it impossible to use X-ray analysis. Only test clearings under a microscope and the study of harvested microscopic samples
were able to look under the surface paint layers and gain a notion
of the state of preservation of the original painting.
The museum’s Restoration Commission decided to remove the old
glue remaining from old stabilisation attempts and to clear the
variously dated repainting as much as it is possible.
After the top layer of oil overpainting was removed from the Madonna’s cloak, a light blue tempera layer was revealed, which had
losses all the way down to the preceding layer, primarily across the
tips of the craquelure. Additional investigations showed that the
original paint layer had been severely worn down so that it was difficult to see the modelling of the folds. The general colour scheme
had been entirely different.
Italy, 15th century
Tempera on board. 115 × 69 cm (with frame)
Restored by N. Malinovsky
The painting is painted on a board consisting of three poplar
planks glued together and encased in an attached wooden frame
with a carved top and a carved console in the lower part bearing a shield with the coat of arms of the commissioner. The painting on the shield has not survived. It may have been deliberately
obliterated. All that remains are the old marks left by a sharp instrument, which may bear witness to the events in Florence in the
15th – 16th centuries. After it was finished, the painting had been
repeatedly rinsed and even polished with pumice. Traces of burns
were discovered on the frame. The only parts spared by time are
the images of the faces and hands of the Virgin and Child. The Madonna’s cloak, her headscarf and chiton and the Infant’s himation
had been repainted many times. These areas were considerably
thickened by the additions of later paint layers. The niche in the
background had the same fate. The lower layers of repainting were
applied in tempera colours, and the top ones in oil. All of them had
also been damaged by rinsing in varying degrees.
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Jacopo del Sellaio. Madonna and Child. Microshield of the painting
of the himation on the Child’s shoulder
In the process of thinning out the overpaintings. Detail
Only small areas of the original painting had survived under the
late crude repainting of the Child’s himation, so it was necessary
to restrict conservation to the reduction of the surface layers of
paint. The original paint layer on the white cloak falling from the
Virgin’s right arm has been revealed. Unfortunately, only small
fragments of paint and remnants of the fold pattern were to be
seen in its other part over her left shoulder.
It proved impossible to remove completely the pink overpainting
over the Madonna’s and Child’s hands and faces. This late layer of
paint had been applied directly on the painting without the intervening coat of varnish, so all the restorer could do was thin it out
as much as possible. Late repainting on the backgrounds alternated in some areas with layers of restorative priming, under which
the original dark-red paint layer was discovered. The outline of the
niche had been altered.
There were considerable challenges in the process of removing
restorative repainting from the frame. The first test clearings revealed a complete absence of the original paint layer. The surface
of the frame had been repeatedly polished using a coarse abrasive
(pumice) and repainted. The priming had become uneven. It was
decided to thin out all the late repainting as much as possible. This
work revealed scraped outlines of stars and a thin dotted pattern
over the priming.
After the repainting was removed, the colour scheme became
much warmer. The original outlines of the images were revealed,
the painting of the niche became less disjointed and the original
design of the artist became much clearer.
of MURAL painting
Headed by A. Bliakher
a Twelfth-century old russian fresco
from the holy trinity cathedral, pskov kremlin
Excavated in 1981
Restored by O. Khakhanova
The fresco had been buried in a heap, and the state of preservation
of the painting is unusual for frescoes removed from walls or discovered amid ruins during excavations. The fresco had fallen from
a considerable height onto uneven ground together with a heavy
block of masonry. The cemented bricks did not fall apart after the
impact, so that the stucco with the fresco remained over the brickwork. The fresco fell surface first and so was severely damaged
by the fall, breaking into many tiny pieces with edges crumbling
to dust; the cracks between them were filled with limestone grit.
Ground stucco and earth fixed the pieces in place. The painting
was so damaged that it was nearly impossible to discern the image. Before restoration, the location of each fragment was marked
A twelfth-century Old Russian fresco. After restoration
on a plastic film so that after dismantling the fresco it was possible
to put each of them back in place.
After restoration, the fresco was made whole again. The copied
pattern made it possible to place each fragment in its proper place
and to rectify deformities, so that the image of the lower part
of the figure in golden robes became visible. After restoration,
the fresco fragment – the only extant example of twelfth-century
fresco painting from the first stone Cathedral of the Holy Trinity
in the Pskov Kremlin became fit for display and could be included
in the State Hermitage exhibition programmes.
painted ceiling from the cave monastery
Xinjiang; Bezeklik, 8th – 9th century
Restored by S. Teploukhova
In the process of thinning out the overpaintings. Details
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Restorer O. Khakhanova working
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The State Hermitage possesses a collection of mural paintings
based on loess stucco from Eastern Turkestan, collected in the
early 20th century by the first Russian expedition to Turkestan
headed by Academician Sergey Oldenburg. The collection of artefacts from the oases on the Great Silk Road is still of paramount
importance for the study of various cultural, religious and artistic
aspects of the life of many peoples who lived in this vast region of
Central Asia.
The fragments of a painted ceiling from cave No. 43 (19) are
also part of this collection. All the fragments had been mounted
on plaster slabs in the 1930s. The paintings had been originally
brought to the laboratory as separate fragments not forming part
of a single design, which were mounted on different backing at
different times: wax and galipot mastic and polystyrene boards.
After the majority of the fragments had undergone restoration it
became clear that all of them were part of a single painted ceiling design. It was decided to remove the painting from earlier
of oriental painting
Headed by Ye. Shishkova
series of portraits of high-ranking chinese dignitaries
Restored by A. Gorodishenina, A. Divletkildeyeva,
M. Korotkov, A. Tsepkova
The reporting year saw the completion of the restoration of a series of Chinese portraits of high-ranking dignitaries. All in all,
32 items underwent restoration between 2009 and 2012 for a new
exhibition of Chinese art and culture, including twelve paintings
on silk backed on rolled China paper.
The restoration of the series of portraits of dignitaries was especially challenging and interesting. It required an original approach
to the task in hand. The small collection of Chinese portraits at the
Hermitage is gathered from different sources: the portraits were
acquired at different times and together form a small gallery
of images of Chinese officials of various ranks. The iconography
of such portraits goes back to the official Confucian tradition of
the socio-ethical importance of a person. Most often, these were
official or memorial portraits of members of the Imperial family,
historic figures or statesmen and dignitaries.
The minutely detailed clothing accessories, armchairs and carpets
make it possible to establish the status of the figures portrayed.
Portrait of a Chinese Dignitary. After restoration
Painted ceiling from the cave monastery.
Fragments with graphic reconstruction. After restoration
mounts and to attach all the fragments to a single foam plastic
board and to complete the lost segments with monochrome drawings. Because the image was greatly fragmented it was difficult
to imagine it as a single whole, so a computer reconstruction was
produced.
After restoration, the image became a single whole, while the
graphic reconstruction enabled the viewers to see the design of the
painted ceiling in its entirety. All the fragments have been brought
together to create an impression of the décor of cave No. 43. This
unique mural can now be included in the exhibition programmes
of the State Hermitage.
Restorer S. Teploukhova working
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Dismantling the silk backing of the portrait
95
The Portrait of a Qing Dynasty Dignitary with a Beizi Title can
be dated to the 18th century. The Portrait of a Dignitary in the
rank of Zhenguo Gong dates back to the 19th century. The elderly
lady in the portrait dating back to the middle or second half of the
19th century was equally high-ranking; she may have been a member of the Qing Imperial family.
The portraits were painted in glue pigments on silk, which was
then backed on three layers of China paper and mounted in a silk
frame. Judging by their state, before being mounted on old frames
they had been rolled and stored without due care, which resulted in
many horizontal breakages. Two of the portraits had been nailed
along the edges to the stretcher and board, while the portrait of an
elderly lady was pulled tight over a stretcher. For many years,
these works had been part of the exhibition of Chinese art.
In 2009, they were dismantled for the first time and sent for restoration. Their poor state of preservation, not very noticeable
under glass, became apparent now. The silk backing had become
yellow and had started to peel off from the backing paper as the
glue was gradually drying up. The rolls were very dusty and grimy,
with stains of various origins: foxing, water ingress, spots of paint
OF GRAPHIC WORKS
Headed by T. Sabianina
charter of tsars ivan, peter and tsarevna sophia
for lands in the rzhev district granted
to stolnik nelidov
Moscow, 1689
Paper, manuscript, ferro-gallic ink, printed cloth, silk cord,
wax, printing. 266 × 32.5 cm
Restored by V. Khovanova
Portrait of a Chinese Dignitary. Before restoration. Detail
Portrait of a Chinese Dignitary. After restoration. Detail
The charter was sent to the Laboratory from the collection of manuscripts and early printed books at the Department of the History
of Russian Culture, State Hermitage. This is the only scroll charter manuscript in the collection (266 cm long), a rare document
reflecting the short period in Russian history when the country was
ruled by three children of Tsar Alexey simultaneously: Sophia,
Ivan and Peter. This is one of the last charters written in the Old
Russian style. This is an artefact of significant academic interest
which can become a valuable exhibit and a worthy addition to displays illustrating the history of Russia.
The charter was in a very poor state when it was brought to the
Laboratory. It was damaged in various ways which reflected the
most unfavourable conditions it had been kept in: considerable
staining, numerous tears, losses, typical hard transverse creases,
various paper pastings on the reverse (an attempt to halt the disintegration). Unlike other similar documents which had undergone
restoration in the past, it was badly damaged by mould. A number
of species of mould was discovered, which manifested themselves
in stains of different colours: black, grey, pink, violet. The mould
caused the paper to lose its sizing and to turn from high-quality,
durable rag paper to something close to blotting paper, while the
mould infestation spots had turned into cotton wool-like mass
causing loss of the writing or the nearly complete fading and loss
of legibility.
First and foremost, it was necessary to neutralise the mould, to
remove surface stains inasmuch as it was possible, to stabilise the
paper and to restore its flexibility. The greatest challenges were
and the numerous tears and cracks which stretched both the paper
and the silk. The backing paper had become brittle and fragile.
The paint layer on the portraits was also a cause for concern as
it was too dry and starting to crumble. There were especially many
losses of the pigment on The Portrait of a Dignitary. The old silk
frames had become so stained that their ceremonial white colour
was barely visible. The situation was exacerbated by the large size
of the canvases – on average 2.8 × 1.5 m.
When the work started, the Laboratory had no special equipment;
the full dismantling and restoration of these rolls could have taken years and had to be done on Chinese tables; it was necessary
to find a “simple” solution to this complex problem. Conservation and restoration were only one side of the preservation plan;
another, equally important task was finding a way to display the
rolls after conservation.
After they had been dismantled, the portraits were cleaned inasmuch as that was possible, the paint layer was stabilised, the tears
reinforced with glue, and weakened areas of the backing made
more stable. In order to mount the portraits on new boards, they
were attached to additional supporting edges made of Japan paper. They had been previously levelled on the floor by stretching.
Before this operation, the floor was washed with water and alcohol and then marked for placing the portraits. The levelling process required some corrective measures. After they were attached
to new boards, the portraits were toned.
The final stage involved the making and attaching of new frames
made of backed-up Chinese silk. This work required an experimental and original treatment: the mounting of the supports on BEVA
film. This is not a traditional method but it allows the techniques
used to be reversed. When their full restoration following the canons of Chinese rolls becomes possible, it will be easy to dismantle
the portraits again. The work was successfully completed; the portraits were placed in glass frames so that it was possible to admire
their new and impressive look.
Restorer V. Khovanova
96
97
Restoration Commission at work
presented by the difficulty of working with a large document and
the presence of writing in ferro-gallic ink which does not tolerate
humidity or exposure to chemical agents, as well as the rigid traditional structure which was impossible to separate into elements.
The pendent seal and the rag pocket bind together the charter itself (written in ferro-gallic ink over rag paper), and the paper and
textile (linen) covers. In order to carry out the necessary conservation, the document was taken apart following the gluing lines
which were bound together by bands of writing on the reverse side
of the document, which connected the different parts of the charter and served as protection against fraud). After the end of the
restoration, the document was bound together following the original seventeenth-century protective bands.
The joint efforts of the restorer V. Khovanova, curator of the
manuscript sector at the History of Russian Culture Department
O. Maltseva, restorer of the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Textiles and Water-Soluble Paintings N. Pinyagina, senior
research fellow of the Scientific and Technical Examination Department Ye. Mikolaichuk, research fellow of the Biological Control Laboratory O. Smolyanitskaya helped to restore the charter,
return it to academic circulation and make it fit for display.
Charter in the process of restoration
Pages of the Gospel book. Before restoration
The Gospel book. After restoration
the gospel book
The patches were applied without overlaying and stabilised on
both sides with square paper. After each page had been cleaned
from dust, adhering grime, wax drops and ingrained dirt in the
corners, it was subjected to water treatment to dilute the ingress
stains. Each page was first patched along the central folds and
then pressed. After it had dried, other losses were filled in and
tears stabilised. As a result, it was possible to conserve the inner
book without widening the back.
The restoration of the book was fully completed in the end of 2012.
eral stages with a gradual increase in chemical concentration.
These procedures resulted in counteracting the fading of the paper and the brown strip. So the backing paper was restored to its
original colour, which revealed the delicate watercolour drawings,
including the background, and increased the contrast with the natural colour of the paper. After the restoration, the watercolours
became fit for display; they were on shown as part of the exhibition
“The Thunder of 1812”.
Moscow, 1754. 458 pages
Printed paper. Binding: oak boards, velvet, brass fittings with gilding
and silvering. 30.0 × 19.5 × 10.0 cm
Restored by T. Grunina-Shkvarok, S. Kudriavtsev,
M. Matveyeva
The Gospel book was brought to the Laboratory in 2008. The restorers’ task was primarily to preserve the extant artefact as much
as possible with minimal interference. The examination showed
that preventative measures would not be sufficient. A book consists of the actual inner book (made of paper or parchment) and
the binding (wooden boards, cardboard, leather). This variety
of materials makes books difficult to conserve. In this case, two
labs were involved in restoration: the Laboratory for Restoration
of Graphic Works and the Laboratory for Restoration of Textiles,
which restored the velvet binding. The conservation of 458 paper
pages by the highly-qualified researcher M. Matveyeva was very
time-consuming.
The Gospels were in a poor state of preservation. The binding had
become detached from the heavy inner book (5.5 cm thick), while
the inner book itself was badly damaged by soaking. There were
water stains on all pages, the needlework had disintegrated (torn
cords and decayed threads), and individual pages were falling out.
The flyleaves made of white paper moire were covered in deeply
ingrained dirt, brown spots, stained by the red velvet, torn and
scratched. It is always difficult to work with paper moire because
the traditional mechanical method (using rubber or rubber dust)
is not very effective for removing dust and dirt from it, and water
destroys the pattern on the surface.
Such large books were usually carefully glued together, and the
ingress of water or other liquids caused the glue to dissolve and
to penetrate deep inside the inner book and glue individual quires
and even pages together. It is hard to take such books apart because of additional damage caused to the pages along the central
folds. Another challenge was caused by the inevitable thickening of the back if all the pages were patched in the same place.
In this case, paper thinner than that of the inner book was used.
98
Giuseppe Pietro Bagetti. The Emperor Napoleon Watches the Great Army
Cross the Neman on 23 June 1812. After restoration
giuseppe pietro bagetti (1764–1831)
the emperor napoleon watches the great army cross
the neman on 23 june 1812
Watercolour on paper. 50 × 80 cm, 60 × 90 cm (including margins)
the easter service in the allied camp
on 24 march 1814
Watercolour on paper. 50 × 80 cm, 60 × 90 cm (including margins)
Restored by O. Mashneva
Both the watercolours were received in a poor state of preservation. They must have been exposed to light for a long time –
the general uneven yellowing of the backing paper was in places
dark brown. There was a wide dark brown vertical strip around
15 cm wide in the middle of the pages over the image of the sky.
The uneven brown discoloration distorted the artist’s original colour scheme to the extent that the delicate layer of watercolour
paint was completely invisible, including the background white.
The main challenge faced by the restorers was undertaking the
full conservation cycle involving intensive water treatment on two
paired drawings of considerable size made in the same technique.
The restoration procedures had to be carried out simultaneously,
which made them more difficult.
The watercolours were backed on thick drawing paper stretched
on cardboard holders. The paper was separated from the holders, and the remaining glue was removed from the folded margins. The water and chemical treatment was applied in sev99
had been straightened out during restoration, but remained unstable. For a month, the drawing was pressed under controlled local
weight in order to stabilise it.
The restoration was complete and the drawing made fit for exhibition in quite a short time. Between May and November 2012,
it was displayed at “The Early Dürer” exhibition in Nuremberg.
After it was returned to the Hermitage, its state of preservation
was checked, especially that of the levelled sections with habitual
old deformities. The state of the drawing has remained unchanged.
At present, it is held at the Department of Western European Fine
Arts.
In 2012, the Hermitage restorer Ye. Rudakas was awarded the
Vladimir Potanin Grant “for contribution to the development of
the Hermitage” for the restoration of Michael Wolgemut’s drawing The Nativity.
michael wolgemut (1434–1519)
The nativity
Black ink, watercolour on paper. 42.4 × 31.8 cm
Restored by Ye. Rudakas
One of the few extant graphic works by Dürer’s teacher Michael
Wolgemut was sent to the Laboratory in spring 2012 ahead of the
exhibition “The Early Dürer” (Germanisches Nationalmuseum,
Nuremberg, Germany).
The drawing was badly stained, with multiple layers of dust along
the edges, with old, ingrained grime over the whole surface. There
were large brown water stains over the figures and background
in the top and bottom parts of the sheet. The drawing had been
torn in two and glued together horizontally, with edges of the two
parts overlaying each other and distorting the picture, which was
especially evident in the middle of the sheet. The paper was frail,
with many variously shaped tears and losses of paper, creases and
folds leading in different directions, abrasions on the upper layer
of the backing and the paint layer. On the reverse, there were numerous pasted horizontal strips of rag paper of varying thickness.
These had been pasted at different times, over one another, and
some of these pastings had been lost. An earlier insert connecting
the torn parts of the drawing was at the same time filling a loss of
the backing paper with part of the picture in the right-hand side
of the sheet. Early uneven layers of glue of varying thickness were
stretching the background paper and causing severe deformities:
creases, deep folds, which had become stable and habitual over
time.
In order to repair and stabilise the frail backing paper, it was necessary, first of all, to remove the multiple pasted strips of paper
and old glue. The restorer took into account the delicate technique
used in the drawing (ferro-gallic ink), the water-soluble nature of
the pigments and the general frail state of the paint. The technique used to produce the drawing would not allow to moisten the
sheet directly and required only conservative methods. To remove
the multiple pasted layers, these consisted in a flexible combina-
Restorer Ye. Rudakas working
100
A. Gnaut (from a drawing by Christian Wilhelm von Faber du Faur).
Napoleon’s Retreat from Moscow. 1831. Before restoration
26 lithographs painted with watercolours,
from drawings by Faber du faur
First half of the 19th century
32.0 × 52.0 cm
Restored by M. Gambalevskaya, O. Mashneva, N. Petushkova,
Ye. Rudakas, Ye. Tatarnikova, Ye. Shashkova
Michael Wolgemut. The Nativity. After restoration
tion of “dry” removal methods (by separation) and the application of warm water compresses and water solutions of methyl cellulose to selected areas in order to soften the old glue. After the
paper strips had been removed layer by layer, the reverse of the
drawing was revealed, which was completely covered in old glue.
The glue had penetrated deeply into the backing paper, completely saturating it in places and emerging on the front side as hard
yellow blobs.
It took many weeks of painstaking work to clear the surface of
the sheet of glue centimetre by centimetre, without causing any
damage to the delicate upper layer or thinning it out. Methods
of restricted moisturising were used, while the drawing was kept
on the restorer’s desk where the state of the paint layer was always
closely monitored. After clearing and local washing, the backing
paper proved to be frailer than it had looked during the visual examination. The drawing became visible on the reverse. In some
sections of the image, the backing paper was torn along the outlines and was in danger of falling out. The most weakened parts
of the backing were stabilised first, where the backing paper had
become too weak, torn, thin and frail. The losses were filled and
the numerous tears reinforced. The drawing was backed on a thin
sheet of Japan paper. The backing page also strengthened the frail
original backing paper and held in place the old deformities which
The album had originally belonged to the Strelna Palace library.
Christian Wilhelm von Faber du Faur was a German battle artist.
He served as a French colonel in Marshal Ney’s Сorps and took
part in the entire 1812 campaign. His series of drawings illustrating the war in Russia were engraved in 1827–1830 and published
as “Sheets from My Portfolio Sketched on the Spot during the
Campaign in Russia of 1812”. The album was reprinted several
times, and alongside the drawings by Albrecht Adam, it represents
one of the most valuable pictorial sources for the war of 1812.
26 sheets, damaged in various ways, form a single series, which
was in need of restoration because of its poor state of preservation
and because it needed to be prepared for the celebrations commemorating the historic events of 1812.
The album pages sent to the Laboratory contained lithographs
painted with watercolours, with some details drawn in gouache,
with varnish over the shadows. The backing paper had faded
in places, occasionally to a brown colour, with rectangular brown
spots in the upper section and large through areas of discolouration. There were many hard creases, patterned tears and losses
along the sheet edges. There were many stains of different origins over the whole surface, including deep foxing. The brittle
and fragile paper had suffered all the typical mechanical damage: deformation, hard creasing, bends, fixed distortion such as
wrinkling, cockling, folds, numerous tears and losses of backing
paper. The paint layer was damaged as well: there were abrasions
with pigment loss, following in most cases the areas of distortion
or creases.
It was necessary to neutralise the discolouration, grime and stains,
and to remove the disintegration products from the thin and brittle fine-fibred structure of the paper. Repeated careful and mild
chemical treatment of selected areas helped to achieve the desired
result. It was necessary to be especially careful when dealing with
101
A. Gnaut (from a drawing by Christian Wilhelm von Faber du Faur).
Napoleon’s Retreat from Moscow. 1831. After restoration
the sheets on which the watercolour was in some places covered by
a thin layer of water-soluble varnish. After the tears and creases
were stabilised by patches and glue, and after the losses were filled
in, the paper structure was reinforced by pasted patches and its
flexibility restored. The restorers managed to bring the 26 fine
prints back to life and to achieve uniformity as the end result
of their work. The series was prepared for display at “The Thunder
of 1812” exhibition.
Matthias Trentsensky. The Battle of Neumarkt, 24 April 1809.
After restoration
Matthias Trentsensky. The Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube, 8 March 1814.
After restoration
matthias trentsensky after l. von kleist
of the pictures had a robust layer of varnish. On the reverse side,
the lithographs were slightly faded with occasional spots and water stains. The front side had a strikingly bright and picturesque
colour scheme, but the state of the sky was a little “ambiguous”.
Where a glimpse of blue sky was meant to be seen between the
clouds, there were dark stains dotted with greyish-brown spots.
On one of the sheets, these stains were visible across the whole sky,
breaking through the gouache layer with varying intensity.
Before the start of restoration, L. Gavrilenko, head of the Laboratory for Physical and Chemical Methods of Examination of Materials at the Department of Examination and Authentication of
Works of Art, carried out some tests which identified the source of
the damage: the impact of the environment on the white lead paint
used by the artist. Over time, the fluctuations of temperature and
humidity, the lack of light, air pollution with sulphur- and chlorinecontaining compounds and other damaging factors had caused
the battle of neumarkt, 24 april 1809
Lithograph, gouache, watercolours, white pigment, varnish.
36.5 × 50 cm
the battle of arcis-sur-aube, 8 march 1814
Lithograph, gouache, watercolours, white pigment, varnish.
36.5 × 50 cm
Restored by Ye. Shashkova
The lithographs were sent to the restoration lab ahead of the exhibition “The Thunder of 1812”. They were identical in execution,
presentation and state of preservation. Lithographs with trimmed
margins were painted over in bright pastose watercolours with
white pigment and gouache, and the shadows in the lower part
Matthias Trentsensky. The Battle of Neumarkt, 24 April 1809. Detail.
Before restoration
102
Matthias Trentsensky. The Battle of Neumarkt, 24 April 1809. Detail.
After restoration
a change in the structure of white lead paint, producing the stains
which distort the image. The method of treating these stains was
based on the article by Sophie Lacore, first published by IPCRA in
January 2000 and successfully tested by our restorers in a similar
situation on a series of drawings by Vasily Sadovnikov. The main
challenge was presented by the areas showing the sky, which was
stained with numerous greyish-brown spots which had altered the
colour of the paint layer. On the front side, the areas of paint containing the greatest number of grey spots where the white lead had
faded were subjected to repeated treatment. It was applied for an
extended period of time, repeatedly and in stages, usually by contactless method, although some individual stains were subjected
to local treatment. Between the treatment sessions, the sheet had
to be well aired and some of its areas washed. An additional challenge was caused by the fact that the technique used (gouache,
watercolours, white paint, varnish) was not water-resistant, which
meant that any rash application of liquid could dilute the paint
layer, alter it or damage the varnish.
After the end of the conservation, the restorer Ye. Shashkova
managed to localise the damaging spread of dark stains. The paint
layer became clearer and the image of the sky became more consistent with the artist’s original concept.
OF SCULPTURE AND Semi-Precious STONEs
The Medici Vase. After restoration
Headed by S. Petrova
two medici vases
Russia, Peterhof Lapidary Factory, first half of the 19th century
Malachite, bronze; mosaic; casting, embossing, gilding
Height 177 cm, diameter at the top 132 cm
Restored by A. Androkhanov, K. Chervonenko
The restoration project was completed with the financial
support of individual members of the Hermitage
Friends’ Club
The so-called Medici krater vases, which are usually on display
in the Large Italian Skylight Hall in the New Hermitage, were
made at the Imperial Peterhof Lapidary Factory, one of the key
centres of artistic stone carving in Russia between the 18th and
early 20th century.
For a long time, both vases had been in a poor condition. The massive square plinths had lost many of their malachite plates and
were badly chipped and dented, with many traces left by previous
restoration and renovation attempts. The task of the restorers was
to stabilise the malachite plates and to fill in lost areas.
First of all, the places where the malachite plates had been lost
were cleared of wax, remnants of plasticine and stains. Then the
restorers selected malachite which matched the special characteristics and patterns of the plates used for the vase plinth. This was
a vase made of dark, “stripy” malachite with a symmetric pattern
of plates, so it was especially important to choose malachite of the
right tone. In order to fill in the losses on the vase with a “strip”
103
Before restoration. Part of the vase
After restoration. Part of the vase
statue of persephone
The miniature relief with The Annunciation scene, made of alabaster in the 16th century by an unknown Italian master, was sent for
restoration in 2010. There were traces of gilding on the protrud-
ing parts of the relief, and there were occasional traces of paint
in the deeper recesses. The work of art was in a disastrous state
and was not fit for display. The alabaster plate had been bent by
the deformation of the thin wooden board to which the relief was
bound with a thick layer of glue. There were many variously directed cracks over the whole surface of the relief, including vertical
cracks with considerable widening and occasional losses. The surface was considerably stained, with thick dust sediment in cracks
and recesses. The overlaying shaped sections of a wooden frame
were only preserved on top and on the left-hand side. The difficulty
lay in the need to clear the surface of the relief from the most aggressive stains carefully and slowly, preserving the traces of gilding and taking into consideration the potential shifting of small
fragments caused by numerous cracks.
In order to prevent the relief from disintegration and avoid new
cracks caused by the deformed backing, and to make the piece fit
for display, the Restoration Commission of the State Hermitage
decided to dismantle the relief. This was preceded by the investigation of the composition of the old glue, which ensured the success
of the operation.
The relief was carefully removed from the wooden board and, upon
consultation with the curator Ye. Karchyova, backed with reversible restoration glue onto a new foundation made of natural marble, which is a carbonate rock like alabaster, but is more durable
and therefore more fitting for the preservation of a thin and fragile item. The new foundation is a board which exactly replicates
the shape of the reverse side and size of the relief.
The Annunciation relief during cleaning
The Annunciation relief. After restoration
Statue of Persephone. Before restoration
pattern of mosaic plates, three different types of malachite were
used (of different colour and with different patterns). The malachite blocks were sawn into three-mm-thick plates matching the
size and direction of the patterns adjacent to lost areas. The selected malachite plates were cut to shape, put together in accordance with the original pattern, fitted and glued to the base.
The connecting seams, holes, and small losses were filled in using
“macadam” mastic made with natural resins and containing variously graded malachite grit. The areas of the restoration inlays
were then finished to match the original texture: the filled-in areas
were dressed and polished. The polishing was done using a canvas
bag stuffed full of cotton waste and a polishing paste made of sulphur, powdered tin and green crocus.
As a result of the restoration, the vases became fit for display;
their artistic image was restored and the danger of further damage to inlaid plates on the plinth was removed.
The annunciation relief
Italy, 16th century
Gilded alabaster. 12.8 × 10.3 cm
Restored by Ye. Andreyeva and A. Androkhanov
104
Second-century Roman copy of a Greek original from the 4th century BC
Marble. Height 210 cm
Restored by Ye. Andreyeva, V. Klur
The restoration project was completed with the financial
support of individual members of the Hermitage
Friends’ Club
The sculpture was acquired by the State Hermitage from the collection of Marquis Gian Pietro Campana in 1852. It was restored
in the 19th century; to the Classical female figure dressed in a long
chiton and himation was added the head of another ancient statue
wearing a diadem. There were many restoration additions in marble
and plaster: the nose, the chin, part of the diadem, the left eyebrow,
an inset on the left cheek, part of the neck, breast and shoulders
and part of the back, the left foot, the right foot with ankle and part
of the folds, the plinth. The numerous connecting seams between
the ancient parts and the later additions were stained, filled with
darkened wax and galipot mastic, the surface of the original marble was in places overlaid with stained plaster pastings. The surface of the marble was covered with uneven stains. In order to make
the statue fit for display, it was necessary to clear the surface of
stains and late plaster pastings, to modify the outlines of the old
restoration plaster additions, to clear and fill in the joining seams
between the original fragments and the multiple late fillings.
105
During cleaning
Ahead of the restoration, the state of preservation of this ancient
statue was subjected to a close study, which revealed numerous
traces of previous restorations. A detailed description of the artefact and its technique was made to be used in the preparation
of catalogues of the Department of Classical Antiquity.
Considering the composite nature of the stains on the surface
of the marble and the restoration additions, it took some time
to work out the cleaning methods. The surface of the statue was
cleared from persistent, uneven stains and spots of various origins
using the 1% surfactant solution and bristle brushes. After treatment, the surface was washed with distilled water and dried with
muslin. The surface of plaster additions was mechanically cleared
of many layers of dark mastic, using the dry method. The joining seams were cleared of yellow wax and galipot mastic using
cotton-wool compresses dipped in acetone. The time of application
was one to three minutes, until the mastic became softer. The old
plaster mastics were mechanically removed from the joints using
medical scalpels after first dampening the plaster with cottonwool tampons dipped in distilled water. The numerous stains of
the old dark-yellow mastic were removed from the surface of the
diadem, hair, face, neck, and cloak on the front using cotton-wool
compresses and isopropyl alcohol. The edges of late plaster additions were identified and corrected. The later plaster pastings
were removed from the surface of the original marble. The surface of plaster fragments was treated in order to refine the shape
and boundaries between the ancient part and the restoration additions. The mechanical method was used: plaster was removed
After restoration
from the marble surface with medical scalpels after dampening
with distilled water. The joints were filled with mastic based on the
10% isopropyl alcohol solution of PVB polymer mixed with white
marble dust and dry pigments (natural umber, light ochre, golden
ochre, soot). The mastic was applied layer by layer, with each layer polished after drying with fine-grain sandpaper. The surface of
plaster fragments was covered with mastic based on the 5% isopropyl alcohol solution of PVB mixed with white marble dust and
dry pigments. The surface of the plaster additions had been soaked
in 1% and 3% isopropyl alcohol solution of PVB. The mastic was
applied in layers, with intermediate finishing of each layer. This
finishing made it possible to tone and refine the shape of the restoration additions following the modelling, colour and texture of
the original marble.
The restoration made the sculpture fit for display and allowed it
to become a fuller embodiment of the technique and advances of
the time when it was created. The clearing of the surface revealed
the modelling of this ancient monument and the traces of early
restoration. The mastic and toning helped to unite the original
fragments and the plaster additions into a single visual whole.
programme of participation of the state hermitage
in restauro, salon of the art of restoration
and conservation of the cultural and environmental
heritage ferrara, italy
Programme coordinator: S. Petrova, Head of the Laboratory
for Scientific Restoration of Sculpture
and Semi-Precious Stones
The Restauro Salon of the Art of Restoration and Conservation of
the Cultural and Environmental Heritage is the largest specialised
exhibition in Italy dedicated to preserving historical and cultural
artefacts. It has been open since 1991.
In 2012, the State Hermitage Museum, along with the Hermitage • Italy Foundation participated in the international restoration forum in Ferrara for the second time. The form of participation has remained the same: an exhibit stand, master classes, and
a restoration research seminar. The Department of Scientific Restoration and Conservation was represented by the Laboratories for
Restoration of Easel Painting and Sculpture and Semi-Precious
Stones. Among the important moments during the event entitled
The Hermitage at the Restauro 2012 Salon was the presentation
of the completed restoration projects involving various Italian
works of art: Cima da Conegliano’s The Annunciation, and a tabletop with a Florentine mosaic entitled Lapis Lazuli Star. During
the preparation of the exhibit stand, the main emphasis was on
demonstrating practical working methods; the techniques for artistic finishing of malachite and the restoration methods used at
the State Hermitage were demonstrated during master classes
entitled “Russian Mosaics”.
The restoration research seminar, which was held on 30 March,
opened with a presentation by I. Artemieva, Senior Research
Fellow of the Department of Western European Fine Arts and
Director of the Research Committee at the Hermitage • Italy
Foundation, who spoke about The Annunciation, a canvas by the
great Venetian Renaissance master Giovanni Battista Cima da
Conegliano, one of the masterpieces of the picture gallery at the
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in the creation of works of applied and decorative art was of great
interest both to specialists and to a wider audience in Italy, where
that stone and Russian mosaic techniques are not as well known
as they are in Russia.
The participation in the work of the Restauro Salon makes it clear
that further involvement on the part of the Department of Scientific Restoration and Conservation would be extremely beneficial
and present opportunities for specialists to share their experience,
and to showcase an important aspect of the work of the State Hermitage: the restoration and conservation of its numerous exhibits
and collections.
participation of the state hermitage in the work
of the st. petersburg salon “cultural heritage:
preservation, restoration, renovation”
Master class “Russian Mosaics” given by the restorer A. Androkhanov
State Hermitage, which was acquired for the museum in 1886 as
part of the collection of the Princes Golitsyn. The presentation by
K. Kalinina, Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Examination and Authentication of Works of Art, was dedicated to the
technological study of the painting materials used in that piece,
the technique of transferring it to a new backing, and the materials used during its many previous restorations. She presented the
results of the study of the structure of pigments and paint layers,
methods of establishing the composition of the binding and filling
agents, and materials to be used in restoration. The presentation
by V. Korobov, Head of the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration
of Easel Painting, contained a detailed report on the restoration
process that helped The Annunciation to regain its original colour
scheme characteristic of the best pieces by Cima da Conegliano.
A Latin inscription was discovered at the bottom of the painting, which was all that remained of the artist’s signature. Its virtual reconstruction was also one of the results of the restoration
project.
The “Russian Mosaics” master class was organised by A. Androkhanov, a restorer at the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration
of Sculpture and Semi-Precious Stones. The specialists and visitors were shown a presentation of the technique of Russian mosaics based on models and replicas of items made from malachite.
The conservation work involved the use of natural malachite,
mastics and resins, as well as tools based on nineteenth-century
samples. A portable circular table for polishing malachite, custom-made for the laboratory in Russia, was set up at the stand.
All of this helped to present the techniques for the artistic finishing of stone and the approach to restoring the Hermitage items as
vividly and faithfully as possible.
Many visitors and participants were intrigued by the “Russian
Mosaics” master classes held non-stop on each day of the exhibition. A great deal of attention was attracted not only by the professional work of the Hermitage restorers, the high calibre of which
has been noted more than once, but the technology of malachite
inlay, which was compared to the traditional Italian Florentine
mosaics or the Roman stone inlays. Malachite as a material used
On 28–29 June 2012, the State Hermitage Museum participated in the work of the 6th Saint Petersburg Salon “Cultural
Heritage: Preservation, Restoration, Renovation”. The Salon
has been operating since 2007, and every year it presents organisations, institutions and companies engaged in preserving
historic and cultural monuments and training specialists in that
field. In 2012, the participants in the exhibition at the Popov
Central Museum of Communications were the State Hermitage
Museum, St. Petersburg State Museum of Urban Sculpture,
Academy of Fine Arts, Stieglitz Arts and Industry Academy,
St. Petersburg State University, State Research Institute for
Restoration, Union of Restorers of St. Petersburg and the city’s
restoration companies. The Salon was organised by Relikvia
(Restoration. Conservation. Museums) magazine with the support of the Union of Restorers of St. Petersburg. The 6th Cultural Heritage Salon was timed to coincide with a municipal
holiday, the Day of the Restorer, which has been celebrated on
1 July since 2006. The State Hermitage Museum is a constant
participant in the work of the Salon, where it presents the projects of the Department of Scientific Restoration and Conservation. For many years, the museum’s stand has been home to master classes on the use of laser technology in jewellery restoration
presented by I. Malkiel, the head of the Laboratory for Scientific
Restoration of Precious Metals.
The Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Sculpture and SemiPrecious Stones (headed by S. Petrova) participated in the work
of the 2012 Cultural Heritage Salon. The participants and visitors at this exhibit were shown various restoration projects that
have been completed in the laboratory, along with video clips
on the restoration of Vladimir Beklemishev’s sculptural group
Fugitive Slave and works of decorative and applied art made of
malachite in the State Hermitage Museum. The video clips were
prepared by S. Morozov, the senior electronics specialist of the
Electronic Editions Preparation Sector (headed by I. Melnikova). A. Androkhanov, a restorer at the Laboratory for Scientific
Restoration of Sculpture and Semi-Precious Stone, held master classes entitled “Russian Mosaics”, in which he presented
the traditional technique of manufacturing decorative objects
from malachite, recreated on the basis of archival sources, research and experimentation. The technology of artistic finishing
of malachite underwent further development and was adapted
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to the restoration of applied and decorative art. The mastery
of the Russian mosaics technique make it possible to complete
restoration tasks such as restoring and stabilising mosaic compositions, stabilising pasting mastics without causing any impact
to the malachite inlay itself. The mastery of historical methods
and approaches to working with malachite makes it possible to
recreate the artist’s original concept and to make exhibits fit for
display again. This practice is relevant in terms of contemporary restoration principles because the use of materials compatible with the original makes restoration procedures reversible.
The informational materials on the restoration of sculpture and
decorative stone items, as well as the master classes attracted
a great deal of interest from many participants and visitors to
the exhibit, specialists, students and graduates of relevant educational institutions.
of applied art objects
Headed by A. Bantikov
sculpture of an arhat
China, 11th century
Ceramic. Height 75 cm
Restored by N. Borisova
The sculpture of an Arhat, along with other ceramic sculptures,
was discovered in the early 19th century in the mountain caves
next to the burials of the Qing Dynasty Emperors (1644–1911),
approximately 130 km away from Beijing. Many figures were
broken or fragmented when found; the well-preserved sculptures
were soon removed from China to many private collections and
museums in North America and Europe. Scholars believe that the
sculptures were made in the 11th century and note their expressive
power in portraying the arhats.
One of these remarkable masterpieces is at the State Hermitage
Museum, and it was sent for restoration in 2011. The surface was
covered with a thick layer of soil and natural stains and restoration mastics. The glazed surface was partly lost at the back of the
head and the left arm. The right arm with part of the shoulder
had been recreated using a hard dark substance with a partially
preserved ornament in the lower part of the addition. The artefact had many deep cracks on the inside. The restoration additions had been covered with loess. On the inside, it is easy to see
how the sculpture was made: a dummy made of bamboo stalks
was bound by cords and then covered in a rough layer of red
clay, followed by the finishing white layer and glazing. Chemical tests have established the nature of soil deposits and restoration mastics and glues. The archaeological deposits formed
a thin hard layer, mainly made up of chlorides and sulphates
(plaster) of low water solubility. Test clearings showed that the
green glazing imitating the Arhat’s body was very thin and full
of tiny cracks. The chipped sections at the back of the head and
ear show that the ceramic layer under the glazing was rather
During a previous restoration, the head was stabilised from inside using the same substance as for the new arm, and fixed in
place with lead pins. The same pins were used to pull together the
edges of the deep cracks on the shoulder and back. The surface of
the glazing around the glued seams and the pins, especially on the
Arhat’s neck, was covered in small craquelure and chipped. Since
the presence of lead pins posed no danger for the ceramics, it was
decided to leave them in place. In the lower part of the drapery
over the shoulder, the thick layer of mastic was concealing a production flaw.
After the above conservation procedures were completed, the
question was whether to reconstruct the Arhat’s shoulder. When
the added arm was removed, it was revealed that this reconstruction was very different from the original. Glazed ceramic was discovered under the addition, while the small extant fragments of
the arm suggest that it would have been raised and pointing to the
side; these fragments were not substantial enough to suggest the
exact gesture. The search for analogues did not turn up anything
comparable. Various reconstruction options were developed on
the computer. After all of these were considered, the Restoration
Commission decided not to reconstruct the arm but to provide partial filling to the lost sections of back and shoulder. These patches
were made of plaster.
At the moment, the restored sculpture has been returned to its
proper place in the new display on the Art of China.
Sculpture of an Arhat. Before restoration
Sculpture of an Arhat. After restoration
Black-figure amphora. Detail. Before restoration
black-figure amphora
Attica, c. 530 BC
Ceramic. Height 38 cm
fragile and brittle. The previous restorers had filled the deep
holes with a substance made from wax and natural resin, which
was also used to fill in the less deep and substantial losses on the
surface of the bust. The added section of the shoulder was made
of a very hard brown-grey substance based on wax and natural
resin. It was not clear what the addition would have looked like
originally; unfavourable conditions such as raised temperatures
could have caused the resin and wax to soften and the shoulder
to slide downwards. Judging by the fact that the sculptures of the
arhats were not discovered until the early 19th century and that
the substances used in the restoration were unknown in Europe
at the time, it can be surmised that the sculpture had undergone
restoration in China.
The State Hermitage Restoration Commission adopted a restoration programme which included the clearing of the surface of the
sculpture and the removal of all restoration additions.
The removal of the late arm part proved to be very labour-intensive, as it was necessary to work by small sections, approximately
4 × 4 cm. The fragment undergoing treatment was heated by
means of a Leister hot air generator to the temperature of 70–
80°С, and then the softened substance was removed with a scalpel
layer by layer. It took several minutes for the mass to harden, so
the softening process had to be started all over again. After the
addition had been removed, a through crack was discovered in the
lower part of the torso. The crack at the shoulder also proved to
be penetrating, and so a large ceramic fragment had been mounted under the shoulder on molten wax and resin mass. Since the
removal of this fragment could have caused mechanical damage
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to the object, the Restoration Commission decided to leave this
construction in situ.
The use of chemical solvents and acids was considered to be inappropriate, so the removal of hard surface stains and restoration
layers was carried out by means of a drill with rubber nozzles.
After the surface had been cleared of stains and restoration additions, it turned out that the head of the Arhat was a fragment of
a sculpture rather than a bust as it had been previously believed.
Removing the added part of the arm
Restored by T. Shlykova
The reporting year saw the end of the restoration of the remarkable example of ancient pottery – an Attic black-figure amphora
painted in the manner of the Antimenes painter, which arrived at
the State Hermitage as part of the collection of Marquis Gian Pietro Campana in 1862. The painting on the A side represents Dionysus with his retinue, and on the B side a chariot with warriors.
The vase was in need of restoration because of its unstable state
which was not fit for display. It has been preserved as a collection
of many fragments glued together; the glue had lost its properties.
The inside of the vessel was covered with a layer of plaster, and
the outside had been repainted extensively, so the restorers were
faced with a difficult challenge of uncovering the original surface
of the artefact.
After soaking in warm water, the amphora fell into fragments, and
these were cleared of extraneous elements (plaster, mastic, and
burned clay), which had doubtless been made specially for the restoration of the vase. Thus, the extent of the losses became apparent and was evaluated as insignificant: all in all, 180 fragments
had been preserved. The clearing of the repainting showed that
it covered a significant area of well-preserved original painting.
In order to ensure a precise and stable fit, the edges of the fragments were carefully cleared of the remnants of old glue.
The test for the presence of water-soluble chlorine salt was positive. The overlay paint, which was the most vulnerable element
of the decoration, was stabilised ahead of the desalination in order
to prevent potential peeling. The insoluble salt rinds were removed
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Black-figure amphora. During restoration. Dismantled
potential for a precise and objective study and attribution of the
amphora. The vase became fit for display and can become an original and valuable item in the exhibition of Attic pottery.
stained glass with the picture of empress
maria theresa
Bremen, 1774
Restored by Ye. Krylova
A comparatively rare example of eighteenth-century stained glass,
with exceptionally high-quality painting. The stained glass panel
was based on a copper engraving, and the artist tried to reproduce
the engraving technique as closely as possible by applying black
grisaille using the Schwarzlot technique. The portrait of the Empress is painted in brushstrokes of varied intensity, with a quill and
brushes, with slight toning.
Before restoration, the stained glass, which consists of one pane
painted in the Schwarzlot technique (26.5 × 39.2 cm), had been
broken into 21 pieces, with two fragments missing. There were
through holes in the joints between the broken fragments in three
places. The edges of the glass were chipped, with losses and abrasions of the paint layer. The lead frame was missing. Some of the
broken fragments had been glued together by previous restorers,
and there were remnants of glue on the separate pieces of glass.
The glue on all the glass fragments had cracked and yellowed.
The edges of the three central panes and one side pane of the
panel had evidently been treated with a needle-point file, which
created a gap between these panes and the glass segment on the
side. The through holes had been filled in with yellow-brown glue.
One pane had also been made to replace a lost fragment; it bore
remnants of brown toning in cold paints. There was also a piece
of yellow glass which had been pasted in over the largest of the
holes.
The tests to determine the composition of the old glue and cold
paint on the glass were carried out by O. Novikova, Ph.D., Senior
Research Fellow of the Examination and Authentication of Works
of Art Department and showed that the glue was an old (degraded)
animal glue, and that the paint consisted of a natural pigment
ground on an oil and resin binding agent. It was decided to remove
the glue in the places where it had lost its properties and to replace
one lost fragment with a new one, with toning in glass ink and
burning in a muffle furnace.
The stained grass panel was disassembled, the glass cleared of old
glue. Then, the broken glass was glued together using PVB-based
restoration glue. A new pane was made and put in place where the
original had been lost. The holes were filled in with mastic based
on the same glue. A new lead frame was made.
The stained glass panel is scheduled to be displayed at the Russian
Restoration Exhibition at the Hermitage in 2014.
Table-top decoration shaped as an elephant surrounded
by eight dancing figures. After restoration
Black-figure amphora. After restoration
with a mild solution of citric acid. Water-soluble chlorine compounds were removed from the pores of the ceramic by lengthy
soaking of the fragments in warm water and repeated drying; the
fragments were then stabilised after desalination.
The vase was pieced together by the method of building up the
walls from the foot up, fragment after fragment. The challenge of
this work, in addition to the great number of fragments and thinness of the walls, was presented by the fact that the edges of many
fragments had been filed (the clearing revealed numerous chisel
traces on the edges). The neck was pieced together separately, in
parallel with the body. The fragmented handle was also assembled
separately. As a result, there were four large blocks: the foot, body
and shoulders, the neck, and two handles. The next stage, dictated
by convenience and hence by the safety of the artefact, consisted
in filling in the losses and applying mastic to the joints on the large
assembly blocks of the amphora. Then, they were finally glued together, and mastic was applied to the joints. The losses along the
joints in the dark areas (figures of horses, pattern elements on the
foot and neck) were toned so that they blended with the colour of
the lacquer. The final stage of the restoration involved stabilising
the tone and the whole surface of the vessel.
As a result of the restoration, the original material was cleared of
destructive salts, stabilised, its surface cleared of extensive stains
and sediments, the boundaries of the lost areas were established,
the original painting uncovered, which provides considerable new
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table-top decoration shaped as an elephant
surrounded by eight dancing figures
Silver, wood. Height 65 cm; diameter 59 cm
Restored by A. Bantikov, A. Karpechenkov, M. Subbotina,
A. Chulin
Stained glass panel showing Empress Maria Theresa.
After restoration
The artefact was partially dismantled when it was sent for restoration (two porcelain figurines, cups, cup baskets; 21 elements all
in all).
The silver elements had been partly deformed, covered in sulphides, abraded and scratched. The silver holders which held the
porcelain figurines in place on a moving disk had lost some of their
prongs (27 in total), there were cracks and tears over the whole
surface. Many of the fittings had been lost. The inner wooden
frame was falling apart into separate planks. Four bronze legs
were covered in corroded deposits.
The Restoration Commission decided to replace the lost prongs,
which were up to 0.2–0.3 mm thick at the base. A special challenge was presented by the impossibility of using an abrasive tool
in order to straighten and combine the bases of the prongs and
newly-made parts. The necessity of replacing the holders required
a combination of the Power Laser 2 tool with welding, using several welding spots and a burner in order to fill in the uneven areas,
using the PSr 40 solder.
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Another challenge was to make the old and newly-made prongs
similar in texture and colour and the necessity to engrave the
mounted prongs.
The work was completed within a short period of time in full compliance with the restoration task, to a high professional standard.
sculpture sleeping cupid with an arrow
1769, model by I.H. Xavery from a 1765 original,
mixture made by A. Chernov
medallion with a portrait of empress catherine
the great
1780s – early 1790s; model by J.D. Rachette based on a marble
original by F. Shubin
allegorical sculptural group free love
1802; model by J.D. Rachette, moulded by F. Subbotin
Restored by N. Bolshakova, K. Lavinskaya
In the reporting year, some pieces of early unglazed porcelain
were restored for the exhibition “Antique Style in Russian Imperial Porcelain in the Second Half of the 18th Century” from
OF OBJECTS MADE OF ORGANIC MATERIALS
Headed by Ye. Mankova
horse mask with the head of a wild sheep
Altai, Pazyryk burial mound No. 2, 5th – 4th century BC
Restored by Ye. Chekhova
In the reporting year, the horse mask from the archaeological collection of Pazyryk finds was restored for the exhibition “Nomads
of Eurasia on the Road to Empire” (Kazan, the Hermitage • Kazan Centre).
The horse headdress with a head of a wild ram from mound
No. 2 was fragmented and had undergone emergency assembly.
It is a felt sheet that was placed on a horse’s head. The felt head
of a wild ram was placed between the ears, and a felt figure of
a bird was fastened on top of it with wooden pins; the felt was
overlaid with leather. Judging by a set of holes, the mask was held
in place on the horse’s head by laces. The leather which used to
overlay all the felt parts was partially and unevenly preserved.
Some of the fragments had retained their elasticity and flexibility,
but for the most part, the leather was fragile, faded, peeling and
crumbling at the edges, partly gelatinised with rigid and irreversibly creased areas. The felt was also in various stages of preservation; some of the felt was crumbling to dust (hair segments
of different length). The structure which held the mask in place
was only partially extant.
The emergency assembly of the fragments was probably carried
out in the 1940s or 1950s; there are no records to support this.
Since all the felt parts had multiple tears and shredded areas, the
sheet forming the base of the mask was backed on patches of thin
silken cloth with different types of glue. The glue helped to preserve the sheet as a single whole and to stop the crumbling of the
felt, but the glued areas had become rigid and lost their flexibility.
Horse mask with a wild sheep head. After restoration
Allegorical sculpture Free Love.
Unglazed porcelain. 37.8 × 31.5 × 25.9 cm. After restoration
Horse mask with a wild sheep head. Before restoration
The extant leather fragments had been glued to a bobbin-net backing and also stitched with threads of different colours and thickness. The whip stitching of the leather fragments had created additional holes and further weakened the fragile edges. The glues
had turned into a rigid film which further distorted the leather.
They were hard to remove and adhered strongly to the surface of
the leather fragments. The bobbin net used as a backing material
for the leather pieces had been stitched to the felt in crude, highly
visible stitches. The bobbin net used for backing also had a prominent texture and colour which added further queries to the understanding of the original material.
The restorers needed to create a base to replace the absent
structure, which would help to bring all the parts together and
facilitate the storage and display of the mask and provide additional protection from mechanical impact. The examination
showed that it was impossible to separate the felt from the old
glue, as the shredded areas were completely saturated with
glue. Mechanical removal of the glue would only lead to further deterioration and losses. It was only possible to stabilise
the damaged areas by patching the mobile tears using additional
backing as the base. The old whip stitches on small tears in the
felt in places where it was well preserved were replaced with
stitches made within the material and so nearly invisible. It was
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Sculpture Sleeping Cupid with Arrow.
Unglazed porcelain. 18 × 52 × 24 cm. After restoration
Medallion with the portrait of Empress Catherine the Great.
Unglazed porcelain. 3.2 × 27 cm. After restoration
the “Christmas Gift” series. These were made in the last third
of the 18th century, the time of experiments with the composition
of porcelain mixture used for making sculptural pieces. The composition was varied, so that even the products of the same period
can differ greatly. The early porcelain mixtures are very vulnerable and sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity, which
influences their state of preservation and presents challenges for
restorers.
An individual restoration programme was drawn up for each
of the exhibits. The Free Love sculpture was in need of a complex cleaning: compresses with different solvents in combination
with cleaning by steam generator. Cleaning early unglazed porcelain is a long and time-consuming task which requires constant
monitoring and close attention on the part of the restorer. Using
a steam generator produces a good effect because it helps moisture to evaporate quickly from the pores of the pottery, since excessive humidity is damaging for this type of porcelain.
The restoration of the sculpture of Cupid with an arrow started
with the removal of surface stains and earlier restoration materials by means of a steam generator. Then, compresses were used to
discolour the halo effect on the pottery caused by the individual
characteristics of the mixture and the technology used to make
this piece. After the cleaning, the cracks were stabilised and lost
fragments filled in.
In order to remove the stains from the medallion with the portrait of Catherine the Great, the restorers used filter paper pulp
soaked in distilled water. This lengthy process, which required repeated changes of paper and application of solvent compresses,
was closely monitored by the restorer.
The result of the restoration effort was the availability of these
unique pieces for display and publication. The medallion with the
portrait of Catherine the Great was published in the exhibition
catalogue for the first time. Working with this group of items gave
the restorers a unique experience of conserving early Russian unglazed porcelain.
decided to remove nearly all the s titching from the leather fragments, especially since it was impossible to identify any traces
of the original material connecting felt and leather. Nearly all
the bobbin net which stabilised the leather fragments was left
in place, especially in areas where the leather was securely held
by the glue. Moreover, the bobbin net served as an intermediate
layer between leather and felt. The crude stitches which bound
the bobbin net to the felt were replaced with less visible stitches
with minimal tension in the thread. Where the leather fragments
were easy to remove from the old backing, they were disassembled, most of the old glue was removed, and the leather was
made more pliable, and deformities were rectified, after which
the leather was reattached to the old bobbin-net backing. The
old bobbin net was covered with mastic which masked its characteristic texture.
The mask was found in a flattened state. The felt retained creases
and traces of flattening. In order to remove these folds and to fix
the ears and ram’s head in a vertical position, it was necessary
to back the internal part of these felt sections at the base. The specially made stand made it possible to bring together all the parts
of the mask. The stand was made at the Laboratory for Scientific
Restoration of Furniture by the restorer V. Gradov.
As a result of the repeat restoration, the mask has regained its
original shape.
Objects from this period and in such a state of preservation, using
the technique of painted lacquer and decorated with gilded bronze
and glass inlays are very rare in the museums of the world. The box
is a unique exhibit and has a huge research and artistic value.
archaeological artefacts
Restored by T. Baranova, N. Vasilieva, Ye. Mankova, M. Michri,
K. Nikitina, Ye. Chekhova
Box with a lid. After restoration
box with a lid
China, Western Han, 206 BC – 9 AD
Veneer wood, foundation, textile, brown and red lacquer, bronze, gilding,
glass, inlay. Height 4.7 cm; diameter 5.5 cm
Restored by M. Michri
This object is an archaeological find which has analogues in the
lacquer items found in Han burials, in artefacts from Mawangdui,
Changsha. It is a rare and expensive item which is two thousand
years old. The box has a typical cylindrical shape and is richly
decorated: there are painted patterns on the lacquer and bronze
gilded overlays. These boxes were traditionally used by rich women belonging to Chinese aristocracy.
The object was in a disastrous state, deformed and partly disintegrated. The lid had sustained the most damage; the box,
which was nearly fully covered by the lid, was better preserved.
The material was extremely fragile, and part of the lid had been
lost. The lacquer was peeling away from the foundation, there
was close-netted craquelure with raised edges and scaling; there
were many losses and corroded crumbling areas. On the surface,
there were various deposits, stains, oxide spots; it was impossible to see the pattern and the decoration. When it came to the
Laboratory, the box was wrapped in kraft paper and packed in
a cardboard box to protect it from UV exposure. It must have
suffered from the impact of temperature and humidity fluctuations, which had a negative effect on its state of preservation.
The insufficient humidity could have caused the lacquer to crack,
disintegrate and fall apart.
The restoration was preceded by technical and technological investigation of the structure of the object, its decoration and degree of damage it had sustained. Materials were identified and
microscopic photos taken. These tests revealed that the box had
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Lid. During restoration
been made using traditional methods. The combined techniques
and uneven state of preservation called for an individual approach to working out the correct conservation method. Variedconcentration PVB and alcohol solutions were used as the stabilising material for conservation. Its use had a positive effect
on stabilising the craquelure on the lacquer and made it possible
to avoid using different glues but apply the same solution to conserve both the foundation and the decorative elements. The work
resulted in stabilisation and conservation of the foundation, the
lacquer, the metal, gilding; the stains and oxides were removed,
the separate fragments pieced and glued together. The weak areas were given a new backing. The losses in the foundation were
partially filled in to give the box a stable mechanical structure
and make it fit for display.
The restoration stopped the disintegration of the artefact and revealed the decorative elements: the inlay and painted patterns;
well-preserved gilding became visible on the bronze elements;
there were remnants of a cosmetic preparation inside the box.
The cleaning of the top of the lid revealed a special feature of its
décor: it turned out that the corroded rind had concealed an inlay
made of glass cabochons imitating cornelian and bronze.
The restoration of exhibits for the display “Nomads of Eurasia
on the Road to Empire” started nearly a year before it was due
to open. The Laboratory received over 80 archaeological artefacts made of bone, horn, wood, lacquer, leather, birch bark and
various combinations of different organic materials. The task was
made more difficult by the fact that the majority of these items
were made of bone, which is one of the hardest organic materials
to conserve. Moreover, there were some artefacts from the Aimyrlyg burial (Central Tuva) which had only recently been accepted by
the State Hermitage and many of which had never been touched
by restorers before.
These objects included unique archaeological finds: hoops, clasps,
combination holders, beads; finely carved pendants with decorations depicting predators and their prey woven together in intricate patterns; a cylindrical holder consisting of two parts with inserts decorated with carved images of a feline predator tearing at
a hoofed animal. The unique and delicate nature of these object determined the techniques used to restore them. They were cleaned
of soil deposits layer by layer, using a microscopic tampon under
a microscope, and the intricate carvings were gradually revealed.
Some of the objects required soaking in conservation materials
or stabilisation of cracks with mastic.
Among the most challenging tasks was the restoration of four
parts of a belt made of horn (2nd century AD, Aimyrlyg burial
XXXI). The horn had cracked in many places and was porous
and brittle on the inside. The material was stabilised after many
saturations. Another interesting object was an amulet, probably
made of a piece of broken lacquer cup, which was cleaned to reveal ornamental stripes made in red lacquer over a glossy black
background. The lacquer had not lost its characteristic sheen
and durability. The same collection included two wooden cups,
a cylindrical vessel made of thin wooden laths, two baskets made
of birch bark. The wood of the cups was excessively dry, light,
and porous. The birch bark baskets retained traces of old glue,
and their surface had an uncharacteristic sheen. The glue that
came to the surface as a result of drying processes was causing
the upper layer of the bark to twist. This old glue was removed
from the whole surface, and the tears and scaling areas were
stabilised.
Some of the objects which were undergoing restoration had long
been kept in the Hermitage storage areas: bone bridle beads from
the 7th century BC, the tip of a psalium, a fortune-telling plate
and engraved wooden clasp from the Ivolginskoye site (1st century BC – 1st century AD); objects from the burials of Tuekta,
Bashadar and Pazyryk, including a horn from a horse mask decorated with tiger figurines, plaques shaped as rosettes which used
to decorate the edges of a saddle cloth, with gold foil ornaments.
These objects were cleared of stains, traces of old glue, their
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Appliqué figure of a tiger with deer antlers – a saddlecloth decoration.
6th – 5th century BC. Leather. 12 × 13 cm. After restoration
Bead carved in the image of a boar’s head. 6th – 3rd century BC.
Horn. 3.7 × 2.5 cm. After restoration
Belt elements. 2nd century B.C.
Horn. 16.6 × 2.8; 16.6 × 2.5; 7.2 × 5.6; 7 × 5.6 cm. After restoration
obile parts were stabilised, tears and peeling foil fixed in place.
m
The objects from the Sarkel site (9th – early 10th century) were
also sent for repeat restoration: the old glue had deteriorated,
the parts which had been glued together had come apart, and the
mastic had crumbled away in places. Among others, there was an
ornamental sickle holder made of bone.
The leather appliqué objects from the Pazyryk mounds were also
sent for restoration ahead of the exhibition: there was delicate
lace appliqué depicting beasts and birds, and decorations cut out
of very thin leather. These objects are very hard to preserve, as
the leather tends to buckle during storage, with small tears and
damaged areas caused by movement. After a discussion, the Restoration Commission decided to place them between two plexiglass sheets that could be pressed closer together or loosened with
clamps. The restorers mounted and stabilised these items for display and further storage.
Embroidered picture. Detail. Before restoration
Freemason clasp. Before restoration
of textiles
Embroidered picture. After restoration
Headed by M. Denisova
freemason clasp
was masked with similar material. Embroidery elements (sequins,
metal thread, artificial pearls, etc.) were stabilised in the same
places using the original technique.
28 × 36 cm
Restored by T. Grunina-Shkvarok
Ahead of the exhibition “The Wisdom of Astraea: Freemasonry
in the 18th and First Third of the 19th Century – Objects from the
Hermitage Collection”, the clasp was taken apart, cleaned by
the dry and then by the humid method, stabilised on a stretcher
when still moist, and dried; the deformities and leather shrinkage were removed. The object was restored to its original size.
The metal elements were cleaned at the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Precious Metals. The lining was backed on
silk by thermal pressing using polyamide fibre. The ribbons were
untangled, backed on toned silk gauze. The clasp was reassembled. Fragments of the blue ribbon were straightened, backed on
blue rib cloth. The rosette was reassembled following original
folds. On the star, the inscription reading “30 July 1815” was
uncovered.
embroidered picture
73 × 81 cm
Embroidered picture. Detail. After restoration
felt carpet
Noin-Ula, late 1st century BC – early 1st century AD
Restored by M. Tikhonova
The carpet, which was to be included in the permanent display at
the Oriental Department, was cleaned with a restoration hoover.
Old darning, backing cloths, pattern additions were removed.
Deformities were straightened using a marble press. The loose
Freemason clasp. After restoration
Freemason clasp. Ribbon. Before restoration
Restored by M. Denisova, Ye. Taravkova
The embroidery was cleaned in the water solution of Zhemchuzhnaya detergent, after the painted elements had been stabilised
in 2% solution of Ftorlon 42; the surviving lacquer fragments
over foil were stabilised with PBMA. The embroidery was fully
backed on cotton cloth using restoration stitches. The lost satin
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Freemason clasp. Ribbon. After restoration
Felt carpet during cleaning
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Felt carpet. After restoration
OF furniture
elements (appliqué) were fixed. Cuts, tears and losses of the
woollen and silk textiles were attached to toned woollen backing.
The silk lining of the rim was doubled on cotton sheet by thermal
pressing. The connecting seams were stabilised and the felt layer
filled in where it had been lost.
Headed by V. Gradov
ebony cabinet
France. 17th century
funerary drape
Restored by A. Kashcheyev
Noin-Ula, late 1st century BC – early 1st century AD
Restored by L. Loginova, A. Ryadova
The drape, which was to be included in the permanent display
at the Oriental Department, was taken apart into separate fragments. The backing muslin was removed wherever possible and left
in place in the most damaged areas. The fragments were cleaned
using the wet method and the Zhemchuzhnaya detergent, then
stretched to dry in order to remove deformities. During the water treatment, some fragments were cleaned of cotton netting and
glue, the fragments were stretched to dry.
Backing cloths were prepared for the drape. The backing started
from the lower rim of the drape, with fragments laid on the backing cloth one by one. The drape was attached to the backing cloth
in matching thin single thread using restoration stitching and following the direction of warp and weft. The embroidery threads
were stabilised.
Funerary drape. After restoration
The cabinet consists of two parts: the cabinet proper and the
base. The need for restoration was mostly caused by the considerable weakening of the base which carries the weight of the cabinet (around 300 kilos). The great amount of work meant that
the restoration was divided into two stages; the restoration of
the base was started in the first quarter of the reporting year. Investigations revealed that the structure no longer served its purpose because of the wearing out of glue layers and considerable
damage caused by wood-fretter. The structure was completely
dismantled following the joints. The carved ebony figures were
also separated into parts, and the old glue was removed from the
joints. After filling in the losses, the figures were glued together
again. An additional structure was fixed to the lower part of the
base, which will ultimately take most of the weight of the heavy
upper part.
Restorers at work. The stabilising process
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black lacquer chinese cabinet
China. 18th century
Restored by V. Kashcheyev
The restoration of the cabinet was completed in the fourth quarter of the reporting year. The challenges were caused by the many
extended cracks (15–20 cm long) in the frame under the lacquer
painting. These were caused by the disintegration of the compensation layer which had originally consisted of plant fibres and
animal glue, which were traditionally used in China to counteract
the movement of the wooden frame. The situation was further aggravated by the fact that the cabinet had undergone restoration
in the 19th century. This repair involved the making of a new drop
leaf and several drawers. The lost areas of the original foundation
were filled in using the European technique (chalk), while imitation painting was used for losses in the original painting over
gold. The same imitators also painted over all the painted surfaces. The investigations and test clearings revealed that the original
eighteenth-century painting, covered by the nineteenth-century
repainting, was still over 80% extant. It was decided to uncover
it as much as possible rather than to present small uncovered areas, and to leave areas of nineteenth-century repainting only where
the original had been totally lost. The work by V. Kashcheyev was
highly praised by the Restoration Commission.
the hermitage restoration school
The training session on “Restoring Museum Pieces Made of Leather” was held as part of the Hermitage Restoration School Programme. It was organised on the basis of the Sverdlovsk Regional
Local History Museum (SRLHM) in Yekaterinburg. The training
was provided by the high-category restorer Ye. Chekhova (Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Objects Made of Organic Materials, Department of Scientific Restoration and Conservation, the
State Hermitage). The training session was attended by eight staff
members of Yekaterinburg, Ural and Western Siberian museums.
Seven of them had already undergone preliminary training in the
“Basics of Restoring Museum Pieces Made of Leather, Including
Archaeological Artefacts” in 2011.
The attendees presented their reports of the work done independently over the previous year and discussed the questions they had.
The practical part of the session focused on the methods of removing stains, clearing ethnographic leather artefacts and objects of
applied art. The restorers used the time of the session to complete
a restoration task, namely the removal of stains from seventeen
ethnographic pieces from the SRLHM collection. This system of
training sessions – from basic methods to more detailed practical
work – had been highly commended in the past. There are plans
to revisit this area in three or four years’ time to discuss the independent projects undertaken by the participants in the meanwhile.
In November 2012, the Third International Conference “The Hermitage Restoration School. 15 Years of Cooperation: Conclusions
and Prospects” was held at the SRLHM (Municipal Society Hall,
46 Malysheva St.; Library, 69/10 Lenina Pr.). The conference was
attended by the restorers from the Department of Scientific Restoration and Conservation and research fellows from the State Hermitage, SRLHM, and other museums of the Ural region.
The conference was opened with addresses by A. Badayev, Minister for Culture of the Sverdlovsk Regional Administration,
O. Gubkin, Deputy Minister for Culture of the Sverdlovsk Region,
V. Matveyev, Deputy Director of the State Hermitage responsible
for exhibitions and development, N. Vetrova, General Director
of the Sverdlovsk Regional Local History Museum, S. Adaksina,
Deputy Director of the State Hermitage, Chief Curator. The State
Hermitage restorers presented fifteen papers at the academic
sessions of the conference on various issues of conservation and
restoration, art history, and museum storage. The conference was
concluded with a round table “The Hermitage Restoration School:
Conclusions and Prospects”, which analysed the results of many
years of work at the school, the assistance provided to the colleagues in the Urals in preparing exhibitions, preserving the collections in museum storage areas. The future prospects of the
programme were also outlined, and times and topics suggested
for future training sessions. Moreover, the problems of technical
equipment of the Ural restoration workshops and the necessity
to resume the work of the State Attestation Commission for all
restorers were also touched upon. The conference confirmed the
viability and demand for the programme and the “handing down”
of professional experience. A collection of papers was published
after the conference.
Between 1997 and 2012, 30 training sessions were held as part of
the Hermitage Restoration School Programme. Over 100 restorers from different Russian regions and towns underwent training
in the SRLHM workshops: Yekaterinburg, Verkhoturie, Revda,
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PUBLICATIONS
JJ
Publications of 2012
COLLECTION CATALOGUES
Belgian and Dutch Painting. 19th – 20th Centuries. Collection catalogue. By Boris Asvarishch.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers, 2012. – 192 pp. Ills.
The catalogue comprises all the works by Belgian and Dutch artists of the 19th – early 20th centuries
kept in the Hermitage collection, considered the best among the collections of its kind outside these
countries. It includes works by the most outstanding masters of that period, namely Louis Gallait, Hendrick Leys, Ferdinand de Braekeleer, Alfred Stevens, Joseph Stevenson, Barend Cornelis Koekkoek,
Herman ten Kate et al. A number of paintings are published for the first time.
Opening of the Third International Conference
“The Hermitage Restoration School. 15 Years of Cooperation:
Conclusions and Prospects” (12–15 November 2012, Yekaterinburg).
The opening address by Natalia Vetrova, General Director of SRLHM
Daguerreotype. Collection catalogue. By Natalia Avetyan, Galina
Miroliubova, Tatiana Petrova. The State Hermitage Museum.
St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers,
2012. – 200 pp. Ills.
The first complete academic catalogue of daguerreotypes from the
Hermitage collection. The authors chose grouping all the works
by collections of their previous owners over the ordinary grouping
by authors. The time framework of the collection embraces the period from the early 1840s to the early 1860s. The catalogue includes
85 works, many of which are published for the first time.
French Jewellery from the 18th and Early 19th Centuries. Collection catalogue.
By Olga Kostiuk. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers,
2012. – 440 pp. Ills.
The catalogue presents 222 jewellery items made by French jewellers in the 18th – the first quarter of the 19th century; many of them are published for the first time. The Paris school – the leader
in the French “luxury industry”, with all its brilliance and variety – is particularly well represented
in the collection. The collection includes snuffboxes, other cases for holding snuff, needle cases, purses
and notebooks, boxes for keeping fake beauty spots, samples of ceremonial weapons, and other objects.
The 2012 training session “Restoring Museum Pieces Made of Leather”
(taught by the high-category restorer Ye. Chekhova). Discussion
of completed projects at the Restoration Workshop, SRLH
Persian Manuscripts, Paintings and Drawings from the 15th
to the Early 20th Century in the Hermitage Collection by Adel
Adamova. – London: Azimuth Editions, 2012. – 412 pp. Ills.
The English version of the catalogue of the collection of Persian
paintings and drawings issued in the Hermitage in 2010 includes
more than 400 works covering the period from the 15th to the early
20th centuries, as well as essays on Russian-Persian relations and
development of Persian painting and graphic art. One of the highlights of the collection and publication itself is the manuscript of
Khamsa poem by Nizami, which was copied in 1431 and is illuminated with numerous miniatures.
Nevyansk, Nizhny Tagil, Krasnoufimsk, Verkhnyaya Sinyachikha,
Perm, Kazan, Solikamsk, Cherdyn, Bereznyaki, Khanty-Mansiysk, Nefteugansk, Surgut, Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk, Kemerovo,
Barnaul, Ulan-Ude, Tyumen, Tomsk, Omsk, Orenburg, as well as
Bashkortostan (Ufa), Udmurt Republic (Sarapul), Komi-Permyak
Autonomous Area (Kudymkar) and the Republic of Kazakhstan
(Almaty, Kostanay).
M. Michri, Curator
Hermitage Restoration School Programme
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Publications
Publications
848. The Collection of Georges Matcheret and Nadia Wolkonsky. Exhibition catalogue.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers,
2012. – 352 pp. Ills.
CATALOGUES OF TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS
Carlo Gavazzeni Ricordi. Teatri d’Invenzione a Roma a Cura di Valentina Moncada testo di Marco
Di Capua. Exhibition catalogue. The State Hermitage Museum. – Rome: Il Cigno GG Edizioni,
2012. – 168 pp. Ills.
The catalogue of the exhibition prepared within the framework of the Hermitage 20/21 project, includes 848 postal envelopes, which were mostly designed by representatives of unofficial Soviet art
in the 1970s – 1980s. The envelopes represent so-called mail art (postal objects as artists’ gestures) and
are valuable works of art created by famous masters of the Soviet underground.
The catalogue which contains 59 works by the contemporary Italian artist and photographer Carlo
Gavazzeni Ricordi offers the reader a new look at the eternal city of Rome which always attracts visitors’ and antiquity lovers’ attention.
Tylos. The Journey beyond Life. Rituals and Funerary Traditions
in Bahrain. 1st Century BC – 3rd Сentury AD. Exhibition
publication. St. Petersburg: NP-Print, 2012. – 24 pp. Ills.
A Second Life. Coins and Medals in European Applied Art.
Exhibition catalogue. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
The State Hermitage Publishers, 2012. – 140 pp. Ills.
This publication accompanied a temporary exhibition from the Bahrain
National Museum which displayed the results of excavations of ancient
necropolises. The brochure contains data on history, culture, and cults
of Bahrain in the era of Tylos (end of the 1st millennium BC – first centuries AD), when the country was experiencing strong influence of the
ancient civilisation.
The catalogue presents objects of decorative and applied arts fashioned of various materials within which coins and medals of different epochs from the Classical age up to our times have been given
new life.
The Book as Art. Twenty Years of the Rare Books from St. Petersburg Publishing House.
Exhibition catalogue. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: Rare Books from St. Petersburg,
2012. – 192 pp. Ills.
“In Written Words Alone…”. On the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Academician Nikolay
Petrovich Likhachev. Exhibition catalogue. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State
Hermitage Publishers, 2012. – 600 pp. Ills.
The catalogue covers the results of twenty-year publishing activities of the Rare Books from St. Petersburg, in collaboration with which the Hermitage has organised several exhibitions. One of the experiments of the publishing house are production of objects of art in their own right, which sometimes go
too far away from the principles of an ordinary book and belong to the elite genre of bibliophilic books.
The illustrated catalogue presents 103 prints and 45 books of the publishing house, 21 of which now
make part of the funds of the Hermitage Research Library.
The exhibition catalogue was made to mark the occasion of the anniversary of Nikolay Petrovich Likhachev, an outstanding collector, who has formed a unique collection of written texts, most of which are
kept in the Hermitage. This edition is in a certain way compendium of data on written texts of the Ancient East, Classical age, various European and Eastern countries, and it represents a publication of the
most prominent monuments from Nikolay Likhachev’s former collection.
Russian Lithographic Portrait of the 19th Century. Exhibition
catalogue. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
Edgar Degas. Place de la Concorde. Notes on the Painting.
By Albert Kostenevich. The State Hermitage Museum.
St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers, 2012. –
152 pp. Ills. – (“Restored Masterpieces” Series).
This catalogue is dedicated to the nineteenth-century lithographic
portrait, one of the rarest forms of visual arts. The publication
includes 150 works done by the famous Russian artists who were
engaged in lithography, namely Alexander Orlovsky, Alexey Venetsianov, Ilya Sokolov, Orest Kiprensky, and Alexander Briullov.
The portraits depict members of the royal family, public officials,
military men, writers, artists, and ladies from the high society.
The book is dedicated to Edgar Degas’s masterpiece Place de
la Concorde, which has recently been restored. This painting, which
portrays multiple figures, hides quite a lot of mysteries. The author
traces the genesis of the painting, its psychological backgrounds,
and studies the art of the predecessors and the peculiarity of Dega’s
realism who has created a surprising composition.
Paula Modersohn-Becker and Worpswede Artists. Drawings and Prints. 1895–1906. Exhibition
catalogue. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers,
2012. – 44 pp. Ills.
Santiago Calatrava. The Quest for Movement. Exhibition catalogue. Translation from the English.
Compiled by Ksenia Malich. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
Publishers, 2012. – 264 pp. Ills.
This catalogue introduces to the reader the works by the German artist Paula Modersohn-Becker and
the Worpswede masters. Drawings and prints presented in the publication demonstrate the variety
of themes and genres characteristic of the graphic pieces produced by the masters of the Worpswede
group at their flowering period.
The exhibition of works by the prominent Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava which was organised
as part of the Hermitage 20/21 project has shown to the Russian viewer all aspects of his work for the
first time ever: it comprised the master’s models of buildings, drawings, and sculptures. The exhibition
catalogue displays a large number of photo materials which give the viewer an idea of what Calatrava’s
projects look like in real life and how they can arrange and “spiritualise” the environment.
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Publications
Publications
Medals of Dishonour. Exhibition catalogue. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: FontankaLondon, 2012. – 152 pp. Ills.
A Treasury of Books. 250 Years of the Hermitage Library. Exhibition catalogue. The State Hermitage
Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers, 2012. – 400 pp. Ills.
The catalogue of the exhibition organised by the Hermitage in collaboration with the British Museum
contains data on more than 250 satirical medals which reflect a negative view of historic events. Works
created from the 16th century up to the present day are shown in the publication.
The catalogue features the books from the collections formed throughout the entire history of the Hermitage Library from the time of Catherine II to our days. It comprises European and Russian Bibles,
ancient engraved albums and treatises on architecture, descriptions of journeys, geographic maps and
atlases, books on warfare, heraldry, numismatics, manuscripts and publications with signed bindings,
bearing owners’ emblems and autographs, as well as eighteenth- to twentieth-century fashion magazines, and bibliophilic books.
Architectural Library. Exhibition catalogue. The State Hermitage
Museum. St. Petersburg: Chisty List, 2012. – 128 pp. Ills.
Catalogue of the exhibition which continues the architectural line
of the Hermitage 20/21 project. It compares drawings from collections of different types – a dynamic and progressive collection of the
working architect Sergey Tchoban, which is just over ten years old,
and a long-standing collection of the State Hermitage Museum rooted
in the acquisitions of Catherine II.
The Hermitage in Photographs – 2012. Exhibition catalogue.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
The catalogue features various moments from the diverse life of the
museum.
Jake and Dinos Chapman. The End of Fun. Exhibition catalogue. The State Hermitage Museum.
St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers, 2012. – 176 pp. Ills.
Antique Style in Russian Imperial Porcelain in the Second Half of the Eighteenth Century.
Exhibition catalogue. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
The catalogue accompanied the exhibition of works by the Chapman Brothers, contemporary English
masters who follow the genre of The Disasters of War which originates from Francisco Goya’s prints.
The catalogue contains reproductions of Goya’s installations and his etchings with additions done
by the Chapman Brothers.
The exhibition catalogue reflects the influence of the ancient heritage on Neoclassical Russian porcelain. Decorative sculptures, vases, services, authentic antiquities, Neoclassical European pieces of art,
and contemporary works by the leading artists from the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory are presented
in the publication.
Dmitri Prigov. St. Petersburg: Chisty List, 2012. – 112 pp. Ills.
This publication dedicated to Dmitri Prigov accompanied the opening of the room displaying his works in the exhibition of modern art
in the General Staff Building.
ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE WAR OF 1812
Vasily Zhukovsky. “A Bard in the Camp of the Russian Warriors”. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers, 2012. – 24 pp. Ills.
Vasily Zhukovsky took part in the war with Napoleon as a soldier of the militia and wrote A Bard
in the Camp of the Russian Warriors poem praising the valour shown by the Russian military leaders in
the battles for their country. Many of the characters of this poem can be seen in the portraits displayed
in the 1812 War Gallery. The book contains Zhukovsky’s poem illustrated with the portraits from the
War Gallery.
“An Artist of All Schools”. Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich (1712–1774). Exhibition catalogue.
Written and compiled by Maria Garlova, Alexey Larionov, and Sergey Orekhov. The State Hermitage
The catalogue has been specially designed on the occasion of the exhibition dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the German painter Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich. The Hermitage owns
a large collection of his paintings, drawings, and prints.
“United we shall be, as one!..” The Patriotic War of 1812
in the Medals of Alexey Olenin and his Contemporaries. Exhibition catalogue. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
A Sentimental Journey: Wedgwood in Russia. Exhibition catalogue.
The State Hermitage Museum. Texts written and compiled by Lydia
Liakhova. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers,
2012. – 208 pp. Ills.
The name of the catalogue cites a line inscribed on the reverse of one
of the anniversary commemorative medals from the Hermitage collection. The catalogue focuses on immortalising the heroic deeds
of the Russian Army and people in the Patriotic War of 1812 in medals. It also pays tribute to the memory of Alexey Olenin, a prominent
figure of Russian culture, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary
of his birth.
The catalogue celebrates the occasion of 100 years of the Wedgwood ceramics exhibition in the Imperial Academy of Arts. It includes 97 exhibits
which both help the reader appreciate the high artistic level of the Hermitage collection and demonstrate major aspects of Josiah Wedgwood’s
oeuvre.
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Publications
Publications
Toy Soldiers in the Hermitage. By Georgy Vilinbakhov. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
Catherine the Great. An Enlightened Empress. – Edinburgh: NMS Enterprise Limited, 2012. –
208 pp. Ills.
Publication for the temporary exhibition marking the 200th anniversary of victory in the Patriotic War
of 1812. The exhibits manifest the variety of the military uniform, accoutrements, outfit, and equipment
according to the branch of the armed forces and ranks in Russian and French armies during the Napoleonic Wars.
Catalogue of the exhibition “Catherine the Great. An Enlightened Empress” which was held at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. The catalogue presents 300 exhibits and eight essays written
by Russian and British specialists on Russian history and art.
Alexander the Great. 2000 Years of Treasures. – Sydney:
Australian Museum, 2012. – 298 pp. Ills.
Elizaveta Renne. The Military Gallery in the Winter Palace. The State
Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers,
2012 – 372 pp. Ills.
Catalogue of the exhibition “Alexander the Great. 2000 Years
of Treasures” which took place at the Australian Museum in Sydney.
The exhibition and the catalogue are both dedicated to Alexander
the Great, his campaign to the East and later influence of Hellenism on the world art. The exhibition covers the period of more than
2,500 years from the 5th century BC up to the 20th century AD.
This publication marks the 200th anniversary of the victory of Russia
in the Patriotic War of 1812. It presents all the 336 portraits painted for
the War Gallery by George Dawe and his assistants, and later by Franz
Krüger and Peter Kraft. The portraits are accompanied by short biographies of the generals who took part in the war, descriptions of their
decorations, and other data.
Nomads of Eurasia on the Road to Empire. Exhibition catalogue. St. Petersburg:
Slavia, 2012. – 272 pp. Ills.
Catalogue of the exhibition, which took place at the State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-
Reserve Kazan Kremlin, Hermitage • Kazan Centre. The catalogue presents 749 exhibits from the Hermitage collection, which date back to the period from the beginning of the 1st millennium BC to the moment of formation of the Great Mongol Empire in the 13th century.
CATALOGUES OF THE HERMITAGE EXHIBITIONS ON LOAN
Rembrandt. Kuparilaatan Mestari. Master of the Copper Plate. Grafiikaa Valtion Eremitaasin Dmitri
Rovinski-kokoelmasta. Prints from the Rovinsky Collection at the State Hermitage Museum. Valtion
taidemuseo; Sinebrychoffin taidemuseo. – Helsinki, 2012. – 260 pp. Ills.
The Last Russian Emperor. The Family and Court of Nicholas II
at the Turn of the 19th – 20th Centuries. Exhibition catalogue.
St. Petersburg: Slavia, 2012 – 132 pp. Ills.
Catalogue of the exhibition “Rembrandt. Master of the Copper Plate” which took place at the Sinebrychoff Art Museum in Helsinki, Finland. The publication presents 55 etchings by Rembrandt van Rijn
from the unique collection of Dmitry Rovinsky, now kept in the Hermitage.
The catalogue of the exhibition, which was held at the exhibition
centre Hermitage • Vyborg, describes the private and social life of
Nicholas II. The publication features 285 exhibits from the Hermitage collection, which embrace the period from the 1870s to the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917.
400 years of European Masterpieces from the State Hermitage
Museum. – Tokyo: Mitsumura Printing Co. Ltd.,
2012. – 274 pp. Ills.
Two Centuries of French Elegance. Decorative Art of the 17th and 18th Centuries from the State
Hermitage Museum Collection. Exhibition catalogue. St. Petersburg: Slavia, 2012 – 152 pp. Ills.
Catalogue of the exhibition “The Face of an Era. Four Centuries of
European Painting”, which was held in museums of Tokyo, Nagoya,
and Kyoto, Japan. The publication includes paintings of the 16th to
20th centuries, which gives the reader an idea of the history of evolution of European art, as well as its diversity and supreme artistic
level. Among other works on display is the remarkable Red Room by
Henri Matisse, as well as paintings by Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt,
Reynolds, Renoir, Monet, Cézanne, and Picasso.
The catalogue of the exhibition which took place at the exhibition centre Hermitage • Vyborg shows
major stages of the establishment and development of French decorative and applied arts through the
example of the Hermitage collection, one of the best collections of French art in the world. Some of the
exhibits had been previously owned by the royal family, while others had been part of private collections
of the Russian nobility (the Stroganovs, Sheremetevs, and Gorchakovs) which were nationalised after the
Revolution of 1917.
Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Palaces, Ruins and Prisons.
From the State Hermitage Museum Collection. – Yekaterinburg,
2012. – 96 pp. Ills.
Sensation & Inspiration. Impressionism. Highlights from the Hermitage. Ed. by Albert
Kostenevich. – Amsterdam: Museumshop Hermitage • Amsterdam, 2012. – 280 pp. Ills.
Catalogue of the exhibition which took place at the Yekaterinburg
Museum of Fine Arts. The exhibition displayed 59 works by Giovanni
Battista Piranesi (1720–1778), one of the foremost Italian masters
of etchings, who was also an engraver, draughtsman, and architect.
The publication has also a print portraying the artist himself made
by his contemporary Felice Polanzani.
Catalogue of the exhibition “Impressionism: Sensation and Inspiration”. Among the masterpieces from
the State Hermitage Museum displayed at the exhibition at the Centre Hermitage • Amsterdam were
paintings, graphic pieces, and sculptures from the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries executed by renowned Impressionists.
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Publications
Publications
Titian. A Fresh Look at Nature. Antonio Mazzotta; National Gallery Company. – London, 2012 –
88 pp. Ills.
TRANSACTIONS OF THE STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM
Catalogue of the exhibition “The Flight into Egypt. Titian’s First Masterpiece” which took place at the
National Gallery, London. Titian is an outstanding sixteenth-century Venetian painter, who was trained
in Giovanni Bellini’s studio and studied the works by Albrecht Dürer. The painting The Flight into Egypt,
which has been recently restored by the Hermitage, demonstrates how the famous portrait painter saw
nature and scenery. The painting had a revolutionary effect at its time because of its size, theme, colour
scheme, and meticulous landscape representation.
Transactions of the State Hermitage Museum. LIX. Ceramics and Porcelain in the Far-Eastern Countries. Problems of Style and Interaction between East and West. Academic editor Tatiana Arapova.
22 pages of colour plates.
This collection of articles is based on the results of the conference which took place at the State Hermitage Museum on 11–12 November 2009. Various aspects of studying Far-Eastern ceramics and porcelain, as well as characteristics of the Chinese and Japanese art styles, and interaction with European
countries were discussed at the conference; moreover, themes of drawings made on ceramics were analysed. The articles are divided into groups by the time line of the scenes described and are separated
into geographical sections (first China and then Japan). The collection also contains articles covering
the work of the Hermitage restorers and the Laboratory of Scientific and Technical Examination.
Tiziano. La Fuga in Egitto e la Pittura di Paesaggio.
A cura di Irina Artemieva e Giuseppe Pavanello. – Venezia:
Marsilio, 2012. – 120 pp. Ills.
Publication of the exhibition “Titian’s Unseen Work. The Flight
into Egypt and the Great Venetian Painting”, held at the Gallerie
dell’Accademia, Venice. The Flight into Egypt, which has recently
been restored in the Hermitage, was painted by Tiziano Vecellio,
a renowned Venetian artist of the 16th century, and is the largest
landscape not only among Venetian, but also all Italian paintings
of the early 16th century.
Transactions of the State Hermitage Museum: LX. The Problems of Conservation, Research
and Restoration of Cultural Monuments. Based upon the proceedings of scientific practical conferences “The Problems of Conservation, Research and Restoration of Cultural Monuments” and
“The Conservation, Research and Restoration of Cultural Monuments”. Held on 23–25 January 2006
and 24–27 April 2007 on the occasion of the centenary of the birth of Academician Dmitry Likhachev.
This collection of articles covers topical issues of conservation of cultural heritage. It contains the articles written by archaeologists, restorers, and architects from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and France,
which analyse the experience of restoration and display of some objects of cultural heritage; furthermore, the results of monuments’ research are published. The collection is to mark the 100th anniversary
of the birth of Academician Dmitry Likhachev, whose work emphasised the issues of cultural heritage;
it includes proceedings of the 2006–2007 conferences held in his honour.
The Small Utopia. Ars Multiplicata. Fondazione Prada – Ca’ Corner della Regina; Germano Celant. –
Milan, 2012. – 51–59 pp. Ills.
The article in the catalogue of the exhibition “The Small Utopia. Ars Multiplicata”, which took place
at the Venetian palazzo Ca’ Corner della Regina, introduces readers to the objects of Suprematist ceramics in the context of the Russian avant-garde.
Transactions of the State Hermitage Museum: LXI. Materials and Researches of the Numismatic
Department. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers, 2012. –
358 pp. Ills.
This collection, which was prepared to mark the 225th anniversary of the founding of the Münzkabinett
(Numismatic Department of the State Hermitage Museum), honours the memory of the famous national
numismatists Alexey Markov and Alexey Ilyin who headed the department in the first quarter of the
20th century. The materials of this collection cover a wide range of auxiliary historical disciplines from
numismatics of the East, Classical Antiquity, Western Europe, and Russia to notaphily, medallic art,
phaleristics, and heraldry.
REPORTS OF THE STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM
Reports of the State Hermitage Museum. LXX. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
Transactions of the State Hermitage Museum. LXIII. Alexander the Great. The Life of the Image
in World Culture. Proceedings of the conference of 18 April 2007. Academic editor Anna Trofimova.
This is an annual edition presenting the results of the museum’s recent research, restoration, preservation and exhibition activities. The articles are primarily concerned with the Hermitage collections and
individual works of art. Their authors specify and make more accurate attributions, datings and interpretations of the already published works. Other sections of the book deal with most important recent
acquisitions of the museum, its newly-opened and replanned permanent exhibitions and new studies
on the Hermitage’s history. The edition is published in Russian and English.
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This publication, which was timed to coincide with the exhibition “Alexander the Great. The Road
to the East”, includes articles written by the Hermitage staff, as well as scholars from the Faculty of Oriental Studies of St. Petersburg State University, Saratov State University, Russian Institute of History
of Arts, and State Russian Museum, dedicated to the epoch of Hellenism and influence of Alexander’s
campaigns on the evolution of world culture.
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Publications
Publications
Mark Kramarovsky. Man from the Medieval Street. Golden Horde. Byzantine Empire. Italy.
St. Petersburg: Eurasia, 2012. – 496 pp., 90 ills., 48 pages of colour ill.
Transactions of the State Hermitage Museum. LXIV. Personalities from Peter the Great’s
Time-2012. To Mark the 280th Anniversary of the First Cadet Corps (1732–2012). Proceedings
of the academic conference. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
The book deals with the everyday culture of a common fourteenth-century citizen, an artisan, or successful merchant, a man from the medieval street, whose activities were reflected in a range of artefacts, thoroughly selected by the author and detected through his own system of specific historical
observations.
The collection of materials of the annual conference, held in the Menshikov Palace, is dedicated to various aspects of history and culture under Peter the Great. It contains articles on Peter I, his contemporaries, and on the First Cadet Corps, which was housed in the Menshikov Palace from 1732 to 1918. Many
pieces of art and archive materials, which served as a basis for the studies, have been introduced into
scientific use for the first time.
Lilia Kuznetsova. Nineteenth-Century Jewellers from Saint
Petersburg. Splendid Beginning of Alexander’s Time. – Moscow:
Tsentropoligraph Publishing House, 2012. – 319 pp.
This is a second book by Lilia Kuznetsova, a leading research worker
of the State Hermitage Museum. It is part of a three-volume publication dedicated to the jewellery of the 18th – early 19th centuries,
a byway of Russian culture so far.
Transactions of the State Hermitage Museum. LXV. First Stone Churches of Old Rus. Materials
of the Seminar on Architectural Archaeology. 22–24 November 2010. Academic editor Denis Yolshin.
16 pages of colour plates.
This collection of articles contains materials of the conference dedicated to the research of the Church
of the Tithes and Saint Sophia Cathedrals in Kiev, Novgorod, and Polotsk. They discuss different aspects
of studies of the first stone ecclesiastical structures of Old Rus, namely architectural types, building materials and techniques, and iconography. The authors also focus on the problems of historiography and
methods of an integrated study of historical and architectural monuments.
Boris Marshak. Sogdian Pottery of the 5th – 7th Centuries as Historical and Cultural Phenomenon
(on the Methods of the Study of Pottery Complexes). St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers,
2012 – 384 pp. Ills.
The book describes ceramics from the lower layers of the medieval city of Penjikent (Tajikistan), found
in 1955–1963 by Boris Marshak (1933–2006), a well-known Russian archaeologist who supervised the
Hermitage excavations in Penjikent for many years. The finds were systematised according to the set of
techniques introduced by him. The book contains data on the history of fifth- to seventh-century Sogdian
settlements, Penjikent in the first place, as well as on the evolution of pottery, the history of Sogdian economy, everyday life, arts, and culture. The manuscript was prepared for publication by Valentina Raspopova.
MONOGRAPHS
Sergey Androsov. From Peter I to Catherine II. People, Statues, Paintings. St. Petersburg:
Dmitry Bulanin, 2013. – 312 pp. Ills.
Tatiana Petrova. Architect Andrey Stackenschneider. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers, 2012. – 576 pp. Ills.
The publication includes research articles written throughout more than twenty years, which are related
to the history of St. Petersburg and people who lived and created art there, and which show the evolution
of Russian culture, artistic taste, and collecting in the 18th century. Most of the articles are unfamiliar
to a general audience. What is particularly interesting is the history of the famous ancient statue Venus
Tauride, which was traced in the documents year by year.
The monograph describes the career of one of the foremost Russian
architects of the mid-19th century Andrey Ivanovich Stackenschneider (1802–1865) who contributed significantly to the creation
of a new type of architecture in the age of Historicism. The author of
the monograph thoroughly analyses the architect’s works, without
which the present-day look of St. Petersburg is hard to imagine, and
evaluates them from the perspective of contemporary art studies.
Anna A. Ierusalimskaja. Moshtcevaya Balka. An Unusual
Archaeological Monument on the Northern Caucasus Silk Road.
St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers, 2012. –
384 pp. Ills.
Anna Trofimova. Imitatio Alexandri. Portraits of Alexander the Great and Mythological Images
in Hellenistic Art. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers, 2012. – 320 pp. Ills.
The monograph is a complete publication of materials on Moshtce
vaya Balka, a medieval archaeological monument of uniquely conserved organic materials and tissues. The book describes all funeral
finds and analyses each object in detail. The author of the book is an
archaeologist who personally supervised the excavation of Moshtcevaya Balka.
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This is the first monograph in the domestic and foreign art studies to examine the phenomenon of influence of Alexander’s portraits on depictions of heroes and deities in Hellenistic art. The book discusses
the historiography of the portraits of Alexander the Great and imitation problem in the context of the
Hellenistic period, as well as analyses images of the main mythological characters that suffered influence of Alexander’s iconography (Achilles, Heracles, Dionysus, Helios, giants, and water deities).
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Publications
Publications
Yekaterina Khmelnitskaya. August Spiess and Imperial Porcelain Manufactory: Life Dedicated
to Porcelain. – Moscow: Liubimaya Kniga, 2012. – 448 pp. Ills.
ALBUMS/Art Books
The book is the most complete publication of works of art and sketches made by the sculptor August
Spiess. It includes objects from the State Hermitage Museum and other twenty-two collections. Readers can learn about various aspects of the talent of the main model-maker of the Imperial Porcelain
Manufactory in St. Petersburg who created designs for porcelain vases, different types of services, and
statuettes, and brought them to life with equal success. Many drawings and sketches are published for
the first time.
Andrey Alexeyev. The Gold of the Scythian Kings in the Hermitage Collection. The State Hermitage
The album is dedicated to art monuments of the 7th – 4th centuries BC from the unique Hermitage collection of Scythian antiquities. The majority of these objects are made of precious metals, mostly gold,
and are richly decorated with depictions in the so-called Scythian animalistic style, one of the most
expressive features of the artistic culture of ancient Eurasian nomads.
PAGES OF THE HERMITAGE HISTORY SERIES
The Infirmary on behalf of His Imperial Highness the Tsarevich
and Grand Duke Alexei Nikolaevich. Valentina Marishkina.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
Publishers, 2012 – 104 pp. Ills.
IN BREVI SERIES
Liudmila Barkova. Beauty Woven of Mysteries. The State Hermitage.
St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers, 2012. – 48 pp. Ills.
This publication dedicated to the history of the hospital set up during
the World War I in the Winter Palace is based on archive materials, including contemporaries’ recollections. The book also contains
recently discovered materials and studies, which have already been
published before, and is accompanied by an annotated name index
and a large bibliography.
The publication describes the world’s most ancient carpets which had survived more than 2,000 years of permafrost in the Pazyryk Valley, Altai,
and were found during the excavations of the Altai burials in 1949. These
surviving objects give us an idea of the unique culture of Eurasian nomads
who vanished from the face of the earth long ago.
LIFE OF THE IMPERIAL RESIDENCE SERIES
Tatiana Pashkova. “Quarters” of Emperor Nicholas II in the Winter Palace. The State Hermitage
Treasure Gallery-1. By Yury Kalashnik, Marina Kozlovskaya, Yelena Korolkova, Olga Kostiuk,
and Martha Kryzhanovskaya. 2nd revised edition. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
The first book from the new series covering various aspects of life and activities in the Winter Palace
and the Imperial Hermitage. The publications of this series are based on the study of archive materials;
richly illustrated, they can be of interest both for specialists and for all readers interested in Russian
history. The book tells the audience about the Winter Palace quarters of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, and recreates the everyday life of the family of the last Russian Emperor.
The author makes an attempt to show the character of the owners through the structure of their dwellings and interior design.
The book introduces to the reader the jewellery of different countries, nations, cultures, and epochs –
from ancient times to the early 20th century, displayed in the Treasure Gallery-1 (known as Diamond
Room).
COLLECTed ARTICLES
POPULAR Academic EDITIONS
Museum and Problems of Cultural Tourism. Proceedings
of the 10th Round Table, 12–13 April 2012. St. Petersburg:
GUIDE BOOKS
Liudmila Voronikhina. The Hermitage. Western European Art:
a Guide Book. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
The collection comprises materials of the annual round table aimed
at sharing the experience between Russian and foreign museums.
This book opens a new series of the Hermitage popular academic editions
and presents the Hermitage collection of works of Western European art,
i.e. paintings, sculptures, and pieces of applied arts. The material is given in chronological order and then divided into smaller groups according
to different schools of art within chronological periods. The comments
guide the reader around the museum halls.
Award Systems: Russia and Scandinavia: Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium
on Orders. Managing editor Lydia Dobrovolskaya. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
Menshikov Palace: A Guide Book. The State Hermitage. By Vladimir Meshcheryakov, Irina Saverkina,
Yekaterina Andreyeva, Yelena Ignatyeva. – 2nd revised edition. St. Petersburg: Istoricheskaya
Ilustratsia, 2012. – 64 pp., [32] pages of colour ills. : Ills. – Bibliography: pp. 58–64.
The collection of materials of the symposium held at the Hermitage in September 2010 includes works
by noted specialists on phaleristics from three countries: Russia, Sweden, and Finland.
The publication covers the history of the palace and can serve as a guide around the halls of the Menshikov Palace.
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Publications
Posthumous Bronzes in Law and Art History: International Colloquium, 26–27 May 2012.
St. Petersburg. The State Hermitage Publishers, 2012. – 224 pp. Ills.
ELECTRONIC EDITIONS AND VIDEO FILMS
The Hermitage in social networks
The collection contains the materials of the international conference which took place in the Hermitage
in 2012 and was dedicated to legal and artistic aspects of authenticity of posthumous castings of bronze
sculptures.
Problems of Restoration of the Monuments of Culture and Art.
Proceedings of the 3rd Regional Scientific Practical Conference
on the Occasion of 15 Years of the Hermitage School
of Restoration. – Yekaterinburg, 2012. Tezis, 2012. – 188 pp. Ills.
In 2012, the State Hermitage Museum presented itself in the social networks; today more than
64,000 Twitter users receive messages from the Hermitage. The Hermitage News is available to users of the global international social network Facebook. The museum publishes information on current events and burning issues of the museum life, on its plans and projects, and on important dates
in the history of world art and culture on Facebook and Twitter. Its presence in social networks is an
efficient instrument in creating a positive image of the museum.
Electronic publications and video films
Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference “15 Years of Cooperation. Results and Prospects”, which was organised as part of the
programme The Hermitage School of Restoration in the Restoration
Centre of the Sverdlovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore in November 2012.
The Hermitage gives ample opportunities for advanced study of the history of world culture through
the project aimed at publishing educational programmes within the Virtual Academy series on
the Internet. In 2012, the Art of the Italian Renaissance multimedia thematic album, created
on the basis of paintings, sculpture, works of graphic, decorative and applied arts from the Hermitage collection, was issued. Internet users gained access to the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory
programme, devoted to the famous Saint Petersburg porcelain manufactory, the history of which
is reflected in the collection of the Museum of the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory, which became
part of the Hermitage funds. Thematic albums Rembrandt in the Hermitage and Ancient Rome
have been updated and republished.
The collection of video films expanded owing to the films on exhibitions prepared by the Hermitage
in 2012, namely “‘The Thunder of 1812’. The Patriotic War of 1812 in the Hermitage Collections”;
“A Treasury of Books. 250 Years of the Hermitage Library”; “Antique Style in Russian Imperial
Porcelain in the Second Half of the Eighteenth Century. From the ‘Christmas Gift’ Series”; “Pages
of the Russian Past in Portrait Lithography of the 19th Century”; “‘He was a Scientist from Top
to Toe, Never Wishing to be Anyone Else, and He Never Was’. On the 150th Anniversary of the Birth
of Academician Nikolay Petrovich Likhachev”; “Nicholas II. Chronicles of the Reign”. One can gain
access to all the films and video reports on the events in the museum life on the Hermitage Youtube
resource.
REPORTS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPEDITIONS
Report of the Fieldwork of the Expedition for 2011. Materials of the archaeological expedition
in Penjikent. Issue XIV. The State Hermitage Museum; Akhmadi Danish Institute of History, Archaeology, and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan. St. Petersburg,
2012. – 204 pp. Ills.
Report of the Archaeological Studies of the Medieval Fortress Cembalo (Balaklava) for 2011.
Materials of the Southern Crimean archaeological expedition. By Svetlana Adaksina, Victor Myts,
and Sergey Ushakov. The State Hermitage Museum; Crimean Branch of the Institute for Archaeology
of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences; the National Reserve of “Chersonesos of Tauride”.
St. Petersburg, 2012. – 210 pp. Ills.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Gifts of the State Hermitage to the Irbit State Museum of Fine Arts. 1975–2012. Paintings
and Etchings of the European Masters of the 17th – 19th Centuries, Books. Exhibition catalogue.
Irbit State Fine Arts Museum. Irbit, 2012. – 72 pp. Ills.
The catalogue of the exhibition “Gifts of the State Hermitage to the Irbit State Museum of Fine Arts
in 1975–2012. Paintings, Etchings, Books” which took place in Irbit, Sverdlovsk Region, is dedicated
to the history of cooperation between the Hermitage and the Irbit State Museum of Fine Arts. The exhibition displayed 86 paintings and etchings, as well as more than 400 books.
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Presentation of the WEB portal Hermitage Line:
a new electronic resource of the State Hermitage Museum
On 5 December 2012, the Hermitage presented a new Internet resource Hermitage Line, created
with support of the State Hermitage Museum and the Joint-Stock Investment Commercial Bank
Tatfondbank.
The website is planned to become a space for discussion of the activities and problems of Russian
and foreign museums, their role in the life of the country, city, and each individual. Various materials
(texts, photo reports, and videos) on exhibitions and exhibits, creative people and artistic projects,
modern architecture and history will be published on Hermitage Line.
The electronic resource Hermitage Line will become bilingual (Russian and English versions) and
will be regularly updated. It will constantly interact with popular Internet networks. It is planned
to make a version for tablets and other mobile devices in the future.
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Conferences
Conferences
Posthumous Bronzes in Law and Art History
26–27 April
International conference with the participation of scholars from the USA, Great Britain, France,
Israel and other countries, devoted to legal, art history, and museological aspects of the problem
of bronze casts made after the artist’s death.
In the Memory of Vladimir Lukonin
25–26 January
Annual conference devoted to ancient and medieval Orient.
In the Memory of Boris Piotrovsky
14 February
Annual meeting devoted to a wide circle of problems of archaeology and ancient history,
and new discoveries in various spheres of research carried out in the Hermitage Museum.
Virtual Archaeology
4–6 June
Conference devoted to the application of computer methods to archaeology.
Daguerrotype Documenting
With the Paul Mellon Foundation
15–16 February
Seminar within the International project concerned with the study of photography.
The 4th International Congress of Peter the Great Cities. Capitals and Provinces.
Dedicated to 300 Years of the Transfer of the Russian Capital from Moscow
to St. Petersburg
With the International Dmitry Likhachev Foundation
8 June
Annual meeting devoted to the study of the time of Peter the Great.
Conference Dedicated to 290 Years of the Heraldic Office and 20 Years
of the Heraldry Department of Russia
With the Heraldry Council of the President of the Russian Federation
21–22 February
Conference devoted to the history of Russian heraldry.
Round Table: From Federal Law No 94 to Federal Contract System. Perspectives
With the “Tsarskoy Selo” State Museum-Reserve
19 June
Meeting devoted to the protection of museums’ rights and interests within Federal Law No 94
and the perspectives of transition to Federal contract system.
165 Years of the Hermitage Treasure Gallery
20 March
Round Table devoted to the history of the formation of the Hermitage Treasure Gallery and exhibiting
jewellery in the Imperial Hermitage. One of the themes of the Round Table was the status
of exhibitions implying special storage conditions (“special storage rooms”) in modern museums
and the development of the Treasure Gallery of the Hermitage Museum.
Worpswede Yesterday and Today: Lyrics, Motherland, Socialism
With the Goethe Institute in St. Petersburg
19–20 September
International conference on the occasion of the exhibition, “Paula Modersohn-Becker and Worpswede
Artists. Drawings and Prints. 1895–1906”, devoted to Paula Modersohn-Becker and the Worpswede
artists, as well as the history of the Worpswede colony and its contacts with other similar art groups,
including those of Russia.
The Protocol in Russia Association Meeting
5 April
Devoted to the place of diplomatic gifts in the system of international diplomatic ceremonies.
The Medieval Christian Architecture: West and East Tradition Interaction Architecture
and Archaeology Seminar
5 April
Meeting of the regular basis seminar devoted to architectural archaeology.
Museum and Education
With St. Petersburg “Pro Arte” Cultural Foundation
20–21 September
International conference devoted to problems of education in today’s museums and training museum
workers.
The 10th Round Table: Museum and Problems of Cultural Tourism
12–13 April
Annual seminar of the Hermitage and other museums of Russia and other countries, devoted
to the exchange of experiences in the sphere of tourism and cultural programmes.
Two Centuries of Islamic Numismatics in Russia: General Results and Prospects
24–28 September
International conference, on the occasion of 225 years of the Münzkabinett, concerned with Muslim
numismatics.
St. Petersburg Egyptology Readings
With the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Faculty
of Oriental Studies, St. Petersburg State University
24–26 April
Annual conference devoted to new developments in the study of Ancient Egypt.
Methods of the Investigation of Photographic Collections
With the Paul Mellon Foundation
9 October
International seminar within the international project concerned with the study of photography.
The Mysterious Animals and Exotic Birds. Fantastic Images in Ancient Art Round Table
25 April
Round Table devoted to iconography, history and art aspects of the study of fantastic animals
in ancient art.
The Roerich Legacy
With St. Petersburg State Museum-Institute of the Roerich Family
10 October
Devoted to the Roerich legacy.
The Legacy of Nikolay Petrovich Likhachev: Text and Image Interpretation
With the Department of Philology and History, Russian Academy of Sciences, and St. Petersburg
Institute of History, Russian Academy of Sciences
15–17 April
In connection with the “In Written Words Alone…” exhibition, dedicated to 150 years of Academician
Nikolay Petrovich Likhachev. Devoted to the study of writing and written documents.
Marc Chagall and St. Petersburg: Life, Work, and Legacy
11–12 October
International conference dedicated to 125 years of Marc Chagall.
Kerch, St. Petersburg and the Hermitage: Preservation and Renovation of the Crimean Cultural
Heritage
With Kerch History and Culture Museum-Preserve
15–16 October
Devoted to the ancient history and archaeology of the Crimea.
The 2nd Russian-Scandinavian Symposium on Vexilology. In hoc signo vinces
21–22 April
Devoted to different aspects of the study of banners.
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Conferences
The 5th International Conference from the History of Stalinism. Life in Terror:
Social Aspects of Repressions Cycle
18–20 October
Devoted to the history of Stalinism and its consequences for today’s Russia.
Conferences
Museum and Education
20–21 September
Cultures of the Eurasian Steppe Zone and their Interaction with Ancient Civilisations
With the Institute for the History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences
22–26 October
Dedicated to the memory of the Russian archaeologist M. Gryaznov.
Methodology and practice seminar: Management of State Finances in the Sphere of Culture.
Urgent Issues of State Management in the Sphere of Culture. New Ways of State
and Municipal Services for Cultural Institutions
1–2 November
Greek Antiquity of the Northern Black Sea Region. Fifty Years of Berezan (Lower Bug)
Expedition
6–7 November
Study of the archaic Crimea on the basis of archaeological finds.
4th Dmitri Prigov Readings. Word – Image – Performance
6–8 November
On the occasion of the exhibition of Dmitri Prigov in the Hermitage.
The 5th conference in the “Museums in the 21st Century” cycle organised by the Hermitage Museum with St. Petersburg “Pro Arte” Cultural Foundation starting from 2006 was participated by
researchers of museums and educational institutions of St. Petersburg, Moscow, The Netherlands,
Norway, Denmark, Finland, Israel and the U.S.A.
The papers and discussions were devoted to two aspects of the problem of museum education,
viz. museum educational activities and training museum specialists. Not being educational institutions proper, museums perform educational functions, the significance of which is on the
increase nowadays. The topics discussed by the conference participants included combining traditional and modern forms of museum education and making the museum attractive for today’s
young people. The papers were devoted to contacts between museums, educational institutions
and governmental structures, the role of museums in the system of art education, evaluation
of public demands, etc.
A vivid discussion was triggered by the problem of training museologists. In addition to being the
city of museums, St. Petersburg has a number of art departments, which face the problem of the
focus of museologists’ training vis-à-vis training in traditional areas of history and art. Contacts between professors and students of museology departments and museums are not always satisfactorily
organised. On the other hand, museums are not always satisfied with the professional level of university graduates, preferring to train specialists in museums. Probably, one of the ways to solve this
problem is to offer museum specialists teaching in educational institutions.
Personalities from Peter the Great’s Time
20–21 November
Annual conference, in the Menshikov Palace, devoted to the time Peter the Great.
225 Years of the Münzkabinett – Numismatic Department of the Hermitage
21–23 November
Devoted to the history of the Münzkabinett of the Imperial Hermitage (now, Numismatic Department
of the State Hermitage Museum) and the history of money circulation in Classical Antiquity,
Orient, Western Europe and Russia, the history of medaling, phaleristics and history of numismatic
collections.
Two Centuries of Islamic Numismatics in Russia:
General Results and Prospects
24–28 September
Archaeological Session
26–27 November
Final report of the archaelogical expeditions of the Hermitage for the 2012 excavation period.
Vladimir Levinson-Lessing Memorial Conference
28 November
Annual conference on the history, use and attribution of museum collections.
Electronic Museum: Creation, Storage and Management of Museum Information Resources
30 November
Methodology and practice seminar devoted to the exchange of experience in creating electronic
catalogues and data-bases.
Heraldry Seminar
Regular monthly seminar on the problems of Russian, Western European and Oriental heraldry
and adjacent disciplines.
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Conference on the occasion of 225 years of the Münzkabinett of the Imperial Hermitage (Numismatic Department of the State Hermitage Museum). The aim of the conference was to demonstrate
the dynamics of the evolution of Muslim numismatics in Russia during a period of over two hundred
years, to sum up tentatively the results of the studies in this area and delineate possible ways of development with the perspective of international cooperation and exchange of experiences.
The formation of the Hermitage collection of Oriental coins began under Catherine the Great. Nowadays, it includes over 220,000 items, being one of the richest museum collections in the world.
The study of the collection began as early as the 18th century. Subsequent research was a significant
contribution to Oriental numismatics generally. For instance, the methods of studying coin hoards
as complexes reflecting monetary circulation typical of a given period, created by the Hermitage
curator of Oriental coins R. Vasmer (1888–1938), are still in use.
Among more than fifty participants of the conference were experts on Oriental numismatics from the
British Museum, Cambridge, Hamburg and Tübingen Universities, Austrian Academy of Sciences,
Fayum University in Egypt and the Museum of the History of Georgia.
The five-day conference programme included papers on a variety of topics, from the dating of the
hoard of seventh-century Sassanian Arab drachmas to money circulation in Middle Asia in the 19th
century.
Conferences
Dissertations
Irina Kalinina
Historical Semantics in Cultural studies:
Research Subject and methods
For the degree of Doctor
of Cultural Studies
The dissertation is concerned with the new trend in cultural studies, which the author defines as “historical semantics”. The cultural dimension of the latter has been revealed as a result of a complex
research of archaeological and ethnographic sources. The dissertation presents an inventory of notions and terms pertaining to historical semantics, which make up the basis for combining empiric
research with the theoretical idiom of cultural studies. Definitions of such basic notions as habit
“behavioral stereotype” or semantic image “the sense of archaic life-style” introduce to the context
of the research the understanding of a culture by its bearers, which opens perspectives for the study
of the genesis and mechanisms of the transference of cultural information.
Historical semantics deal with archaic world-view systems, which manifest themselves in stereotypes of cultural behaviour, and with the methods of cultural reproduction, that is, in a broad sense,
with the technology of culture. The present study has disclosed two structurally different semantic
systems based on the “life – death” concept, which, in turn, reveal the deep meaning of an archaic
worldview.
Natalia Avetyan
Sergey lvovich levitsky and some problems of the study
of russian nineteenth-century photography
For the degree of Candidate
of Art Theory and History
Virtual archaeology
4–6 June
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The international conference attended by experts from sixteen countries was concerned with the use
of computer methods in archaeology, data processing, archaeological and historical reconstruction
and visualisation of results. The programme included papers, presentations and workshops on the
techniques of multidimensional modelling of historical landscape, archaeological monuments, sites
and finds, GIS-modelling of natural and historical processes, monitoring of objects of cultural heritage and virtual reality designing.
The participants came to the conclusion that two approaches to “virtual archaeology” exist.
One of these based on computer methods is virtual reality. The contemporary approach based
on practical archaeology demands an expanded definition, which should take into account integration of contemporary methods archaeological investigation implying the analysis of multidimensional data accumulations resulting in tentative reconstructions of archaeological monuments, equal in
significance to digital representation of excavation and historical research results. One of the most
significant problems in this sphere is insufficient communication among experts. According to all
the participants of the conference, the discussion should be continued on the Internet (Virtual Archaeology Page).
A volume of the conference papers has been prepared to appear in 2013.
As a result of a study of the oeuvre of the outstanding Russian photographer Sergey Levitsky (1819–
1898), carried out within a broad context of the history of Russian photography, a considerable
number of Levitsky’s works, hitherto unknown, have been discovered, many of these ascribed to the
artist and dated. A study of archival materials have revealed some facts of his personal and professional biography; archival data have also been helpful in the evaluation of Levitsky’s works, both
well-known and lesser known ones, as well as in the reconstruction of his techniques.
The two problems connected with the study of Russian photography, discussed in the dissertation,
are criteria of its artistic value and authorship.
The most important result of the study is a theoretical foundation of the method of photography
attribution, based on the scrutiny of furniture, workshop accessories and background. Of special
significance is the technology of print making (material, technique, state of preservation, etc.)
A supplement to the dissertation is a catalogue of Levitsky’s works in the collection of the State
Hermitage made for the first time. The catalogue shows the major stages of Levitsky’s career, demonstrating his contribution to Russian nineteenth-century photography.
Maxim lapshin
pavel korin: artist, restorer, collector
For the degree of Candidate
141
The dissertation is concerned with the restoration and collection aspects of the career of the outstanding twentieth-century artist Pavel Korin. For the first time, the significance of Korin’s restoration work was shown in its connection with his other activities, as painter and collector. As a result
of the study of the materials of the Korin Museum-House, new facts have become known about
Korin’s work as a restorer and his theoretical views on restoration of Western European painting
formed during his work in the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts.
Pavel Korin’s unique collection of Old Russian painting has been analysed in its entirety. Among
the most typical restoration works discussed in the dissertation are the Toilet of a Woman by Julio
Romano and the Portrait of Cardinal Pallavicini by Titian, formerly in the collection of the State
Hermitage.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPEDITIONS
Integrated antique expedition
dition of the Research Institute of Multidisciplinary Social Studies (St. Petersburg State University)
in the courtyards of the Winter Palace and Shuvalovsky Proyezd. The foundation structures of the
Winter Palace and its extensions (the latter have not survived) as well as bricked-up basement accesses were recorded.
Head of Expedition: S. Solovyov
The expedition continued working under the research programme “Acra: The Ancient City and
Its Environs” (Zavetnoye Village, Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine) and the archaeological project with the University of Tubingen to perform excavations in Heracleia ad Latmos (Kapikiri,
Milas Province, Turkey).
The investigation focused on the sea-flooded part of Acra and was aimed at developing a situation
map of the city and exploring its fortification and residential structures through underwater excavations and survey. The latter were carried out jointly with the Ukrainian Department for Subaquatic
Heritage (Supervisor: V. Vakhoneyev) and the Russian Federation Ministry for Emergencies (Supervisor: D. Yefremov). As a result of the field works, an archaeological map of the submerged site was
compiled with account of the present shoreline; the south-west and north-west defence walls as well
as stone pavement in an area exceeding 30 sq.m were exposed; a 1.8 m deep survey shaft was sunk
near the north face of the south-west defence wall and the stone basement of a 25 sq.m structure
located east of the paved area was unearthed. The excavations yielded numerous ceramic items including fragments of fine Attic black-lacquer pottery and fragments of branded tare amphorae from
Sinop, Heracleia, Thasos and Chios dating back to the mid-4th – early 3rd centuries BC.
Excavations in Heracleia ad Latmos in ancient Caria were conducted jointly with the University
of Tubingen (Supervisor: Richard Posamentir) with the aim to explore the historical precursors
of the ancient town (Anneliese Peschlow, Christoph Gerber), and verify the layouts and structural
features of the residual buildings (defence system, residential and public buildings – Richard Posamentir) of Heracleia, founded in the late 4th century BC by Mausolus of Halicarnassus, a Persian
satrap and ruler of Caria; ceramic materials were collected and examined for subsequent publication (S. Solovyov). The Heracleian expedition resulted in the first-ever extensive collection of classical and Hellenistic pottery; the team also studied previously recovered materials held in the Didyma archaeological depository.
BEREZAN (LOWER BUG) EXPEDITION
Head of Expedition: D. Chistov
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ARCHITECTURAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION
Head of Expedition: O. Ioannisian
June–September. The Hermitage expedition jointly with the researchers of the Chernigov National Pedagogical University (Supervisor: Ye. Chernenko) explored the Transfiguration Cathedral
in Chernigov, the oldest surviving monument of ancient Russian architecture (c. 1036 AD). The expedition unearthed the foundations and lower parts of the walls of the north-east and south-east
extensions previously studied by N. Makarenko (1923) as well as the lower parts of the masonry and
foundations of the cathedral, the related cultural layers and the burials in the narthex.
The exploratory works provided more accurate data on the architectural and structural features of
the side-chapels and the cathedral itself, leading to significant corrections in the dating of the sidechapels, previously believed to have been constructed in the late
11th – early 12th centuries. The north extension was found to date
back to nearly the same period as the cathedral, i.e. the first half
of the 11th century; the south side-chapel was built in the second half of the century and reconstructed in the late 11th – early
12th centuries. Furthermore, foundations of a previously unknown
extension to the cathedral (the south narthex or gallery) were discovered in the south side-chapel. Its foundations may have been
laid simultaneously to the construction of the cathedral, but most
likely, the extension was never built.
The detailed investigation of the cathedral and extension masonry
made it possible to challenge some of the existing theories about
early Russian architecture.
September–November. Archaeological surveillance of the ground
works related to façade waterproofing was conducted by the Hermitage experts jointly with the North-West Archaeological Expe142
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2 cm
Archaeological exploration continued on the ancient settlement on Berezan Island. The season
marked the 50th anniversary since the Hermitage started systematic works on the Berezan site
in 1962.
Excavations proceeded on Site O, investigated by the expedition since 1998. Our key achievements
over the past several years include the unearthing of several Late Archaic public facilities (late 6th –
early 5th centuries BC) which included at least two buildings (Complex 1 and Complex 2) of similar
size and layout. The excavation site was extended south of Complex 2, by approximately 250 sq.m,
in order to clear up the courtyard in front of the entrance. This task was only partly completed due
to the extremely large size of the open area; remains of fences were found on the west and east;
however, only a small part of the south segment was unearthed which gave no clear indication of the
types of buildings located to the south of the complex.
The cultural strata were explored to the continental rock level on c. 170 sq.m of the 2011 pit located
north of Complex 2. The finds include archaeological remains (levelled by fire in the last quarter
of the 6th century BC) underlying the walls of Late Archaic structures as well as the ruins of two
rooms of a house dating back to the second half of the 6th century BC. The most remarkable feature, however, was a rectangular half-dugout of the second quarter – middle of the 6th century BC.
The structure had puddle clay walls lined with stone inside and solid floors coated with multiple layers of clay. The location of the post holes suggests that the half-dugout may have had a gabled roof;
the interior space had probably been divided by wicker partitions. Remains of clay stoves were found
in the south-east and south-west corners.
Anthropomorphic plummet.
Limestone. 6th century BC
bukhara expedition
Head of Expedition: A. Omelchenko
Excavations continued in Paikend jointly with the Archaeology Institute, Uzbekistan Academy
of Sciences, and focused on 4 sites: the Citadel, the area in front of the Citadel, Shahristan I and the
South Suburb.
Exploratory works in the Citadel were conducted on 4 areas. In the north-east, a small 1.5 m thick
stretch of what seems to be the earliest fortress wall was found around the temple. The wall used
to have arrow slits and rested on a platform of so-called flat-convex adobe bricks. The pottery
obtained from the adjacent structure dated back to the late 4th – early 3rd centuries BC. At least
10 layers of flooring were registered in the intramural passage in the north-west corner of the Citadel (the top layer dates from the 4th century). The walls were preserved to 6.5 m; the inner wall
had a passage leading into the Citadel. Iron weapons and pottery dating back to the first centuries
BC were retrieved from the lowest floor layer. Remains of an earlier mosque were found under
the mosque dating to the second half of the 10th century in the south-west part of the Citadel; the
former had had a typical layout, with a central courtyard surrounded by iwans (А. Atakhodzhayev
dated the structure to the Abbasid period by the coins retrieved on the site). The new pit excavated
north of the Citadel allowed to identify at least 3 major construction periods: early medieval residential structures, tenth-century dwellings and household facilities (possibly early 12th century).
A ceramic khumcha vessel with a sixth – seventh-century Sogdian inscription in ink was retrieved
from the site.
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Khumcha vessel
with a sixth- to seventh-century
Sogdian inscription
Shahristan I. West aspect.
Rooms VIIIа-6 and VIIIа-7
In Shahristan I, 14 m of a 1.5–2 m wide street (West Street) were
explored. Stratigraphic analysis identified 18 levels; the lowest two
contained early medieval materials. The surfaces paved with burnt
bricks on both sides served as pavements for pedestrians and/or sufas
for the shops lining the street.
Excavations in Room VIII-1/4 in the west section of the residential
community showed that the site had first been settled in the 6th century. The late eighth-century rooms VIIIа-6 and VIIIа-7 (dated by an
Abu Muslim coin) were linked with a passage. Interestingly enough,
the second room located farther from the entrance had 3 khum vessels dug into the sufas; 14 coins of various denominations were found
on the floor.
In the east of the residential community, a detailed investigation was
carried out on the earliest parts of House I (judging by the coins, the
foundations of the house date to the 6th century or slightly earlier).
A hall measuring c. 42 sq.m was fully unearthed in the west part
of the house; a narrow passage leads from the hall to a small room
with sufas on all four sides and a podium in the centre.
Buried under the eleventh-century community mosque in the southeast of the South Suburb lay the remains of what seems to have been
a bathhouse, with two spacious rooms featuring sufa-beds, baths of burnt brick and stoves for heating water. The south room had niches plastered with a mix of clay and gypsum and painted red.
Monitoring was conducted and precise coordinates determined for the known archaeological monuments (the Bronze Age settlement and graveyard Zaman-baba and the medieval settlements Dustmattepa and Shiburdan-ata) in order to develop a new archaeological map of Qorako’l, Bukhara District.
The Hermitage restoration experts О. Viktorova and R. Kazimirova, in collaboration with the Bukhara State Museum-Reserve of Architecture and Art (Ark), completed the cleaning, reinforcement and
mounting works on a fragment of a sixth to seventh-century painting depicting a cheetah which was
obtained from the Uch-Kulakh Site, Bukhara District and selected for exhibition.
upper dvina expedition
Head of Expedition: B. Korotkevich
Excavations continued on the Anashkino and Borokhnovo sites in the south of the Pskov Oblast
(Region). In Anashkino, previously explored parts of the pit in the east sector of the site were reunearthed and the control shoulder between them removed for stratigraphic analysis. Some features
in the pre-continental layer were revealed which dated back to the early period of the site and had
gone undetected by researchers. In Borokhnovo, works were completed on the ninth – tenth-century
defence structures in the pit started in 2010.
ancient russian expedition
Head of Expedition: S. Tomsinsky
Archaeological explorations in Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda (Aleksandrov, Vladimir Oblast/Region)
started in 2005. In the 2012 field season, works continued on the remains of the sixteenth-century buildings around the sixteenth-century Dormition Church and the eighteenth-century over-thewell chapel (Pit 1, Extension 10). In addition, investigations commenced on a large area bounded
by the levee of the sixteenth-century grand-ducal and royal residence and left outside later monastery
walls built in the 18th century (Pit 2). The team continued the exploration (begun in 2009) of an early
sixteenth-century stone structure, possibly a residential facility, in the Tsarina’s Yard (Extension 10).
For the first time since the beginning of the of Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda project, explorations were
conducted on the surviving early sixteenth-century interiors (a basement room). The building had
been destroyed by fire (possibly during Ivan IV’s reign) and never restored. Our studies have shown
that the destruction of the building had a decisive impact on the subsequent construction history
of his part of the palace complex.
Bronze seal with a family crest
of a participant in the 1812 War
Basement room. Unearthed
fragments of the wall masonry
in the west corner of the building;
a fragment of the “herringbone”
brick floor in the basement;
remains of the doorway
and a fragment of a white stone
stair
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Stretches of wall masonry were exposed in the west corner of the structure, which had partly retained their white stone interior lining, a fragment of “herringbone” floor in the basement room
as well as remains of a doorway and part of a white stone staircase leading to the basement from the
street. The unearthed masonry indicates that the original building may have measured c. 300 sq.m
in area. No traces of direct fire impact were detected in the unearthed segment of the basement
room. The room had probably been used to store food including jam which had spilt on the floor during or after the fire. The building had probably formed part of an early sixteenth-century passage
gallery (explored in 2006–2007). On Pit 2, investigation was started on what may have been part
of the household section of the residence.
The most interesting finds of the season were a brick fragment with gold foil melted in the fire,
whole and fragmented red clay wall tiles tentatively dated to the 16th century, whole early sixteenthcentury black and white clay roof tiles and a bronze seal bearing the family crest of a participant
in the 1812 War.
As a result, a 15 m stretch of the main fortress wall of the medieval Solkhat and the adjoining
fortress tower were located. No traces of the main defence wall were found apart from several
rubble stones found in situ inside the trench (“bedding”) beneath the wall. Almost no tower masonry adjoining to the main defence line on the north had survived. The residual fragment measured
4.3 m in length and 1.2 m in width; the east jacket of the wall was 0.9 m high. The east (internal)
façade was found in a better state of preservation than the west façade, from which just several
jacket stones remained. Elsewhere the outlines of the tower can only be determined by the trench
(1.2–1.5 m wide) dug in the light-yellow clay soil. Our findings suggest that the tower may have had
a square layout with 8 × 8 m walls.
The excavations retrieved iron and burnt clay objects as well as a small collection of Jochid coins
(18 in total).
The measurement works on the Solkhat madrasah were conducted for further in-depth study and
museumification of the site.
TRanskuban expedition
Head of Expedition: S. Ostashinsky
Excavations (started in 2011) continued on the rock ledge near the Meshoko Brook. The site is located 1.2 km south-east of the Kamennomostsky Village (Maikop District, Adyg Republic). Exploratory
works were conducted on a 32 sq.m area; remains of the floor and several post holes were found, and
a rectangular dwelling pit sized approximately 3 × 3.5 m was partly unearthed. Two radiocarbon
dates obtained for samples of the coal layer overlying the site indicate an origin of the first half
of the 4th millennium BC. In addition, remains of two fireplaces (partly destroyed by later pits) with
alternating layers of coal and ash and adjacent pads of burnt clay were located.
7,000 items were retrieved, most of them pottery, flint and bone fragments. Individual finds included arrowheads of various shapes, grain bruisers, pendants made of animal teeth, fragments
of clay stove bases, spindle whorls and walls of pottery vessels embellished with clay “pearls”, incised or moulded decorations. The materials obtained, the stratigraphic diversity (5 layers) and the
C14 dates provide a unique opportunity to create a detailed chronological scale for the Eneolithic –
Early Bronze Period in the North-West Caucasus.
One landmark result of the past field season was the unearthing of the earliest cultural layer on the
site. The objects retrieved from this layer were markedly different from those found in the overlying
strata and mostly included split products and isolated flint items as well as geometrical microliths.
Further exploration works will be required to provide accurate dating and cultural attribution.
MYRMEKEYON EXPEDITION
Head of Expedition: A. Butyagin
Works continued on the site of the ancient city of Myrmekeyon located on the north shore of the
Kerch Bay (Quarantine Cape). Most activities centred on Unit I (gross excavated area 450 sq.m) and
a small land plot in the area of Site TS.
The exploration programme was completed on the layers of Ash Pit 2 in the south sector of Unit I,
surviving as small lenses, hollows and 3 pits cutting through the earlier layer. Two of the pits had
small indentations at the bottom, one of which contained the upper part of a Heracleian amphora
embedded in the ground shoulders up, the other comprised the lower part of an amphora. Dating
from the 3rd – 2nd centuries BC, the ash pit overlies a dense layer of yellow loam soil which resulted
from the levelled and rammed adobe originating from houses of the 4th century BC. The masonry
and pavements of this period survived only in places and measure up to 2–3 m in length. Numerous
fragments of red-figure vessels were retrieved (over 20 of these were fragments of large craters);
one unique find made during the 2012 field season was a five-line letter in Greek on a fragment of an
amphora wall. All the structures unearthed had been destroyed around the mid-4th century BC.
Rock outcrops occurred along the side of the pit in the south sector of the site, with outcrops of layers
Fragment of a red-figure crater.
4th century BC
golden horde (OLD KRYM) expedition
Head of Expedition: M. Kramarovsky
In the 2012 season, the expedition focused on two sites: Pit 37-012, containing the surviving remains of the defence tower in the north-west sector of defence system (last quarter of the 14th century), and the Solkhat madrasah (first third of the 14th century).
A 225 sq.m pit was divided into 9 exploratory units sized 5 × 5 m. Unit А-1 contained the remains of
the west tower wall (rubble stone and lime mortar). The wall had been built on continental rock and
although the face stones had not survived, its general outline was traced by the residual “bed” of the
wall. A trench under the north tower wall was found in Unit А-2; the trench had been dug into light
yellow stony ground, with continental rock at the bottom. In Unit B-2, remains of the west tower
wall were located. Like in the other cases, the wall was built from stones fixed together with lime
mortar; traces of lime mortar were preserved. In the areas where no masonry had survived a trench
was made below the west wall in order to identify the junction point of the west wall and the main
defence wall.
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containing Late Archaic materials (early 5th century BC) located in close proximity. A pavement
of flat stones which had formed part of an ancient street proceeded northward from that point.
In Site TS, most of the late medieval layer was found to overlie the rock; in places, the layer is disrupted by pits and trenches of the nineteenth-century port quarantine. Nevertheless, a bronze Julia
Domna coin (198 AD) and some red-lacquer pottery of the Roman period were found in a rock
crevice.
NYMPHAEUM EXPEDITION
Head of Expedition: O. Sokolova
Exploratory works continued on the Bosporan city of Nymphaeum, located 17 km south of Kerch,
on the north-east fringe of the Eltigen (Geroyevskoye) Village (Crimean AR, Ukraine). Most field
research was conducted on Site М on the south slope of the Nymphaeum Plateau. Explorations
continued on the overlying layer to the south of the propylaea unearthed in 1996–2000. Elements
of the second (south) propylaea (preserved in situ) were cleared up. Most of the materials date from
the 4th – 3rd centuries BC; some fragments, however, can be dated to the 5th century BC. 14 household pits, mostly originating during the first centuries AD, were investigated in the 2010 extension
to the pit along the west boundary of Site M (Units 1–6).
Conservation activities were undertaken on the necropolis. Pit 1 was started to explore a vault-like
burial structure, the roofing of which can be traced on the section of the robber pit. 5 large stone
blocks surviving from the destroyed vault of the tomb were found, one of these with a bucranium
relief. A new cultural layer was detected and identified by pottery items as dating from the 5th –
3rd centuries BC. The second area was found to contain two stone boxes (fully robbed), one of which
comprised fragments of a bronze strainer and a kyathos.
The expedition evacuated part of the ground heap. A barrier and an information board were installed
at the entrance to the archaeological site on the west. Multiple clay, stone, glass, bronze and iron
objects retrieved from the city site (692 items as per field records) and necropolis (9 items as per
field records) were transferred to the Kerch Museum.
Penjikent expedition
Head of Expedition: P. Lourie
Gold signet ring. Penjikent,
Item XXVI, Room 44, filling.
Photo by the author
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Works continued on two sites. The Khisorak Site in the upper part of the Zeravshana Valley opposite
the Madrushkat Village has been under exploration since 2010. In the past field season, works continued on the manor houses in Shahristan (the City) and two hills of the fortress (Citadel). The pit
in the Shahristan was extended to the south of two rooms unearthed in 2011; exploratory activities
were performed on the corridor, a capella-like room and a courtyard with an awning. In Citadel I,
excavations continued in the south-west sector of the hill. A fragment of a mural depicting running
gazelles was found under a layer of plaster in the previously unearthed “capella”. Some new features were explored, namely a large, possibly open-air household facility in the corner of the citadel
and (partly) a reception room with a sufa in the centre of the south wall. A passage with an excellently preserved wooden threshold was located in the corner of the hall. Citadel II is an isolated
hill with a castle built on a corridor layout; in the 2012 field season, exploratory works targeted
its west sector. One of the vaulted structures had partly retained second-floor walls and the vault.
The fill included a large amount of organic matter such as carved wooden beams, decorative bricks
and a dried-out mummified dog. The room to the west of it had a window and a passage to the west;
more organic matter was found near the floor level. An open iwan was located behind the capital
wall; the team investigated its walls, parts of the awning and the first floor as well as some shaped
bricks lost from the entablature. The residence of “the Rog elder” (mentioned in a document from
Khisorak) was identified in the east part of the Rog Village.
Running Gazelles.
A painting from Room 2, Citadel II,
Khisorak Site, with a reconstruction
outline superimposed on the walls
of the room (by A. Stepanov)
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In Penjikent, works continued on sites ХХVI and ХХVI-С in the east part of the site and in Kaynar
under the west slope; excavations were also resumed on the suburban manor houses to the south
of the town where investigations of the largest hill were completed (the spaces between the manor
houses and a street with pedestrian pavements along the river were exposed). Restoration and excavation works were conducted on the sixth-century Kaynar palace. The north part of the complex and
the rooms near the fortress wall were found to be linked via a passage. In the south part, works commenced on the area between Kaynar and the upper citadel of Penjikent. The remaining murals in the
palace “capella” were cleared up and copied (the works were performed under the grant from the US
cultural office in Tajikistan); a fragment of a mural with tulips (top layer) was restored. To the west,
the upper parts of the walls embellished with identical murals were cleaned up. On the ХХVI-С site,
explorations continued on the East Street and the adjacent household on the west; a chronological
analysis was performed on the south extension and the ground floor rooms in the previously explored
part of the house. The west wall of the square was unearthed. Site ХХVI was extended southward.
Excavations continued on a rich aristocratic residence between the fortress wall and the street in the
west. A first-floor room with a vaulted grain storage chest, remains of the second-floor walls, two
large vaulted rooms (5.5–6.5 m tall) located in parallel to each other along the E–W axis and
a corridor running N–S parallel to the street were exposed. A rich decorative mural frieze, with red
predominating, was copied in the previously unearthed room. One especially valuable finding was
a gold ring with a black stone insert depicting a human figure facing left.
NORTH-WEST EXPEDITION
Head of Expedition: A. Mazurkevich
The expedition targeted the archaeological
campsites Serteya I and Serteya II (Velizh
District, Smolensk Oblast/Region) and the
Dubokray group of monuments at the bottom of Sennitsa Lake (Nevel District, Pskov
Oblast/Region).
During the 2012 field season, further investigation was performed on the wooden structure
in Serteya I composed of a horizontal layer of
large processed fir sticks (up to 3m long) with
sharpened ends. Radiocarbon dating suggests
that the structure can be dated to the mid-3rd
millennium BC. A large fragment of a fishnet
with about 50 plummets was retrieved from
the same site. The net fragments were extracted as a single monolith and cleaned up in
laboratory settings. The well-preserved plummets were made of small pebbles or pieces
of clay neatly covered with birch bark wicker.
Exploratory works were completed on the insitu wooden structure composed of upstanding pine sticks (rectangular in section) tied together with ropes. The lower ends of the sticks were
sharpened; the sticks measured c. 70 cm in length, their upper ends had been broken off in antiquity.
Embedded in the aleurite to the depth of up to 50 cm, the structure used to be arranged in a semicircle in the centre of the channel between two lakes. A bone endpiece with residual string binding
was found near. The previously found fragments of one bone and one flint endpiece had also been
used for fish hunting. Isolated pottery fragments of the Usvyat and Zhizhitsa cultures as well as
some pig coprolites were retrieved.
Further underwater explorations on Serteya II targeted the cultural strata of Structure 1. Several
levels of wooden floor repairs were traced dating back to various reconstruction periods. The sand
contains numerous small coals, calcified bones, flint flakes and scales. Similar sediments were found
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Finds from Serteya II.
3rd millennium BC
2 cm
on each of the floor levels. Other finds included fragments of ropes of different weave types, including
one whole roll of thick rope. Other finds retrieved from the different flooring levels included pottery
fragments, flint tools and flint production waste as well as wooden artefacts.
Underwater explorations continued on Dubokray I (Sennitsa Lake) and the structure composed
of large stones arranged in a circle with several protrusions (rays). Agglomerations of ceramic material and coals were found. The pottery dates back to the 4th – 5th millennia BC. A systematic survey
showed that the material was deposited in several spots at the central elevated point of the structure.
A new monument (Dubokray X) was discovered as a result of underwater explorations and shown
to contain remains of a feature composed of large stones. Of especial interest is the north-west part
of the monument where stones are arranged in two strictly parallel lines. The topographical plan
and surface reconstruction data indicate the area to be the highest point of the monument. It was
also the site from which the only agglomeration of finds (a bone endpiece, a stone axe and fragments
of a clay Late Neolithic pot) was retrieved.
SLAVIC-SARMATIAN EXPEDITION
Head of Expedition: S. Voronyatov
Fibula. Bronze. 1st century AD
Black clay vessel (reconstruction).
4th century
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Excavations proceeded on Sinin VIII, Pogar District, Bryansk Oblast/Region (gross excavation area
96 sq.m). No large structures were discovered; however, the team discovered some important materials
providing a better chronological picture of the site.
The Early Roman period of the settlement is represented by pottery of the post-Zarubintsy Pochep
group and Yukhnovo culture (late stage) and can be
reliably dated to the 1st century AD by the Late Laten
fibula (made of wire) found on the site. The Late Roman period is represented by the Kiev-type pottery
with a small amount of fragmented Chernyakhov pottery first found in the Bryansk Oblast. The discovery
of two fragments of a black clay Chernyakhov vessel
made it possible to reconstruct a three-handle vase
typical of the fourth-century Chernyakhov culture. Individual finds representing both these periods included spindle whorls of various shapes and fragmented
iron knives.
Survey works were conducted in Suzemka District,
Bryansk Oblast/Region, at the point of discovery
of the Usukh treasury with items from the circle of the
third-century champlevé enamels. An unexplored
monument was found near the former Usukh Village
which produced some Bronze Age pottery.
STABIAN EXPEDITION
Head of Expedition: A. Butyagin
Excavations continued on the thermae of the Ariadne Villa, one
of the so-called Stabian villas. The three-year-long exploration
works on the thermae were almost completed. Most of the activities focused on the east sector of the courtyard with a small garden,
the remainder of which had been unearthed in 2011. The courtyard
walls were covered with frescos on a red background; a fullypreserved floor mosaic with a cross-shaped pattern was found.
The ground in the corner was not removed to prevent the walls from
collapsing.
The principal area of investigation was the cubuculum with two
bed niches to the north-east of the courtyard. The team unearthed
the cubiculum to the floor level, fully exposing the walls with
more graffito in ancient Greek and Latin. Of especial interest
is the painting representing a gladiator (myrmillo) and a roughly
sketched figure of his opponent. A mosaic of black and white marble cubes was unearthed on the floor. A small mosaic representing
a two-handled vase survived near the door opening into the southeast corridor as did the meander bands on the floor.
A corridor bounding the thermae on the south-east was fully
explored apart from a small area of ground in the north part, retained to protect the layer from collapsing. The floor of the corridor had a concrete surface; the walls bore frescoes with a red
background. The south-east wall in the central part of the corridor was found to have a breach resulting from eighteenth-century
excavations.
Palm of a minor figure from the altar niche. Krasnaya Rechka Site.
Buddhist temple in the south extension
to the niche was completely cleared up; this may have been equipped with a small stair as the floor
level in the niche is above that of the shrine.
Further exploratory works were undertaken on the lower levels of the stratigraphic pit. The earliest
layer, resting on the continental rock, can be dated to the 8th century. The clean-up works on the
continental rock resulted in the discovery of 3 burials dating to a period yet unknown but obviously
preceding the construction of the town.
The Kultobe team mainly focused on the architectural and archaeological features of the early citadel and the ancient precursor of Yasi-Turkestan. The citadel had grown around a cross-shaped building with later additions. Several fortification jackets and the city fortress wall had been subsequently adjoined to the outer front of the building. This is the first time that the development of a small
town has been reliably traced in the Middle Syr-Daria Region. The town was destroyed by fire (most
likely, in the middle of the 1st millennium AD) and entered a new historical phase directly related
to the city of Yasi in the 9th century AD.
tien-shan expedition
central asian expedition
Head of Expedition: A. Torgoyev
Head of Expedition: N. Nikolayev
Exploratory works continued on two monuments: the Krasnaya Rechka Site in the Chuyskaya Valley
(Kyrgyzstan) and the Kultobe Site in the centre of the Turkestan City (South Kazakhstan).
The Krasnaya Rechka team targeted two areas: the Buddhist temple and the stratigraphic pit near
the west fortress wall of the central quadrangle.
In the Buddhist temple, exploration of the rectangular shrine sized 8 × 7 m was completed. Fragments of seated figures were unearthed on the pedestal in the south-west corner. A small fragment
of a picture painted in red and representing Buddha sitting on a lotus was uncovered on the wall
of the shrine. The fill of the shrine was found to contain fragments (some small, some fairly large)
of wall sculptures. Fragments of the face and head of the large sculpture (unearthed in 2011) and
of the smaller figures standing in front of Buddha were found on the floor in the altar niche. The entry
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Face of the large Buddha sculpture (reconstructed by fragments).
Clay, painting. 8th – 9th centuries. Krasnaya Rechka Site.
Tien Shan Expedition
Works continued on the Xiongnu gravesite of Orgoyton, Buryatia Republic. The horizontally laid stone
slabs that had formed the fence of the structure overlying the burials were removed and the boundaries of the grave cut defined. On the ancient daylight surface level, the grave exceeds 16 m from north
to south (not including the dromos); the north wall measures over 14.5 m in length, the south wall
is 12.9 m long. More accurate data was obtained on the design of the internal partitions including
those between the dromos and the grave cut. The dromos was found to contain 3 upright stelae aligned
with the central stela in the north wall of the fence. The stelae in the dromos may have had different
semantic functions from those used in the fence around the barrow. Further investigations will be required to fully understand the territorial, chronological, social or other factors that led to the use of the
stelae in the fence and dromos of “princely” Xiongnu mounds on the right bank of the Selenga River.
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SOUTH-EAST CRIMEAN EXPEDITION
SOUTH CRIMEAN EXPEDITION
Head of Expedition: V. Gukin
Head of Expedition: S. Adaksina
The South Crimean Expedition and the Crimean Office of the Archaeology Institute (Ukrainian
Academy of Sciences) continued exploratory works on the Cembalo Fortress (14th – 15th centuries)
in Balaclava.
The 2012 field season followed up the activities performed in 2008–2011; works were pursued along
the fortress’s east defence line, between the Barnabo Grillo Tower and the Portal Tower.
The newly uncovered site is located inside the east curtain, beneath the road leading towards the
Barnabo Grillo Tower. The buildings on this slope were arranged
in terraces. The pit measures about 200 sq.m in area.
The explored built-up residential zone was extended to the west
and north-west compared with the 2011 field season; part of the
curtain along the fortress’s east defence line between the Portal
Tower and Barnabo Grillo was unearthed.
The most remarkable findings include a fragment of a red clay
cup with light yellow-green glazing; the fragment carries part
of a narrative painting representing a bearded man in embroidered clothes and a number of plant shoots.
Some interesting stratified material was obtained which provides
valuable information on housing construction principles and the
infrastructural development of the medieval Cembalo Fortress.
Pithos. Clay. 9th – 12th centuries
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Exploratory works continued on the port area of the medieval town of Sudak.
Two surface stone houses were unearthed and fully explored on Pit VIII (Structures 1 and 2) which
had functioned for over 250 years. Structure 2 was identified as dating from the first half of the
13th century; Structure l had been added to Structure 2 during the Mongol rule. Both ancient buildings had integrated heating systems or sufas (following the Far-East traditions of residential construction). The dwellings overlie earlier cultural strata containing the remains of ninth- to twelfthcentury stone structures. The ceramic materials associated with the earlier structures display some
marked chronological changes. The most prevalent findings were
tenth- to eleventh-century Constantinople containers as well
as fragments of amphorae made in the north of the Black Sea Region (8th – first half of the 9th centuries) and tall-necked pitchers
dating from the second half of the 9th – 11th centuries. Items
of particular interest included an amphora and a pithos (both
whole) found in situ inside the structures as well as a fragment
of a pithos with a brand and a Greek inscription. The few glazed
ceramic items obtained from the site shows the distinct features
present in the pottery originating from Constantinople, Mediterranean Region and Asia Minor. The most important metal artefacts included an Italian misericord, a processional cross for outdoor use and a hook for animal carcass splitting; the stone objects
included a casting mould for lead rings. Numerous bronze, glass
and bone items were retrieved. The coin findings make it possible
to roughly date the layers in Pit VIII to the 10th – end of the 15th
centuries at the earliest.
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south kuban expedition
Head of Expedition: T. Ryabkova
Exploration works were completed on Division Kurgan 1 (Kostromskoy Kurgan) near the Severny
Village, Mostovsky District, Krasnodar Krai/Region.
A three-year-long study showed that the Kostromskoy Kurgan had been built above a redesigned
Bronze Age mound. The ground may have been cleared up to the continental rock, after which а barrow had been constructed that looked like a hill measuring about 28 m in diameter. The artificial
pad on the surface of the hill (mentioned in N. Veselovsky’s report several times) was well-rammed.
The pad had obviously carried a cage-like structure as a corner of the frame and the wooden blocks
above it were located in the segment of the mound untouched by Veselovsky’s trench. Veselovsky’s
data about the logs located inside the timber frame were confirmed; the logs had been used as supports for the frame (3 of these were traced). The presence of a tabernacle was not confirmed as the
imprints of the burnt wooden blocks on the surface of the pad were haphazard rather than arranged
in any regular pattern. The thin black layer overlying the feature suggests that some kind of felt
cloth (?) may have been used. Veselovsky’s reports about horse carcasses found outside the frame
also turned out to be a mistake; the frame was surrounded by rectangular block-like structures rising
slightly above the surface of the pad. Moreover, the position of the frame corner shows that either the
burial ground exceeded the size quoted by N. Veselovsky (3.2 × 3.2 m) or his description (“a pit was
discovered beneath the tabernacle under rammed soil matching the quadrangle base of the tabernacle in size”, 1897) was incorrect. Sacrificial complexes with horse and cattle skulls were located
in the north-west and north parts of the barrow at the borders of the pad. Our explorations showed
that the mound had been constructed according to a detailed plan, probably over a lengthy period
of time. Investigatory activities between Division Kurgan 1 and 10 failed to locate any structures
near the barrow of Division Kurgan 1. The 2012 field works showed that the small barrow near
of Division Kurgan 1 was also a burial mound. A human burial in a shallow grave, almost completely
destroyed by robber excavations, was found under the barrow, with skeletons of bridled horses laid
near the grave in a semi-circle on the ancient surface level in the west. Both mounds are likely
to have been constructed in the late 7th century BC. A collection of pottery fragments and items
made of animal bones found during the 2011 field season in close proximity to the Division Kurgans
suggested the presence of a settlement in the area. In 2012, its boundaries were tentatively outlined;
a topographic plan was compiled; a new shaft was started resulting in a large collection of pottery
and metal items. The ceramic materials make it possible to date the settlement to the Early Meotian
period (late 7th – 6th centuries BC).
SOUTH SIBERIAN EXPEDITION
Head of Expedition: K. Chugunov
Excavations continued on Kurgan 1 forming part of the Bugry Gravesite in the Rubtsovsk District,
Altai Krai/Region. The shoulder of the centrally located Grave 1 was removed and exploratory works
on the grave were undertaken. The grave was found to contain fragments of a bridle set and showed
traces of illegal excavations; a supporting system for a robber trench, plank structures and fragments of a wooden shovel were found.
In the Tyva Republic, works continued on the Chinge-Tey I funerary complex. The excavations proceeded on three sectors of the mound; the stonework of the peripheral structures of the monument
(north-west feature) was studied. The complex was identified as a funerary structure and found
to contain an embedded ceramic vessel with an ornament common in the Kokel culture of the early
1st millennium AD. In Sector ABV stonework was dismantled along line AB towards the centre
of the kurgan. In Sector APR, another stone box burial was explored (Grave 5). A leather belt with
was bronze plaques and fragments of a gorytos with a bow and arrows was found near the body.
These uniquely preserved items make it possible to reconstruct similar objects previously found
in fragments. Apart from these artefacts (extracted as monoliths), a deer stone was retrieved from
under the façade stonework of the mound.
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major Construction and restoration of the Buildings
construction of the “Staraya Derevnya” restoration, Conservation
and Storage centre
Mikhail Piotrovsky and
Olga Golodets, Vice-Chairman
of the Government of the Russian
Federation
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LenNIIProekt company in collaboration with the employees of
the State Hermitage Museum. The dominant of the complex is the
building with a granite portal decorated with Onega and White
Sea petroglyphs, which have become the emblem of the State
Hermitage Museum “Staraya Derevnya” Restoration, Conservation and Storage Centre. The corridors and transportation hubs
of every floor inside the block have their own colour. Thus the
seven floors have seven rainbow dyes.
The restoration and storage centre includes 54 repositories with
a total area of 7,954 sq.m. The open storage area is 1,114 sq.m.
The storage unit with the enhanced safety level occupies an area
of 507 sq.m; 3,807 sq.m accommodate restoration laboratories,
including the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Applied
Art Objects, with the sectors of metal artwork, ceramic art and
stained-glass artwork, Laboratory for Scientific Restoration
of Photos, Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Textiles, Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Furniture and Carriages, Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Mural Painting, the bookbinding sector of the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Graphic
Works. The Department of the Archaeology of Eastern Europe and
Siberia (1,797 sq.m), Antiquity Department (1,200 sq.m), Department of the History of Russian Culture (3,095 sq.m), Oriental
Department (1,267 sq.m), Department of Western European Fine
Arts (734 sq.m), Department of Western European Applied Arts
(1,069 sq.m) plan to have their own storage spaces here.
The Lecture and Exhibition Block houses two large span exhibition
halls, with two rows of windows and anterooms occupying a total
area of 1,000 sq.m, and a 240-seat lecture and concert hall.
At the end of 2012 the second phase in the construction of the “Staraya Derevnya“ Restoration,
Conservation and Storage Centre was put into operation. The new premises will accommodate the
museum’s restoration laboratories, the holdings of the scientific and storage departments, exhibition, lecture and concert halls. According to the project the State Hermitage Museum repository
represents a complex of buildings including several blocks: the Storage Block, the Restoration and
Conservation Block, the Lecture and Exhibition Block, the Technical Block, the Laboratory Block,
the Administrative Block, as well as auxiliary blocks.
The first phase of the Centre’s project (construction of four buildings), was completed on 16 May 2003. Since then the new museum repository has been operating on the “open storage” principle.
Currently the main building houses different collections from the
Department of Western European Fine Arts, Department of Western European Applied Arts, Department of the History of Russian
Culture, Oriental Department, Department of the Archaeology of
Eastern Europe and Siberia, Laboratory for Scientific Restoration
of Easel Painting, Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Timepieces and Musical Mechanisms and Laboratory for Scientific
Restoration of Applied Art Objects. The Museum of the Horse and
the Theatre of Tapestries have opened in the Centre. Over several
years classes have been held here for children with special needs
within the educational programme “The Past at the Fingertips”.
The second phase of the construction includes six blocks. The general designer and the prime contractor is the Finnish Lemminkainen company, the architectural design is by the Russian Trofimovs
Creative Workshop, the engineering design is carried out by the
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Restoration of the hanging Garden
The Hanging Garden. 1990s
In 2012, after a seven-year period of restoration work, the Hanging Garden has blossomed anew. A tremendous amount of work
has been done to make this happen. Before the start of the Hanging Garden’s restoration it was necessary to carry out a thorough
integrated engineering survey (in 2003–2004), which involved
looking into the causes of the soaking of the structures and the
dampening of the rooms under the garden. The survey of the foundations, basements and vaults in the central part of the Small
Hermitage was conducted as well. As a result two reasons were
identified: the capillary water rise due to the lack of the foundation waterproofing and the water inflow across the garden surface (explained by the damage to the waterproofing of the drain
ditches and the paths). Measures had to be taken for draining the
walls and the vaults, inspecting the sewerage systems and other
utilities, identifying the places of waterproofing defects and the
sources of the flooding of the Small Hermitage basements by applying the geophysical (non-destructive) methods. Russian and
Dutch specialists from Fundamentproekt and the Evers Partners company participated in this work.
The difficulties of the laying out and the upkeep of such gardens in our severe climate determine the
unique character of the completed work. The words “great leakages and dampness” are the most frequently used in the archival documents related to the history of the Hanging Garden’s construction.
Oddly enough, the major leakage followed immediately after the latest in the series of routine repairs.
There was a reason for that. Since in the course of the reclamation works the old waterproofing system was removed, the constructions had plenty of time to get moisturised again. While slowly concentrating at the lower levels, the water kept accumulating until it had reached the critical point only to
start flooding the lower premises. The best time for carrying out the restoration work was scheduled
after the careful study of the archival documents including the plans, sectional views, as well as the
lists of plants from the palace nursery-gardens (namely Taurida Gardens and the gardens on Yelagin
Island) intended for planting in the Hanging Garden. On 7 February 2006 the project received the
approval from the bodies of the protection of historical monuments of St. Petersburg.
In 1840 the architect Vasily Stasov was put in charge of the general reconstruction of the Small
Hermitage building. He designed the new floor system under the Hanging Garden, known as the entrenching floor (or light septal vaults), which rested directly on the capital brick arches. The addition
Allegory of Sculpture (copy).
By Antonio Tarsia (?). Italy,
18th century
The Hanging Garden.
After restoration
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of more space under the garden helped find the solution to two problems by providing the protection
of the lower premises from the through leakages and the ventilation of the interior structures, since
the entrenching vaults form the actual labyrinths under the garden. Stasov improved the water disposal system from the garden surface; the water flows down the paths into the drain ditches for the
plants, then runs into the water intake chambers through the water drain pipe found on the bottoms
of the drain ditches and further on to the sewage. This system is now fully restored.
Some unforeseen problems occurred in the course of the restoration work. The waterproofing and the
water disposal system project required the engineers to design the system of transverse and longitudinal slopes on the garden surface. The transverse slope (1 сm per metre) is visible, while the longitudinal slope is insignificant (approximately 1 сm per 5 metres). Demonstrating clear geometry, the drain
ditches for the plants take the shape of an oblong rectangular. Workers with the measuring tools started
to place the curb Dutch bricks along the perimeter of the drain ditches in strict accordance with the
design’s brickwork dimensions. On the completion of the first section it was found that as a result of the
optical illusion, the small longitudinal slope makes the fringe of the drain ditch look wavy, or, in other
words, curved. Consequently, the longitudinal slopes had to be abandoned. Given the length of the garden, the leveling along the whole length of the garden resulted in the serious deviation from the design
dimensions. Much of the completed work needed adjustment. At some places the leveling concrete was
added to reach 10 сm, while in others it had to be cut off, which was far more complex.
In the course of works some curious incidents happened. After the long period of the restoration work
some jobs remained to be completed. The decision was made to bring them all together in the contract
entitled “Finalising the Hanging Garden’s Restoration”. When the operations under the contract had
already started, it was revealed that the door leading into the garden had been forgotten to install.
It was easy to understand. Surrounded by the museum rooms and located in the very centre of the Hermitage, the Hanging Garden inconveniences the performance of works. Prior to the restoration work the
garden’s surface mark considerably increased and the doors of the side galleries had to be walled up to
prevent the penetration of water into the museum rooms. That was the main reason which prompted the
start of the restoration. The employees and the persons in charge of the engineering and architectural
control got into the garden through the window of the Pavilion Hall with the permission of the security
service. The supplies were delivered by the load hoist, and the restorers entered the garden through the
roof, for which temporary scaffolds were built. They would go up and down, carrying their instruments,
which used to happen many times a day. One could often hear the following conversation, “How did you
get into the Hanging Garden, through the roof?” “No, the usual way, through the window”. Generally
speaking, everybody got used to do without the doors… Later the employees joked that one more contract entitled “Finalising the finalising works in the Hanging Garden” was to be drawn up.
The Hanging Garden has a unique small scale climate, imitating that of more southerly latitudes.
The closeness to the Neva partially counterbalances the temperature differences; it is closed from four
sides and receives the warmth from the walls and the rooms beneath. Besides, its stretching from north
to south allows for maximum insolation. The trees and bushes blossom here earlier and this period
continues longer than in the city and its suburbs. The list of plants from the 1843 register was given
careful thought. Considering the conditions of St. Petersburg the plants are absolutely winter-hardy
and have a lateral root system, which does not cause any damage to the waterproofing. In those days
such plants were the latest fashion in Europe. It was then that our favourite lilac (Syrínga vulgáris) appeared to become the trademark of the Hanging Garden. The lilac bushes, which died during the siege,
were replaced in 1945 by shrubs from the Nikistsky Botanical Garden. In 2011 the famous Madame
Lemoine and General Pershing kinds of lilac of the 1890 selection were planted.
During the restoration of the Hanging Garden the similar materials and technologies from the time
when the Hanging Garden had been created were used. For example, the pigeon-houses were made
of wood after the models which have survived to our time and after the archival drawings by Charlemagne (1826). The design of the birds’ houses is the same as in the 19th century. In particular
cases, when it was impossible to carry out restoration with the use of the historical materials, the
modern technology achievements were used. The coating for the garden paths was difficult to choose.
The waterproofing of the surface became a matter of top priority for the restorers, so did the coating
thickness. As a result, every centimeter had to be fought for. The lower is the garden level relative to
the side premises, the higher the reliability is. By tradition the garden paths were covered with sand.
For obvious reasons we find this unacceptable. As early as in 1885 the garden paths were asphalted,
but the documents do not indicate what kind of asphalt was used. The usual asphalt-based asphalt
is of low decorative value. In the late 19th century the ornamental and even mosaic kinds of asphalt
were manufactured; today coloured asphalt is still made. The Catherine Park in Pushkin may serve as
a vivid example, yet the technology requires such asphalt to be laid with the use of heavy equipment,
such as rollers and vibro packers. Were this equipment raised into the Hanging Garden, the light
entrenching vaults would not be able to stand this load. Besides, the vibration in the museum conditions is absolutely unacceptable. Finally the decision was made in favour of the so-called stone carpet.
In fact, this is a cinder track, but the small particles of the stone are bonded by means of polyurethane,
which provides additional waterproofing. The coating from 8 to10 mm in thickness was applied by
hand. This work was carried out by the Dutch company POKSI. In spring the surface of the paths is
going to be additionally treated with a special protective coating. While choosing the waterproofing
system, the historiсal material (sheet lead) had to be discarded. Unfortunately, while being reliable,
this material is toxic. Since the water from the garden surface runs into the municipal sewerage, we
are not allowed to use it. Artificial rubber, the modern material with exceptional strength characteristics, was selected for providing the garden’s waterproofing.
At this stage the restoration shop Nasledie has already completed the restoration of five marble
sculptures. All the copies were made by the direct copying method and were polymer-concrete
cast (polyster resin with marble chips). The copies of the sculptures were installed in the Hanging
Garden of the State Hermitage. Currently the restoration shop Nasledie is working on the copies of other seven sculptures (Apollo, Diana, Venus by Аntonio Таrsia and Flora, Ceres, Ваcchus,
Volcano by D.-А. Chibei), as well as four flower vases. The work on the restoration of the Hanging
Garden was supervised by the Chief Architect of the State Hermitage V. Lukin. The Hanging Garden’s restoration project was developed by the Art-Ekspert in collaboration with the research institute Georekonstruktsiya-Fundamentproekt involving the Leading Architect of the State Hermitage
S. Mishin. The dendro-project and the minor forms project were designed by the RM Nasledie in collaboration with the architects of the State Hermitage L. Akmen, and М. Dubrovskaya. The finalising
work was carried out in accordance with the Sobor design documents. The restoration companies
Art Ekspert, RM Nasledie, Muzeinyie Tekhnologii and Neolik took part in the restoration work.
Restoration of the Eastern Wing of the general Staff Building
In 2012 the large-scale restoration work was simultaneously conducted in the area of 30,000 sq.m,
both inside and outside the Eastern Wing of the General Staff Building. It may be said without exaggeration that the work on the reinforcement of the foundations and the walls was unique, since
the builders had to work in a confined space in order to strengthen the existing foundations and
to transplant them on the new piles. The installation of lantern lights has become a turning point in
adjusting the monument of architecture to perform new functions. Each construction is of special
design and is an in-situ reinforced concrete construction. The two-level construction of most of the
lantern lights takes the shape of a quadrilateral pyramid. In producing the lantern lights the most
labour-intensive and complex operation was the concreting of a thin-walled structure and making
the formwork, thus obtaining the face surface with no finishing work required. Today the work on
the concreting of the lanterns, lift shafts, stairs, as well as the installation of lantern lights has been
completed. The full range of operations for the deepening and waterproofing of the basements was
carried out. The waterproofing of all constructions has been done. The roof with translucent coating, the metal structures of expositional gates and revolving walls were fully assembled in the three
former yards, which according to the project have become part of the Great Suite.
The large scope of work was dictated by the restoration of the complicated façades abounding in such
decorative elements as columns, stucco mouldings, French balconies, gilded bronze balusters and
marble handrails. Such a variety of details, materials and forms calls for different kinds of work:
masonry restoration (granite, Putilovsky limestone), plasterwork, façade stucco décor and gilding.
The restoration work of the front and back façades is nearing completion.
Inside the building the scientific restoration of the stuccowork, gilding, art parquet, marble mantelpieces, gilded wooden doors, artificial marble and monumental painting is being carried out
The Hanging Garden.
After restoration
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restoration AND CONVERSION of the Small Hermitage
into AN EXHIBITION Complex
in the former state rooms and living quarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where the decoration designed by Carlo Rossi back in the first third of the 19th century for Chancellor Nesselrode has
survived to our time.
Created by the first-class masters, the monumental painting of the General Staff Building underwent a series of restoration work. Nevertheless, the decorative paintings in many rooms were
in a very unsatisfactory condition. The works by J.B. Scotti are in fact glue paintings where pigment
is applied to plaster by using glue foundation. The restorers discovered that the repainting had been
done in the later periods with the use of tempera, acrylic paints (which darken and are exposed
to hydrogen sulphide), casein paints and even oil paints. The thicker the new layers, the more damage they cause to the original painting. The use of breadcrumbs found on the painted ceilings by the
restorers in some rooms was an established historical practice. However, upon the completion of
the clearance process not a single crumb should remain in the painting. Otherwise they provide
growth-supporting microenvironment for microorganisms which have bad influence on the paintings. The peeling of paint, decomposing plaster, leakages, and the numerous cases of restoration
repainting made the restorers take an individual approach to every hall (a total of 26). A tremendous
amount of preliminary work was performed including a survey for identifying the original decoration, a search for archival documents, carrying out expert chemical and physical examinations.
Currently the restoration of the monumental painting is nearing completion. The restoration of the
flooring is nearly finished, so is the laying of the new flooring where necessary.
Work has nearly been completed on the installation of the systems of heating, ventilation, conditioning, electric supply, safety system and communications. The installation of the atrium and the roof
service system is half way towards its completion.
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Discussing the model for the new
design of the Small Hermitage
building. 10 September 2012
Riding-school. Photo from
the early 20th century
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In 2012 the Department of the History and Restoration of Architectural Monuments of the State
Hermitage in collaboration with the architectural firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)
of Rem Koolhaas developed the concept of the conversion of the Small Hermitage into an exhibition complex. An exhibition hall with a circuit gallery with a total area of 1500 sq.m, meeting
modern requirements for displaying museum objects, is to be accommodated in the former premises
of the Imperial riding-school. A spacious entrance area of 600 sq.m will occupy the former stables.
The project provides for the 600 sq.m area for the reception and unpacking of exhibits, the 440 sq.m
area for the storage of showcases and exhibition constructions, as well as the operational restoration
workshop. Beta-Kom (architect D. Yengovatov) maintains the research and design documentation
“The Exhibition Complex” related to the modern use of the Small Hermitage building.
The building of the Small Hermitage was constructed according to the design of the architects
Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe and Yury Velten in 1764–1775. It was the Small Hermitage that
started the formation of the complex of the Hermitage buildings, which along with the Winter Palace comprised a uniform architectural ensemble which had taken final shape by the middle of the
19th century. The premises under the Hanging Garden were used as the wood-sheds and coachhouses. In 1840–1843 the architects Vasily Stasov and Nikolay Yefimov carried out the reconstruction of the building. The riding-school and the stables were accommodated on the lower floor
under the garden. In 1938 the architect А. Sivkov developed the project of converting the ridingschool and the former stables into exhibition rooms as part of the museum display. The premises
were reconstructed for keeping the coaches and the Pergamon Altar (“Pergamon”): some walls
and partitions were dismantled, so were the stalls, the stoves and fire-places were disassembled
and the new window apertures were installed. Since Sivkov’s designs fitted perfectly the concept
underlying the new project, it was decided to preserve the original space planning solution with
some elements of the architectural décor. First and foremost, it was thought necessary to restore
the survived parts of the nineteenth-century design: the granite columns with the square abutments
of the stables, huge windows with metal frames on the mezzanine storey (by the architect N. Gornostayev). Some of Stasov’s inner window apertures will be opened. It is planned to carry out the
restoration of the whole range of the twentieth-century architectural parts: the mezzanine storey
floors made of coloured cement tiles, the wooden enclosure and the stairs in the riding-school made
according to Sivkov’s design.
The new concept provides the possibility for the independent operation of the exhibition hall with
a separate entrance as a public zone. For that purpose it was decided that Shuvalovsky Proyezd,
located east of the Small Hermitage and connecting Millionnaya Street to Dvortsovaya Embankment, should be open for visitors. To make possible the constant free movement of the Hermitage
employees under Shuvalovsky Proyezd an underground walkway connecting the basements of the
Large Hermitage to the North Pavilion was designed. The underground walkway enables to preserve
the foundations of the house of Admiral Kryuis (the 1720s). The basements of the Small Hermitage
allow for the preservation of the survived parts of the engineering equipment from the 19th century:
an Amosov stove and the stables’ water-supply system.
Restoration of the façades of the Electric and dog yards
of the NEW HERMITAGE Building
Part of the large frieze on the Electric Yard façade
of the New Hermitage building. Before restoration
of the New Hermitage building in the course of works on the clearance
of the paint layers
of the New Hermitage building. After restoration
166
Between 1839 and 1852 the New Hermitage building was erected
as the first special museum building in Russia, according to the design of the Bavarian architect Leo von Klenze, with participation
of Vasily Stasov and Nikolay Yefimov. Besides the atlantes and
herms executed from Serdobolsky granite and zinc sculpture, the
building façades are adorned by different terra-cotta details. A total of 4,000 burnt clay components after 25 models were created
for the façades of the New Hermitage. Among their creators were
P. Svintsov, N. Ustinov, A. Loganovsky, A. Terebenev, D. Jensen,
K. Klein and I. Reimers. Among the numerous decorations are the
statues of eagles, аcroteria and reliefs fixed on the walls. On the
first-floor level a frieze with floral ornamentation stretches along
the perimeter of the whole building. On the final cornice, over the
frieze lion masks are placed along the whole length of the building.
The last major overhaul of the yards’ façades was done in the 1960s.
In the course of the restoration work of the façades the chlorinated polyvinyl сhloride covering was removed from the surface
of the walls, the strength of the plaster covering was checked and
the fragments which did not hold up well were replaced. The technical evaluation of the roof, gutters, оpenings, eaves and rain
water pipes was made and the components in an unsatisfactory
condition were replaced. The façades were painted with silicate
paints in the colour range approximated to the original colour
scheme from the second half of the 19th century.
On conducting the survey of the terra-cotta décor of the yards’ façades including the palmettes, the bases and capitals of the pilasters, the lion masks and the details of the large and small friezes,
the state of their preservation was recognised as unsatisfactory.
Therefore, the full range of the restoration work of the ornamental ceramic adornment of the façades was carried out using the
practical methods developed by the Department of the History and
Restoration of Architectural Monuments of the State Hermitage.
In the course of the restoration work two main tasks were performed. One of them was to plaster a through-crack located on the
southern façade of the Dog Yard. Since the crack has a tendency
to move, the method of filling it in layers with special mortars and
sealers was developed, which prevents the penetration of moisture inside the building. The second task consisted in the recreation of the lost parts of the terra-cotta décor. When in 2000 work
proceeded on the recreation of the sculptural representations of
two-headed eagles (lost in the post-revolutionary years) on the
corner pavilions, the Department of the History and Restoration
of Architectural Monuments in collaboration with the architectural terra-cotta specialists carried out a full range of thorough
examination of the genuine fragments of the terra-cotta, which
led to the development of methodology for the recreation of terracotta décor. This methodology allowed to reconstruct the lost elements of the façade decoration.
Architectural control over the restoration of the façades and
sculptural and ornamental decoration was exercised by V. Lukin,
Chief Architect of the State Hermitage, and T. Prazdnikova,
the researcher of the Department of the History and Restoration
of Architectural Monuments.
The work was carried out from June to December 2012 by the
restoration company Renessans-Restavratsiya.
Restoration of THE PEDESTAL OF the northern and eastern façades
of the Winter Palace building
Semi-basement casing of
the eastern façade of the Winter
Palace. Before and after
restoration
Part of the facing of the portico
pedestal of the Jordan Entrance.
Before and after restoration
167
Besides bricks it was the bedded slab of carbonaceous rock quarried in the south-eastern environs
that since 1710 has been one of the main construction materials of St. Petersburg. In the modern restoration practice it is commonly referred to as the
Putilovsky stone, the Putilovsky limestone or the
Putilovsky slab. Throughout the 18th – early 20th
century they were used for facing the basement
walls of the buildings, pavement, porches, column
bases, different kinds of enclosures, door pillars and
cantilevers.
While carrying out the restoration of the Putilovsky
limestone slabs and blocks, which face the pedestal
and column bases on the northern and eastern façades of the Winter Palace, the specialists of the restoration companies carried out a full range of works
including the clearance, restoration putty, the replacement of huge losses and water-repellent treatment of stone. The restoration of the portico of the
Jordan Entrance created great difficulty, since its
facing is executed in the technique not exactly characteristic of the Putilovsky limestone. Actually the
Putilovsky stone is bedded rock and in order to avoid
exfoliation, the slabs are routinely laid with the bedding side of stone parallel to the ground. The slabs facing the portico were placed vertically, which
over time resulted in the stone exfoliation along the clay courses and in their exfoliation off the brick
portico base. During the restoration work the slabs, which had lost adhesion with the brickwork of the
portico, were dismantled and the accumulated mud was cleaned of their surface. Then they were replaced in the composite grout. The considerable losses of the surface were reconstructed with the help
of the Putilovsky stone, which approximates the qualities and the colour scheme of the original stone.
At the level of the semi-basement on the Winter Palace eastern façade the ruined semicircular frames
and the grills of the window apertures, along with the historical devitrification, were reconstructed.
As the work was in progress on the eastern façade, the gates created to the design of Yury Velten,
which covered the gate arches leading from the Chyorny Proyezd to the Kitchen and the Church
Yards of the Winter Palace, were reconstructed.
The restoration work of the pedestal and column bases under the architectural and supervisory guidance of the Department of the History and Restoration of Architectural Monuments was carried out
by Museum Technology (the northern façade) and Beta-Kom (the eastern façade) companies.
refurbishment PROJECT OF the lighting of the MENSHIKOV PALACE YARD
In September 2012 the work was carried out on the replacement
of the existing lighting system of the Menshikov Palace yard with
the lighting from the light-emitting diode light sources.
The objective of the replacement is the creation of the uniform
intensity of illumination in the entire area of the yard with due
account for the level of illumination, as well as energy efficiency.
By means of modern light-emitting diode fixtures with high light
efficiency and the design optic system, the required lighting intensity was achieved. The light source has directional distribution
of light flux and so does not disturb either visitors or the Hermitage employees.
The installed light-emitting diode fixtures, which reduce energy
output and are also far smaller compared with the previous light
fixtures, are expected to have long-term service and do not require additional maintenance charges.
new stage of the restoration OF THE SCULPTURES ON the pedestals
of the Winter palace roof Ramparts
Specialists surveying the cavity
of the copper sculpture
of the Winter Palace
168
The restoration work was carried out from June to September 2012.
By the time the construction of the Winter Palace was completed in 1762, its balustrade was adorned
by 176 sculptures cut in stone, after the drawings of Francesco Bartolommeo Rastrelli, by the Russian carvers under the supervision of the Viennese master Johann Frantz Dunker and the German
carver Baumgen. The stone sculptures of the palace existed for a little over one hundred years. Their
destruction was caused by the fact that the non-durable stone was permanently affected by weathering. The condition of the sculptures changed for the worse due to the significant overheating during
the fire of 1837. The repeated restoration work could not remedy the situation and in 1892 the decision was made to replace the stone sculptures by copper ones. The professor of the Academy of Arts
M. Popov was entrusted with the task of creating models for the new sculptures. The work on the
replacement of the sculptures was completed in 1894.
Despite the more solid material and the use of new technologies in creating the copper sculptures,
a series of technical miscalculations entailed the destruction of the copper covers and the ruin of the
metal frame in the cavity of the sculptures.
Since the first third of the 20th century the restorers have made continuous attempts to save the
sculptures from further destruction. It was not until 2003–2004, after the thorough survey of a certain sculpture in a critical condition, that the specialists of the Department of the History and Restoration of Architectural Monuments in collaboration with the restorers and designers developed the
methodology for the restoration of the copper sculptures of the Winter Palace.
The systematic restoration started in 2004. The restoration process begins with the soldering of the
copper sheets from the backside of the sculptures. The destroyed grouting, which served as counterweight, is removed from the cavity of the copper covers. The lower third of the metal frame, which is
in the grouting, is removed, since in the humid environment metal fully loses its strength characteristics. It is replaced by a strengthened construction capable of enduring significant wind load without
additional counterweight in the cavities of the sculptures. The ferrous metal frame is covered with an
anticorrosive coating. Dielectric pads are replaced at the points of contact of the ferrous metal of the
frame and the copper covers of the sculptures. The copper surface is cleared of the layer of natural
patina, which under the environmental stress conditions contributes to the faster destruction of the
metal. The open splits of the copper covers are soldered by lead-tin solder. The drain holes formed
in the cavities of the sculptures are made for condensation drainage. The external surface of the
sculptures is covered with special paint containing inhibitors for corrosion of copper. When choosing
the colour of the sculptures, the specialists deliberately suggested a greyish-green colour, so that the
restored sculptures would not stand out and be close in their range of colours to the non-restored
ones, the surface of which is covered with natural patina.
Thanks to the combined efforts of the restorers and researchers the processes causing the destruction
of the sculptures, which crown the building, were stopped.
The restoration of the sculptures was carried out under the architectural and supervisory guidance
of T. Prazdnikova, the research worker of the Department of the History and Restoration of Architectural Monuments, and the specialists of Museum Technologies.
By now 157 out of the total of 176 sculptures have been restored. The remaining 19 sculptures are
scheduled to be restored during the 2013 restoration season. This will complete the total volume
of the restoration work of the Winter Palace copper sculptures.
169
Structure of Visits to the State Hermitage in 2012
Educational Events
Total number of visitors The number of guided tours to the Hermitage
organised in 2012 was 35,576
2,882,385
Including:
Free admissions*975,050
Russian nationals804,640
Foreign visitors969,427
Internet ticket holders32,091
Free admission pass for specialists holders28,098
Group guides73,079
Including:
General tours round the museum6,950
Tours to the Treasure Gallery-16,201
Tours to the Treasure Gallery-24,398
Tours to the Winter Palace of Peter I
482
Tours to the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory
Museum 145
School thematic tours4,154
Over 1,000,000 people visited the Hermitage
exhibitions outside the museum.
Thematic tours and series of tours
for adults
There were over 3,850,000 hits of the Hermitage
website.
Classes for school children795
3,246
Classes at student clubs662
Special tour programmes13
Special educational programmes179
Number of lectures delivered
367
Including:
at the Hermitage 228
in Vyborg and Kazan87
* The State Hermitage offers free admission rights to children,
school pupils and students (regardless of citizenship), senior citizens
of Russia and a number of other categories of Russian nationals
entitled to special benefits
170
171
Educational Events
Educational Events
the state hermitage lecture centre
In 2012 over 23,000 people visited the State Hermitage Lecture Centre. The majority of the lectures
were delivered in front of a full audience and some (in cases of a full house) were repeated at the
request of the public.
Still extremely popular are lectures of the three-year course “The University of World Art History”,
where the audience consecutively studies the history of art. There has been a noticeable shift in the
average age of the audience: one can see more students and young people. The programme of the
lectures is reviewed and if necessary updated on an annual basis.
Nearly half of the repertoire of the themed, in-depth lectures is being changed every year: thus
in 2012 seven out of the eighteen cycles of lectures were delivered for the first time: “The Art and
Culture of the Great Silk Route Countries” (5 lectures); “The Masters of Holland and Flanders”
(10 lectures); “The Treasures of the Hermitage Funds – Told by the Oriental Department Curators”
(4 lectures); “Eternal Memories of 1812…” (4 lectures); “The Artistic Image of the Christian
Church” (4 lectures); “In Memory of the Numerous Victories” (2 lectures); and “At the Service
of the Northern Semiramis” (2 lectures).
Six cycles comprising several lectures that were extremely popular among the Lecture Centre visitors were delivered according to additional expanded programmes: “How does an Egyptologist
Work”; “1000 years of French Art. 10th to 20th Centuries”; “The Image of Britain, From the History of British Art”; “The Mythology of Ancient Egypt”; “The Masters of the ‘Golden’ Age of Painting. 17th Century”; and “The Art of Medieval India”.
The lectures of the “In Memoriam” series that have become very popular over the last three years
are always a success. Seven new lectures were delivered in 2012: “Theodore Rousseau and the Barbizon Movement. On the Occasion of the 200th Anniversary of Birth”; “Gustav Klimt. On the Occasion of the 150th Anniversary of Birth”; “Jackson Pollock. On the Occasion of the Centenary
of Birth”; “Francesco Guardi. On the Occasion of the 300th Anniversary of Birth”; “The Great Mystery of Love…Rembrandt and Saskia. On the Occasion of the 400th Anniversary of Saskia’s Birth”;
“Marc Chagall. On the Occasion of the 125th Anniversary of Birth”; and “Yves Klein. On the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Death”.
It is also a tradition to deliver lectures based on temporary exhibitions: in 2012 those were the lectures linked to the jubilee exhibition: “Lomonosov and the Time of Elizabeth I”; as well as to the
exhibition “Herculaneum Antiquities”. Due to the full house the lecture about Carlo Crivelli was
delivered twice.
The tradition of giving on-site lectures is also ongoing: a specially designed cycle of eight lectures
dedicated to Russian culture called “From the History of Russian Culture. Memorable Dates and
Events”, was delivered at the “Kolomna” society for blind people. The lecture exchange project with
the Lecture Centre of the Moscow Kremlin Museums has been successfully running for the last five
years: four lectures are delivered in Moscow by the staff of the Methodologic Sector of the Education
Department, and the methodologists from Moscow are hosted by the Hermitage in spring.
JJ
From the history of the theatre in Catherine’s time
“Uniform” dress of Catherine II which personified the Empress’s presence
at the event marking the occasion of the Hermitage’s foundation
architectural and artistic environment of Catherine’s time, this theatrical performance was a kind
of story of how Catherine II’s interest in art, music and theatre had led to the creation of her “solitary retreat” and the biggest collection of paintings, drawings, books and rarities that is now known
as the Hermitage Museum to the whole world.
This “story” was presented in the form of a dialogue between actors illustrated by changing images
on a huge screen acting as a backdrop. The dialogue was accompanied by music and dance numbers emphasising certain moments. Thus a dance performed by the Ensemble of Baroque Dances
to the music of a hymn by an eighteenth-century composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier was a prologue to the performance. Baroque dances served as living illustrations to different themes, like,
for example, the history of Catherine’s “hermitages” and the theatre itself; while musical pieces by
European and Russian composers of Catherine’s time played a role of a framework and introductions
to the themes, and, most importantly, helped create the artistic and historic atmosphere of the narration. The same purpose was served by the works of a few poets from Catherine’s epoch selected for
the performance. The focus and highlight of the performance were two authentic costumes of Catherine II and Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich that personified the invisible presence of the museum
founder at the festival of memories. They were provided for the show by the curator of the Department of the History of Russian Culture N. Tarasova and the story of the costume of Catherine’s time
became an impressive postscript to the performance.
The jubilee themed performance was prepared and realised by the Sector for Special Programmes
of the Education Department with participation of the staff of the Theatre and Education Department. The text (dialogue) based on a thorough study of academic publications, historical texts, memoirs and letters of Catherine II and her correspondents was written by the staff members of the Sector for Special Programmes L. Torshina and V. Snegovskaya who also selected the poems and wrote
the script. A distinguished actress of Russia, Tatiana Kuznetsova, actors Alexander Anisimov and
Alexander Lushin masterfully “realised” the scenario on stage. The success of the event and grateful
response of the audience were largely due to the brilliant performance of the musical pieces by the
ensemble of soloists of the State Hermitage Orchestra as well as to the participation of the Historic
Dances Theatre “The Small Trianon” (Art Director Ya. Bubnova, Choreographer Ya. Voinova).
special programmes
the greater hermitage assembly. on the threshold
of the hermitage jubilee in 2014
“The Age of Catherine the Great. The Birth of the Great Museum”
A literary and music theatrical performance
Presented on 18 November 2012 at the Hermitage Theatre, this literary and music performance is
the second of a series of special cultural events preceding the 2014 Hermitage celebrations (the first
one was “The Hermitage before the Hermitage. Peter the Great, the First Russian Collector”, 2011).
Four themed events of the series are united under the title “The Greater Hermitage Assembly”,
a name reminiscent of Empress Catherine II’s tradition of grand court receptions now available to the
general public, friends and fans of the Hermitage. They highlight the museum’s history on the threshold of its 250th anniversary. The second Greater Hermitage Assembly was dedicated to Empress
Catherine II, founder of the Hermitage. Performed on the Hermitage Theatre stage in the authentic
172
Evenings in the Rooms of the Hermitage. Art Masterpieces and Music
A programme of the Education Department with participation of the State Hermitage Orchestra
In 2012, the Hermitage offered a new project to the public, dedicated to the 250th anniversary
of the museum in 2014. The project’s task was to present to the public the remarkable art works
that are the pride and glory of the Hermitage, in its own unique setting that made the impression
much stronger. It was prepared by the Sector for Special Programmes of the Education Department
that had already had an experience of successfully combining visual arts and live music in the programmes called “Art and Music. Associations” that ran between 2008 and 2012. However in that
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Educational Events
case the visual material and the subject of the talk about visual
arts were electronic reproductions on the screen. The new project
offered by the Sector for Special Programmes combines “live”
music with the “live” art masterpiece in the “live atmosphere”
of the great museum. It is a kind of present to the St. Petersburg
public on the threshold of the museum’s jubilee.
The new special programme received a most enthusiastic response
from the museum’s audience. The evening silence of a room in the
closed museum, comfortable conditions of the event (chairs are
brought in for the audience, in case of a lack of light the pictures
are delicately and carefully lit), the immediate interaction with
the genuine works and art masterpieces, an interesting talk by an
art historian, sounds of music in the atmosphere of exceptional
beauty and elegance of the Hermitage rooms’ interiors provide
for the project’s popularity. The first programme took place
twice in 2012, both times with huge success: in spring (during
the season of 2011/12) and in autumn, during the new season of
“The Montmartre of the ‘Beautiful Era’”. The Van Dongen Room.
2012/13. The programme consisted of five evenings held in the
L. Torshina and the quartet of soloists of the State Hermitage Orchestra
Skylight Hall (“Venetian Palaces”. Italian Music of the 18th
Century); at the exposition of the French art of the 17th century
(“The Golden Age” of French Art. Pierre Mignard. Magnanimity of Alexander the Great. Music of Versailles); at the Snyders
Room (“The Festival of Life”. Stalls by Frans Snyders. Music of
European Baroque); at the exposition of the French art of the late
19th and early 20th centuries (The Montmartre of the “Beautiful Era”. “Femme Fatale” by Van Dongen. French Music of the
Early 20th Century); at the Matisse Room (“Arab Motifs”. Henri
Matisse. Arab Coffee House. Music of the Muslim East).
Within the time framework set for every meeting, an hour long story
about the pictures, prepared by the staff of the Education Department, was told, after which the ensemble of soloists from the State
Hermitage Orchestra played music for 45–50 minutes according
to the special programme matching the topic. The monumental
panels by Tiepolo that once adorned the Palazzo Dolfin in Venice,
together with the music by Vivaldi and his Venetian contemporaries, helped the audience feel the uplifting and festive atmosphere of
the Adriatic capital in the first half of the 18th century and under“Arab Motifs”. The Matisse Room.
A. Glagola
stand the specificity of the Italian Baroque. The audience could see the world of Louis XIV’s court that
was different from that of Venice but still no less theatrical, in Magnanimity of Alexander the Great
by Mignard. Musical works by court composers like the music by Jean-Baptiste Lully for the ballet
“Ailing Cupid” gave an opportunity to see the “historical” composition of a French artist in a new
way and to appreciate special accents in the characteristics of the famous ancient hero, the role of
whom in the painting is played by the Sun King himself, who eagerly took part in stage performances.
The magnificent Stalls by Snyders with their large sizes, plentitude and complex interaction between
objects in space seem to ask to be accompanied by orchestral music. However the music of the 17th
century was prevailed by chamber forms and Baroque effects gained a specific angle there. Every
form of art had its own logic of development and it was not always easy to match paintings to music
within a certain period. In those cases this contrast between the languages of painting and music was
intentionally dealt with (and explained to the audience) in an unusual way.
One of the evenings was dedicated to the Montmartre of the “beautiful era”, the images of which
found a vivid reflection in the paintings of Kees Van Dongen as well as in the music by Claude
Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Erik Satie. Music by the contemporary St. Petersburg composer Vya
cheslav Gayvoronsky and improvisations of the soloists of the Hermitage State Orchestra on the music themes of the Muslim East became an impressive supporting element for the Moroccan paintings
by Matisse. In this case in both music and paintings, disregarding the fact that they are a century
apart, the image of the East was delivered using the ultramodern image of European avant-garde.
“Evenings at the Hermitage Rooms…” gave the St. Petersburg public an opportunity not only to see
the masterpieces of the famous museum enriched by the accompaniment of music, but also to hear
lots of rarely performed musical pieces.
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Educational Events
JJ
programmes of the youth education centre
“constructive anatomy or a new paradigm in architecture”
An educational programme for the exhibition “Santiago Calatrava. The Quest for Movement”
In the year reviewed a series of events was organised and held by the staff of the Youth Education
Centre of the State Hermitage dedicated to the exhibition called “Santiago Calatrava. The Quest for
Movement”, that took place in the Nicholas Hall of the Winter Palace starting from 27 June within
a framework of the Hermitage 20/21 project. Among those were meetings with architects and exhibition curators as well as a student contest for the best architectural model.
A few days before the opening of the exhibition, Alexey Lepork, a research worker of the State Hermitage and an art historian, delivered a lecture entitled “Santiago Calatrava. Charted Beauty” for
the youth of St. Petersburg.
On 28 June 2012 Santiago Calatrava himself delivered a long-anticipated lecture at the Hermitage
Theatre. The architect began the lecture with the story about his realised projects and then took
a pencil and showed how his ideas on paper came to life. “A project of a chair is as difficult to create
as a project of a house”, pointed out the Spanish architect, “You need a great deal of love and a scale
is of no importance. Working on a project of yours is an existential experience. You must be ready
for any surprises. A building surprises us because it is impossible to “grasp” light and shade and
the movements of theirs. To a degree my work is similar to the one of a composer. I aim at creating
something beautiful. During the process I get rid of certain things inside me. At the end of a project
of mine I am a completely different person”.
From 11 July to 1 August 2012, employees of the Youth Education Centre Anna Sirro and Pavel
Deyneko delivered a cycle of lectures “A New Paradigm in Architecture” within the framework
of the educational programme for the exhibition that aroused much interest among both the specialists and less architecture-savvy audience. Despite summertime the Youth Lecture Centre in the General Staff Building was overfull.
The first lecture in the cycle “From Coral Reefs to Orange Peels” dealt with the work of the greatest
architects of the early and first half of the 20th century: Antoni Gaudi, Frank Lloyd Wright, Eero
Saarinen and Le Corbusier who preferred the beauty of curvilinear forms and bends to straight lines
of endless colonnades or geometry of glass façades that were the architectural heritage of the past.
The lecture “In Harmony with Nature” dealt with the question of interaction between nature and
architectural space using the works of representatives of the so-called organic architecture: Imre
Makovecz, Bart Prince and others.
A special surge of interest among the audience was caused by the third lecture of the cycle “Higher
Mathematics and Architecture”. Using several projects of modern European architects such as Norman Foster, Greg Lynn and Nicholas Grimshaw as an example, the lecturer attempted to answer the
question of whether the creation of a new architectural space is a free artistic process or should be
fitted within the strict framework of mathematical formulas.
The lecture “Santiago Calatrava. The Quest for ‘The Glimpse of God’” was the final one in the cycle
“A New Paradigm in Architecture”. A brief look at the architectural trends given in previous lectures allowed the creation of a basis for an in-depth study of artistic searches of Santiago Calatrava.
The educational programme for the exhibition “Santiago Calatrava. The Quest for Movement” was
concluded by a round table discussion called “Architecture as Gesture” that took place on 25 September 2012 in the General Staff Building. Among the participants of the discussion were art and
architecture historian Alexey Lepork, architects Nikita Yavein, Daniar Yusupov and Oscar Madera
as well as Dmitry Ozerkov, the Head of the Modern Art Department of the Hermitage who is in
charge of the Hermitage 20/21 project within the framework of which the exhibition of Santiago
Calatrava took place. The architects and architecture historians answered the questions of students, art historians and St. Petersburg public that concerned practical and theoretical aspects
of the possibility and necessity for constructing beautiful and impressive but often difficult to run
buildings.
During the discussion the question of appropriateness of gesture architecture in cities with a traditional historical image was considered. It is known that the traditional image of St. Petersburg
is regarded sacred by its community, which is why our city withholds from experiments of modern
architecture. The neo-expressionism of Santiago Calatrava is one of many vibrant architectural
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Educational Events
n ovelties of the turn of the Millennium, one of many trends produced in another world by a “nonSt. Petersburg” mind.
The students also gave their views on architecture. For several months a group of students from
St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering worked on a project “Constructive Anatomy” under the supervision of experienced architects. Geared to the works of Santiago Calatrava, they produced original models based on the transformation of the human body language, movements and gestures into the language of engineering constructions, balance and tension.
Educational Events
Meet yamal! – 2012
On 15–16 December 2012, the Youth Education Centre of the State Hermitage hosted the “Meet
Yamal” programme.
Since 2005 the Hermitage Student Club has a section “St. Petersburg–Hermitage” founded especially for the students from the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug studying in St. Petersburg universities and colleges of higher education.
This time the programme included a performance of the “Northern Lights” creative group of students from the Institute of the Peoples of the North at Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, an exhibition of objects of applied art and photography telling about the nature and natives
of the Far North, and a tour organised by the student-members of the Yamal section. A happy New
Year wish by Yamal Iri, the national equivalent of Santa Claus, and a performance by the “Syoetei
Yamal” folk song group who had specially come to St. Petersburg for the occasion, came as a pleasant surprise. Folk games were played in the rooms of the museum: the “Vet Lov Tin” riddle, the secret of five horses, and the “stick and palms” game; there were organised a master class on making
tassels (learning the principles of plaiting used in mats) and master classes on making bracelets
and traditional dolls of the peoples of the North. At the end of the first day everybody had a chance
to learn the dances of the peoples of the North.
On 16 December a documentary film “Horoto Nomad Camp” was shown and the work of the “St. Petersburg–Hermitage” Student Club Section discussed.
“A Vision of Hell by the chapman brothers: ORIGINS and influences”
An educational programme for the exhibition “Jake and Dinos Chapman. The End of Fun”
Exhibitions of contemporary British artists Jake and Dinos Chapman usually provoke polarised responses in the public, from admiration to complete rejection. For the exhibition “Jake and Dinos
Chapman. The End of Fun” that took place at the General Staff Building in autumn 2012 within
the Hermitage 20/21 project framework, the Youth Education Centre of the State Hermitage had
prepared a special educational programme. It started back in September, a month before the exhibition’s opening, with a series of lectures that presented these well-known artists of the “Young British
Artists” generation in the context of their national roots and ties to the traditions of classical and
modern European culture.
All lectures were accompanied with coloruful and expressive music and video clips, and invariably
ended in a storm of discussion which was equally interesting to the public and to the staff of the State
Hermitage Museum.
The first lecture analysed the concept of “horror” as an aesthetic category in classical art. The second lecture covered the period from the 1960s to the beginning of the 2000s. From the lecture on
the English gothic novel, students were able to learn about the work of the most famous writers of
the late 18th and early 19th centuries, who made their mark in this genre. The fourth lecture was
devoted to the horror movie industry. The concluding fifth lecture in the series specifically focused
on the Chapman Brothers’ ouevre in order to show how the cultural history of the 19th and 20th
centuries influenced the emergence of the provocative British art duo. It was decided to turn another
lecture titled “Horror as a Product of Consumption in Modern Popular Culture” into a discussion
with the audience. Thus the team of the Youth Centre prepared their audience, who constantly attend classes at the Hermitage, for perception of the new exhibition of the Hermitage 20/21 project.
On 19 October, an hour before the opening of the exhibition, Jake and Dinos Chapman met with the
youth of St. Petersburg. The meeting proved to be interesting and useful for both parties
the day of the hermitage cat 2012
On 21 April a special annual event “The Day of the Hermitage Cat” dedicated to the cats that live
in the museum took place.
At midday the results of the school contest “Cat Kingdom. Cats Big and Small at the Museum” were
announced at the Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace. A special prize was awarded to a student
of the Gymnasia No 190 Victoria Pyzina. Also a contest “My Hermitage Cat” was held at the Great
Courtyard where everybody had a chance to draw their own image of a Hermitage cat. A 122.5 meter long magic scarf of Hermites, specially knitted for the “Day of the Hermitage Cat”, joined everybody in a game in Palace Square and then led them to the Hermitage cellar where the works of the
school contest participants were displayed.
In the rooms of the museum visitors could play the “Hunting for Lions, or Travel with a Hermitage
Cat” game: the aim of it was to help a Hermitage cat to find its predecessor, a lion, in works of art
from the Hermitage collection. A display of a mummified Egyptian cat lasting for two days in the
Room of Ancient Egypt became the climax of the game.
Paintings by professional artists inspired by these gracious animals as well as works of students
attending creative sections of the Student Club at the Hermitage Youth Centre were on view in the
attic of the Winter Palace.
The Festival was prepared with support of Swashbuckler Enterprises, Inc., the Purina PetCare
Department of Nestle Russia LLC.
“do you know you speak french?”
“Museum Night 2012” at the “Staraya Derevnya” Restoration and Storage Centre
On 19 May 2012 a programme “Do You Know You Speak French” organised by the Youth Education
Centre of the State Hermitage and tied to the “Museum Night 2012” took place at the “Staraya
Derevnya” Restoration and Storage Centre.
About 100 most active members of the Hermitage Student Club participated in a special tour-quest
which focused on the numerous items of French applied art. Then the students of the “Creative
Photography” section (Director I. Lebedev) showed their photographic interpretations on the theme
of French painting. The students of the “Artistic Workshop” section (Director N. Kruglova) demonstrated freestyle imitations of pictures by the Impressionists and masters of the early 20th century,
including the ones displayed at the Hermitage, using felt techniques (wool felting).
The programme was concluded by the Super Brain Ring. Students could estimate the level of their
knowledge of the French language and art. Four teams, consisting of the most erudite and active
members of the Student Club, took part in this fun competition. From now on they are sure to remember what the words “eau-forte”, “lambrequin”, “bosquet” or “dessus de porte” mean; what
the name of the court furniture maker of King Louis XIV was; what the difference between “assemblage” and “collage” is. It was all so interesting, funny and informative and so genuinely “French”!
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Educational Events
JJ
programmes of the school centre
Educational Events
lecture centres of the hermitage • kazan
and the hermitage • vyborg
In the year reviewed 87 lectures on 79 topics were delivered by the Hermitage staff in the lecture
centres of the Hermitage • Kazan and Hermitage • Vyborg within the frameworks of 17 themed
programmes. The audience of both lecture centres amounted to 6,000 people. Behind these figures
there are great efforts made by the organisers of the lecture process in the exhibition centres and by
the staff of the Sector for Special Programmes of the Education Department (curator A. Asanova)
who developed the lecture programmes and performed the methodologic training of the lecturers;
of course, much was contributed by the lecturers themselves, the employees of the Education and
Storage Departments.
In the year reviewed 72 lectures on 12 themed programmes were delivered at the lecture centre of the
Hermitage • Kazan according to the approved seasonal schedule. Firstly it was a compulsory programme traditionally linked to the Hermitage exhibition that took place at the centre: a cycle comprising three lecture topics (six lectures) for the exhibition “Nomadic Empires of Eurasia”. Three
lecture cycles (nine topics, eight lectures) were dedicated to the jubilee dates of 2012. One of them
“From the History of the Imperial Residences. Alexander II at the Winter Palace” continued a longterm programme “The Hermitage. History and Modern Days”, dedicated to the 250th anniversary
of the museum. A special programme “The Thunder of 1812…” was dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the victory of Russia over Napoleon in the Patriotic War of 1812. Another cycle of lectures
marked the 300th anniversary of Lomonosov’s birth.
The core of the programmes, united under the name “Essays of World Art”, comprised eight lecture
cycles including: “Holland–Russia”, “An Island on the Map of European Art. Britain, Periods and
Artists”, “English Character Reflected in the Mirror of Art”, “Monumental Ensembles of the 20th
Century”, “A Costume in Art. Museum and Theatre”.
A relatively successful attempt was also made in Kazan to conduct a “lecture dialogue”: two cycles
entitled “The Greek Miracle” and “Classics and Modern Days” were united under one topic – “Classic Antiquity and Modern Western European Art”. The altering of lectures from the two cycles allowed them to demonstrate the emergence of classical trends in the art of Antiquity along with their
interpretation and understanding in the art of Western Europe.
Unlike the vast lecture centre of the Hermitage • Kazan, the activities of the lecture centre in the
Hermitage • Vyborg are aimed mainly at senior school pupils and students of the Vyborg Arts
School. Taking into account the age of the audience, the Vyborg lecture programmes were designed
with the view of school programmes, and the lectures were delivered by the person who acted both as
a teacher and as a lecturer and was actively involved with his audience. In 2012, cycles of lectures
were read at the lecture centre of the Hermitage • Vyborg according to the following programmes:
“A Trip to the Middle Ages. Byzantium and the West. Essays on Christian Culture” and “Selected
Pages from Russian History”. Since the autumn of 2012 a special programme of interactive classes
for a young audience, mainly pupils of the 3rd and 4th forms, “A Palace. Art Décor of the Halls” was
launched at the lecture centre of the Hermitage • Vyborg.
The themes of the lecture programmes, the schedule for delivering lectures and methods of presenting the material were all selected with a view of the specifics of the lecture centre and the audience,
which contributed to the successful operating of the lecture centres both in Kazan and Vyborg.
game quest “discover your europe in the hermitage”
On 22 September 2012 a game quest “Discover your Europe in the
Hermitage” took place in the museum within the framework of
the 5th International Festival “Days of Europe”. The Festival
was organised with support of the European Union Office, consulates general and cultural centres of the EU countries. The State
Hermitage participated in the Festival for the first time and offered everybody, regardless of their age, an opportunity not only
to have a fascinating time in the Hermitage halls and see the masterpieces of its painting collections, but also to learn many interesting facts about the history and modern life of the European
Union countries.
The Volunteer Service (consisting of students from various European universities completing part of their practical training) was
entrusted to develop the programme of the Hermitage part of the
Festival.
The EU Office faced the programme developers with a complex
task to introduce the Festival participants to the art and culture
of all 27 EU countries. The realisation of the EU volunteers’ ideas
became possible due to their close cooperation with the School
Centre, a methodic department of the museum, the staff of which
has long experience in the organisation of educational and game
projects. Materials on the Hermitage exhibits that were part
of the game’s route as well as interesting information on European countries had been prepared for several months. As a result there came a new event for children and youth that laid the
foundation for the tradition of holding the “Discover your Europe
in the Hermitage” Festival.
Among the game participants were schoolchildren and their parents, school groups with teachers, students, people of different
ages and nationalities. More than 500 sets of the game-journey
were distributed in a matter of hours. The game participants were
given a special map of the route through the Hermitage rooms
and questions. Thanks to the interesting task, the Hermitage
visitors got a chance to have a glimpse into the history of the EU
countries, to recall famous figures of art and culture, to learn
about heraldic symbols, time zones, state government systems,
royal houses, music, inventions and many other things. The quest
participants received a memorable prize – a symbolic personalised euro-passport with information on European countries.
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special development programmes
general agreement signed between the state hermitage
and ojsc aikb tatfondbank
On 18 June 2012, the Hermitage General Director Mikhail Piotrovsky and Chairman of the Board
of OJSC AIKB Tatfondbank Ildus Mingazetdinov signed a General Agreement in Kazan on the terms
of preparation and implementation of a three-year cooperation programme relating to the museum’s
electronic edition project called Hermitage Line, which is part of the events marking the 250th anniversary of the Hermitage.
The parties agreed that OJSC AIKB Tatfondbank shall be the General Partner of the Hermitage Line
electronic project and will place information on its participation on the online portal.
OJSC AIKB Tatfondbank shall be included in the number of corporate members of the Hermitage
Friends’ Club and given the right to take part in relevant programmes.
The State Hermitage and OJSC AIKB Tatfondbank will present the joint project in St. Petersburg, Kazan, and gradually launch it in all the regions where the General Partner is carrying out
its operations.
The parties expressed their interest in creating co-branded programmes, including the transfer
of rights to use images of the museum buildings and exhibits in the manufacture of numismatic and
internal corporate executive products.
The parties agreed to establish a working group to coordinate and organise joint activities, prepare
and agree on long-term cooperation as part of the museum project development, and also to prepare
separate development projects.
The parties plan to run the Hermitage 20/21 programme in Vilnius, an exhibition of twentieth- and
twenty-first-century art, and also to organise, together with the Jonas Mekas Centre of Fine Arts,
an exhibition featuring representatives of the Fluxus Art Movement and its founder George Maciunas at the State Hermitage Museum.
The Declaration of Intent came into effect from the moment of its signing and will remain current
until 1 January 2015.
declaration of intent signed between the state hermitage
and the national art museum of belarus
On 8 March 2012, the State Hermitage General Director Mikhail Piotrovsky and the Director
of the National Art Museum of Belarus Vladimir Prokoptsov signed a Cooperation Agreement.
The agreement covers research and educational projects: academic exchanges between experts
in cultural studies, museum studies, restoration; research conferences, seminars, round tables on
museum studies and culture; exhibitions; special consultations; the publication of results of joint
research projects, including those involving other academic and cultural centres; support for university-level programmes, academic exchanges between students of St. Petersburg and Minsk State
Universities; preparation of educational programmes and films relating to the issues of artistic culture; support for cooperation programmes between the Hermitage and other research and cultural
centres in the Republic of Belarus.
cooperation agreement signed between the state hermitage
and the villa russiz foundation, italy
On 23 October 2012, the State Hermitage Museum General Director Mikhail Piotrovsky and Villa
Russiz Foundation President Silvano Stefanutti signed a cooperation agreement in the Hermitage
Theatre in the presence of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region Assessor for Cultural and
International Relations Elio De Anna and the Italian Consul General in St. Petersburg.
The agreement is to be the basis for a programme of academic and cultural cooperation focusing on
wine and its thousand-year history with special studies, publications, exhibitions, and a variety of
events. Among the suggested topics are winemaking as a creative act and wine as an object of artistic production, the relationship between them and the arts (arts and crafts, design, architecture),
wine as an integral part of the culture, customs and traditions of nations and civilisations, its role
in mythology and literature.
The supervision of the programme has been assigned to Vladimir Matveyev, State Hermitage
Museum Deputy Director and member of the Academic Committee at the Hermitage • Italy Centre,
and Dr. Silvano Stefanutti, President of the Villa Russiz Foundation. The Hermitage • Italy Centre
will take a direct part in this cooperation.
As part of the signing event, the Friulano for the Hermitage wine was officially launched. This white
wine is produced in Villa Russiz’s own vineyards and in honour of the approaching 250th anniversary of the State Hermitage Museum will be delivered free of charge to the museum for special events
for the next five years between 2012 and 2015. The bottles will be personalised with special labels
Friulano for the Hermitage and logos of the museum and the foundation.
cooperation agreement signed between the state hermitage
and the royal castle museum, the royal lazienki museum
and the adam mickiewicz institute, warsaw
On 23 February 2012, the State Hermitage General Director Mikhail Piotrovsky and Andrzej Rottermund, Director of the Royal Castle Museum, Tadeusz Zielniewicz, Director of the Royal Lazienki
Museum, Paweł Potoroczyn, Director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Warsaw, Poland, signed
a Cooperation Agreement in the Hermitage. Bogdan Zdrojewski, the Minister for Culture of the
Republic of Poland, and Wojciech Zajaczkowski, the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the
Russian Federation, were present at the signing of the agreement.
The decision to sign a Cooperation Agreement with a view to implementing joint projects in the areas
of research, training programmes and academic visits, organising and taking part in seminars, conferences, and exhibitions, and publishing of new materials was made by the parties during a working
meeting in Warsaw on 27 November 2011.
This cooperation will primarily include research on the residence of the Romanovs in Poland, the collection of King Stanislaw August Poniatowski, and materials connected with Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich and Poland.
The parties approved the participation of Hermitage employees in the conference entitled “The Royal Lazienki Palace: New Evidence, New Meaning” to be held in the Royal Lazienki Museum and
a visit by the Council of the Royal Lazienki Museum to the State Hermitage Museum.
The parties will develop joint exhibition projects, including the concept and content of an exhibit
dedicated to Classicism in Russia and Poland.
declaration of intent signed between the state hermitage
and the administration of vilnius, lithuania
On 17 May 2012, the State Hermitage General Director Mikhail Piotrovsky and the Mayor of Vilnius Arturas Zuokas signed a Declaration of Intent in the Hermitage Museum.
The parties took into account their experience of working together on feasibility studies with a view
to establishing a new modern Vilnius Museum of Art, running a competition for the best architectural design for the museum, and their shared interest in cooperation for enriching the cultural life
of Vilnius.
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memorandum of cooperation signed between the state hermitage
and adobe systems
On 24 October 2012, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed at the State Hermitage Museum
between the State Hermitage and Adobe Systems to develop, introduce and promote Digital Publishing Solutions.
Adobe Digital Publishing Suite was the platform used as a special experiment to create an electronic
version of the catalogue for the “Santiago Calatrava. The Quest for Movement” exhibition which
ran from 27 June to 30 September 2012. The Adobe Systems digital publishing solutions made
it possible to simplify the process of developing the catalogue significantly, and will enable the State
Hermitage to create online electronic versions of its future catalogues for temporary exhibitions and
publications focusing on permanent displays.
Adobe Systems is a global leader in developing innovative programming solutions for any type
of data, including text-based information, graphic images, video and web content.
agreement signed between the state hermitage
and the government of catalonia to create the hermitage • barcelona
museum centre
On 31 October 2012, the State Hermitage Museum and the Government of Catalonia confirmed
their intention of establishing a Hermitage • Barcelona Museum Centre in Barcelona. The agreement was signed by State Hermitage General Director Mikhail Piotrovsky and the Catalonian Minister for Culture Ferran Mascarell i Canalda.
The Centre will be located in the historical buildings at the Barcelona Port. As at its other branches, the State Hermitage Museum will present exhibitions from its own collection, collections from
other museums, and also works by contemporary Russian artists. The Centre will be added to the
already dynamic network of satellites to the State Hermitage Museum in Europe and will give
it a new focus.
The framework agreement needs to be signed, the buildings need to undergo restoration, a plan and
timetable needs to be prepared for exhibitions and other cultural events, and an appropriate fund
and infrastructure need to be established.
The suggested date for the opening of the State Hermitage Museum branch in Barcelona is 2015,
after the end of the celebrations of the museum’s 250th anniversary.
cooperation agreement signed between the state Hermitage,
the municipal government of turin and the turin municipal
museum foundation
On 13 February 2012, Mikhail Piotrovsky, General Director of the State Hermitage Museum,
Dr. Piero Fassino, Mayor of the City of Turin, and Dr. Maurizio Braccialarghe, Cultural Counselor and President of the Municipal Museum Foundation of the city of Turin signed a Cooperation
Agreement on the nature and procedure of joint implementation of the programme of cultural and
scientific cooperation between the State Hermitage Museum, the Hermitage • Italy Foundation,
the Municipal Government of the city of Turin and the Municipal Museum Foundation of Turin.
The programme is expected to include the following joint projects:
– Training programmes and exchange of experience between research fellows and specialists in the
fields of art history, cultural heritage, conservation, restoration, museum studies, history and culture and museography;
– Academic conferences, seminars and round tables (followed by the publication of materials and
proceedings) dedicated to the problems of cultural and art history, museum studies, conservation
and restoration, organisation and running of research programmes;
– Special joint programmes in the field of applied and decorative arts considering the importance
of such collections in museums, including the Palazzo Madama in Turin;
– Organising exhibitions showcasing the results of joint research, both in the State Hermitage
Museum and in the municipal museums of Turin;
–Special exchange, research and academic programmes in the areas of restoration, conservation
and analysis of works of art, especially objects of applied and decorative art;
– Cooperation aimed at participation in European competitions in areas of mutual interest.
The academic aspect of the programme will be managed by Professor Mikhail Piotrovsky, General
Director of the State Hermitage Museum and President of the Academic Committee of the Hermitage • Italy Foundation, and Dr. Enrico Pagella, Director of the Palazzo Madama.
cooperation agreement signed between the state hermitage,
florence mayor’s office and the hermitage • italy foundation
On 4 July 2012 the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence hosted the signing ceremony for an Agreement
on Cultural Cooperation between the State Hermitage Museum, the Florence Mayor’s Office and
the Hermitage • Italy Foundation. The agreement was signed by the General Director of the State
Hermitage Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky, the Vice Mayor of Florence Sergio Givone, the Vice Mayor of Ferrara Massimo Maisto (acting as a representative of the Hermitage • Italy Foundation).
This agreement envisages joint restoration projects, the exchange of masterpieces and specialists
between the museums.
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session of the national association of protocol specialists
the strasser grand clock to chime again in the winter palace
On 5 April 2012, a session of the National Association of Protocol Specialists was held at the State
Hermitage.
The session involved topics of relevance for protocol experts: the heraldic aspects of protocol,
and the place of diplomatic gifts in the system of international diplomatic ritual.
Georgy Vilinbakhov gave a paper on the heraldic aspects of protocol procedures using the example
of the re-interment of Empress Maria Fedorovna. Then the Hermitage research staff discussed diplomatic gifts received by the members of the Royal Family and kept at the Hermitage.
On 29 October 2012, the State Hermitage, supported by JTI,
launched the project of restoring a unique technological artefact
of the turn of the 19th century, Strasser’s Grand Clock, which is
also known as the Mechanical Orchestra. Visitors to the museum
will be able to see the Grand Strasser Clock in 2014. It is one
of the most significant projects marking the preparation for the
State Hermitage Museum’s 250th anniversary. “We are bringing back to life an amazing masterpiece of our collection. Visitors will be able to hear the unique sound which no one has heard
for almost 200 years”, observed the State Hermitage Museum
General Director Mikhail Piotrovsky. A four-metre-high structure, encased in mahogany, serves as the casing for a precise astronomical clock and an extremely complex musical mechanism
comprising two complementary organs that can play fourteen
musical pieces, including those by Mozart and Haydn.
The music is recorded on large wooden cylinders. Its particular
value is its original arrangement. Today these works are played differently and the Mechanical Orchestra enables us to hear them exactly as they were conceived and performed 200 years ago.
Deciphering the cylinders may well throw up a few surprises, say State Hermitage Museum specialists. “We know that one of the pieces recorded on the cylinders was specially commissioned by
Strasser from Anton Eberl, a composer popular at the turn of the 19th century. The cylinder containing one of the few surviving works by Eberl has yet to be deciphered. It is possible that we will
discover a true masterpiece”, said the Head of the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Timepieces and Musical Mechanisms Mikhail Guryev. By 2014, restorers are hoping to reconstruct the
body of the clock, the wooden elements of the musical mechanism, the mechanical part of the organ
and recreate the mahogany stand. At present, the contents of the Grand Clock have been dismantled
into small parts, and the wooden cylinders are being deciphered and transferred to the computer.
the 7th day of maecenas at the hermitage
On 13 April 2012, the Hermitage Theatre hosted the 7th Art Patron and Benefactor Day, which
has already become a traditional festival even outside St. Petersburg. This year, the Hermitage
welcomed guests from Moscow, Sakhalin and Smolensk regions, Finland, Sweden, and Germany.
The idea of the festival is to promote charitable projects.
In 2012, the restoration of the unique Royal Doors in the Church of the Savior-on-the-Spilled-Blood
was completed without any budgetary funding, a monument to Pyotr Bagration, a hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, has been funded a contribution from the philanthropist A. Ebralidze, and a monument to another legendary military leader, Admiral Pavel Nakhimov is due to be opened thanks
to the charitable support from SMU-303 (Construction Office).
New sports and health facilities are now under construction as part of the Gazprom for Children programme, which is currently being implemented in North-Western Russia by the Gazprom Transgaz
St. Petersburg company.
The charitable programme of the North-Western division of Sberbank of the Russian Federation
has been expanded and diversified. Vodokanal of St. Petersburg, Etalon-LenSpetsSMU and other
companies are carrying out their own cultural and museum-based projects.
The State Hermitage Museum has recently received a unique gift: a collection of medals commemorating the Patriotic War of 1812, made from designs by Alexey Olenin, a prominent civil servant
and social figure. The donor was Ivan Emanuel, a scientist and businessman and a direct descendant
of General Georgy Emanuel, a hero of that war, whose portrait hangs in the military gallery of the
Winter Palace. Other uniquely wonderful gifts to the museum include a Latin edition of Horace’s
Odes with a remarkable marble cover (a project of the Rare Books from St. Petersburg publishing
house).
As always, the Hermitage festival welcomed children in need of help, including those staying
in the SOS children’ village in Pushkin. The Peacock Clock was specially wound for them. The famous Terem Quartet was invited to the event and presented their charitable programme for the
children.
According to tradition, a new issue of the Russian Maecenas almanac was published to mark the day,
with a special focus on materials dedicated to philanthropic and charitable activities.
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ninth international festival “musical hermitage”
Between 18 and 26 February 2012, the Hermitage Theatre hosted the 9th International Musical
Hermitage Festival organised by the State Hermitage and the Hermitage Academy of Music with
support from the St. Petersburg Government Committee for Culture. Bands from different countries
prepared performances representing different genres and trends of classical, jazz and experimental
contemporary music.
The Festival was opened by a trio of brilliant young musicians: the English violinist Hugo Ticciati,
the Israeli pianist Michael Tsalka, and the Russian cellist Dmitry Yeremin. Hugo Ticciati also gave
a solo performance accompanied by the State Hermitage Orchestra.
The Polish pianist Leszek Mozdzer and the Swedish double bass player Lars Danielsson presented the Pasadoble jazz programme. Scandinavian jazz was performed by the Norwegian band Dag
Arnesen Trio. The British jazz singer Norma Winstone gave her first vocal performance in Russia
as part of the programme “Stories Yet to Tell”, accompanied by the Italian pianist Glauco Venier
and German clarinet player Klaus Gesing.
The Festival ended with the traditional Belcanto concert: following many years of tradition, the eternal music from the most beloved and famous Italian operas was performed by the winners of one
of the most prestigious competitions for young musicians held in Spoleto: Daniele Antonangeli (baritone), Roberto Cresca (tenor) and Anna Maria Carbonera (soprano), conducted by Mats Liljefors
(Sweden).
The Festival was supported by the Consulates General of Norway and Sweden in St. Petersburg and
the Institutes for Culture of Poland and Italy.
Gonzales and the American musician and composer Ry Cooder brought together all who had played
in the club in order to record an album of the same name. This project unexpectedly received widespread recognition, and a year later its fame grew even further after the release of Wim Wenders’
documentary. Since then, despite changes in membership, the Orquesta Buena Vista has remained
an example of the Cuban love of life and a welcome guest at festivals all over the world. Four of the
legendary original members took the stage, in addition to young musicians and the inimitable singer
Omara Portuondo.
The concert was organised with the help of the C.A.T. Company (Moscow). The General Partner
of the Festival is Heineken International LLC. The official partners of the Festival are: Phillips, Onego Shipping, Lufthansa. The General Informational Partners of the Festival are Radio Hermitage
and Time Out Petersburg magazine.
eleventh international festival “grand waltz”
The State Hermitage Museum, the Union of Museum Workers of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, and the Domus Producer Centre presented the 11th International Grand Festival
(20–30 July 2012). The concerts were held on the stage of the Hermitage Theatre, the Armorial Hall
of the Winter Palace, the Great Palace of Peterhof, the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, and,
of course, the Rose Pavilion in Pavlovsk.
The Festival’s programme included evenings of symphony and chamber music, both instrumental and vocal performed by masters who had already made a significant mark on musical culture:
soloists from the Vienna State Opera, Michael Heim and Marcela Cerno, Isabella Ma-Zach and
Camillo Dell’Antonio, the famous Russian conductors Alexander Kantorov, Alexey Karabanov,
Dmitry Khokhlov, Mikhail Sinkevich, Igor Ponomarenko, the soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre Olga
Trifonova, and world-famous musicians like the pianist Vladimir Mishchouk and violinist Sergey
Stadler. The Festival also featured the State Symphony Orchestra Klassika, the Rimsky-Korsakov
Central Concert Orchestra of the Russian Navy, the Andreyev State Academic Russian Orchestra and
the IPOrchestra.
Support for the Festival was provided by the Bank of Moscow JSC, which has a long-term partnership with the State Hermitage Museum.
twelfth international festival “music of the great hermitage”
Concert of the Orquesta Buena
Vista Social Club in the Great
Courtyard of the Winter Palace
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The 12th International Festival “Music of the Great Hermitage”
was organised by the State Hermitage Museum and the Hermitage Academy of Music with the support of the General Consulate of the Netherlands in St. Petersburg, the General Consulate of Sweden in St. Petersburg and the Netherlands Institute
in St. Petersburg.
The 12th Festival opened with classical music. On 10 July, one
of the most famous youth groups in Europe, the Great Symphony Orchestra of the Free University of Amsterdam performed
in Russia for the first time on the stage of the Academic Capella.
The musicians in the orchestra are students and graduates of the
Amsterdam Conservatory. In many ways, this orchestra owes its
masterful performances to its lead conductor Daan Admiraal,
who has headed the orchestra since 1975 and who is a recipient
of the Order of Orange-Nassau, the highest national order of the
Netherlands. Under his guidance, young musicians performed
works by John Adams, George Gershwin, Dmitry Shostakovich.
On 12 July, luminaries of Russian jazz Andrey Kondakov and Vladimir Chekasin, along with the
American drummer Bruce Cox, presented a programme entitled “Jazz-Rock Free”.
The programme continued with a performance by the International group Mynta, which includes
musicians from Sweden, Cuba and India. This ensemble’s sound integrates “Northern ice” with
“hot Indian spices”, Scandinavian folk songs and Cuban violins, African and Latin rhythms, blended
together in the mesmerising, magical rhythms of ancient Indian instruments.
The evening was concluded with a performance by Musica Nuda, a famous Italian duet of singer
Petra Magoni and bassist Ferruccio Spinetti. The very name “naked music” is an expression of the
group’s ambition – to strip music down to the very essence, the core of its appeal, rhythm and voice.
On 13 July, the Courtyard of the Winter Palace was filled with the Cuban rhythms of the famous
Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club. Its history goes back to the 1940s. That was the name of a club in
Havana, where young Cubans gathered to dance and make music together. After the revolution the
club was closed, and it was only fifty years later, in 1997, that the Cuban guitarist Juan de Marcos
sixth international festival “dedication to maestro”
The International Festival “Dedication to Maestro” is a tribute to the memory of great composers,
artistic and cultural figures, and musicians. The Festival’s trademarks are its venue and its range
of genres.
The 2012 Festival included concerts of classical and jazz music, and a gala performance by ballet
artists. Musical pieces by Schubert, Brahms, Alyabiev, Glinka, Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky were
performed in the Hermitage Theatre by the Three bassi profondi, Vladimir Miller, Mikhail Kruglov,
and Sergey Kryzhnenko.
The gala performance by the Mariinsky Ballet dancers accompanied by the St. Petersburg State
Symphony Orchestra Klassika conducted by Alexander Kantorov included fragments from ballets
by Russian and world composers.
A concert by the symphony IPOrchestra conducted by Igor Ponomarenko was held in the Hermitage
Theatre to mark Eduard Artemiev’s 75th anniversary.
The St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Saulus Sondeckis played in the Armorial Hall
of the Winter Palace; the solo recital was given by the violinist Liana Isakidze.
The Festival ended with a concert of Tchaikovsky’s works performed by the St. Petersburg State
Symphony Orchestra Klassika conducted by Alexey Karabanov in the Large Italian Skylight Hall
of the New Hermitage.
The Festival’s traditional General Sponsor is Promsvyzabank.
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International Advisory Board of The State Hermitage Museum
Eighteenth
Annual Meeting
Participants of the 18th Meeting of the State Hermitage Museum
International Advisory Board:
The Eighteenth Meeting of
the State Hermitage Museum
International Advisory Board
was held in St. Petersburg
on 31 August – 1 September
2012.
Traditionally, the discussions
deal with most pressing issues
of the museum’s development.
Working sessions were held
in the Conference Hall of the
State Hermitage Museum.
As usually, themes for discussion were developed by the
Director of the State Hermitage
Museum Prof. Mikhail Piotrovsky. This year the questions
introduced for the consideration
of the International Advisory
Board included evaluation of
the museum’s activities (criteria and success indicators),
organisation of effective visitor
circulation during the tourist
season, as well as a five-year
plan of redesigning the museum
website. The Board members
also discussed provocation
as one of the functions of
contemporary art, and plans
for exhibiting contemporary art
in the new museum space of the
General Staff Building.
Members of the Advisory Board
had a tour of the new temporary
exhibitions opened in the Hermitage. Prof. Piotrovsky introduced the project of displaying
paintings dedicated to the battles of the 1812 Patriotic War,
in connection with the 200th anniversary of the Russian victory
over Napoleon. The guests were
also invited to see the Eastern Wing of the General Staff
building, where the first phase
of reconstruction had already
completed.
On 1 September the Members
of the International Advisory
Board had a tour of the Church
of the Savior-on-the-SpilledBlood, and visited Kronshtadt
where they saw the Naval Cathe
dral and St. Petersburg Flood
Protection Barrier Complex.
Michael Brand
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Director, J. Paul Getty Museum
Michael Conforti
Director, Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts
Gabriele Finaldi
Director Adjunto de Conservación e Investigación, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid
Max Hollein
Director, Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Henri Loyrette
Président directeur général, Louvre, Paris
Alfred Pacquement Directeur du musée national d’art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
Hermann Parzinger
President, Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin
Annamaria Petrioli Tofani
Former Director, Uffizi, Florence
Henk van Os Former Director, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Mikhail Piotrovsky
General Director, State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Svetlana Philippova
Secretary to the International Advisory Board Head, Hermitage Friends Office
Current Members
Members of the State Hermitage International Advisory Board in the General Staff Building
Neil MacGregor
Chairman, Director, The British Museum, London
Stuart Gibson
Secretary to the International Advisory Board
Former Director, Hermitage UNESCO Project, USA
Retired members
Reinhold Baumstark Former Director, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Munich
Irène Bizot
Ancien Administrateur général, Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Paris
Mounir Bouchenaki
Director general of ICCROM-International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, Rome
J. Carter Brown
Director Emeritus, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Wim Crouwel
Former Director, Museum Boymans van Beuningen, Amsterdam
Wolf-Dieter Dube
Former Director, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin
Horst Gödicke
Representative of the Director-General of UNESCO, Paris
Alan Hancock
Director, PROCEED, UNESCO, Paris
Anne d’Harnoncourt
Director, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia
Michel Laclotte
Directeur honoré du Musée du Louvre, Paris
Ronald de Leeuw
Director, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Edmund Pillsbury
Former Director, Kimbell Museum, Fort Worth
Françoise Rivière
Assistant Director-General for Culture, UNESCO, Paris
Paolo Viti
Direttore Activita Culturale, Palazzo Grassi, Venice
guests of the hermitage
4 April 2012
Visit of Mr. Sauli Niinistö, President of Finland
17 May 2012
Visit of Mr. Eric Holder, the Attorney General of the United States
22 June 2012
Visit of Mr. Almazbek Atambayev, President of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan
29 June 2012
Visit of Mrs. Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State of the United States
8 October 2012
Visit of Her Royal Highness Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
(to mark the launch of the exhibition “Wild Swans: Découpages and Costumes Designed by Her Majesty
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark for the Film Adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tale”)
2 July 2012
Visit of Her Royal Highness Princess Consort Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa
(to mark the launch of the exhibition “Tylos. The Journey beyond Life. Rituals and Funerary Traditions
in Bahrain in the 1st Century BC – 3rd Century AD”)
14 November 2012
Visit of Mr. Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo
Sauli Niinistö, President of Finland
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Visit of the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton, Michael McFaul,
Mikhail Piotrovsky
Her Royal Highness Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Princess Consort of Bahrain
Visit of Mr. Almazbek Atambayev, President of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan
Visit of Mr. Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo.
Mr. Sassou Nguesso with his spouse
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seventh international charitable gala reception
Pierre de Labouchere with his wife, Mikhail Piotrovsky
Georgy Vilinbakhov, Paul Rodzianko, Sergey Bugayev (Africa)
29 June 2012 saw the annual traditional Charitable Gala Reception which was dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the victory
in the Patriotic War of 1812 on this occasion.
The guests invited to the event included stars of the contemporary
art world Santiago Calatrava and Tony Cragg, representatives
of old Russian families like the Romanovs, Yuryevskys, Golitsyns,
Rodziankos, Directors of the Hermitage Foundations in the USA,
UK and Russia, Directors of the leading museums of the world,
representatives of Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction houses,
heads of sponsor companies, art collectors, philanthropists and
journalists.
In the St. George Hall (Large Throne Room), the General Director of the State Hermitage Museum Mikhail Piotrvosky gave
a welcome speech to the assembled guests, followed by the “Artist in the Hermitage” award ceremony, presented this year to the
prominent contemporary artists Santiago Calatrava and Tony
Cragg, whose works were currently on display in the Hermitage.
The evening continued with a concert which consisted of musical
pieces written in the age of the Napoleonic Wars, performed by the
Russian Horn Orchestra (conducted by Sergey Polyanichko) and
the Mariinsky Choir (headed by choirmaster Andrey Petrenko).
Next, the guests viewed a one-day exhibit in the Armorial Hall
entitled 1812, which was specially prepared for the Gala Reception and served as a “taster” for a major Hermitage project entitled “The Thunder of 1812”, and the exhibit “Santiago Calatrava. The Quest for Movement”, which had recently opened in
the Nicholas Hall.
The menu for the grand dinner served in the Jordan Gallery of the
Winter Palace was made up of Russian dishes from the 19th century, which owe a great deal to French cuisine. During the dinner, the guests were invited to the Great Courtyard of the Winter
Palace to view an exhibit entitled Luke by Tony Cragg opened on
that very day as part of the “Sculpture in the Courtyard” project.
After the dinner, a ball was held in the Armorial Hall, with
the participation of performers from the Mariinsky Theatre and
the “Most Graceful” lady guest received a diamond pendant
(a prize from the Smolensk Diamonds Company) from Victoria
Yastrebova, the prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theatre.
By tradition, the famous Peacock Clock struck midnight.
The “grace cup” awaited the guests in the Hanging Garden,
opened for the first time after restoration.
This Gala Reception is intended to draw attention to the public
fund-raising campaign in support of the specialised fund for the
management of the Endowment Fund intended for the development of the State Hermitage Museum. The fund was founded with
a donation from one of its creators, Vladimir Potanin.
Support for the Gala Reception was provided by Gazprombank
OJSC, JTI International, Arktikmorgeo, Neftegazmontazhservis
LLC, the INTARSIA Group of Companies, the Hennessy Social
and Cultural Foundation, the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
The informational partner is the TATLER magazine.
Mikhail Piotrovsky, Prince Dmitry Romanov with his wife
Yekaterina Sirakanyan
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Olga Sviblova
Friends’ Events. 2012
1 March
Meeting in the Hermitage Friends’ Club entitled “A Visit to Jupiter” was dedicated to the 150 years
of the arrival of the Marquis Campana collection to the Hermitage. Dr. Liudmila Davydova, curator
of Greek sculpture of the Classical Antiquity Department, talked about the acquisition of this collection.
23 April
Visit of the UK Friends delegation (The Furniture History Society, 28 people) and the Canadian Friends
of the Hermitage (The Art Gallery of Calgary, 15 people) to St. Petersburg. A special programme, Monday in the Hermitage, was organised for them. Our Friends from abroad were given a unique opportunity
to visit the Hermitage on the day the museum is closed to visitors. Specialists in history of furniture from
Great Britain were able to view in detail the permanent exhibition of Russian and Western European
furniture.
Final event of the fifteenth anniversary season
in the Hermitage Friends’ Club
8 June
14 May
Final event of the fifteenth anniversary season in the Hermitage Friends’ Club. The meeting was dedicated to the 165th Anniversary of the Hermitage Treasure Gallery. The evening programme opened with
the word of welcome by the General Director of the State Hermitage Museum Prof. Mikhail Piotrovsky.
The guests were then invited to the Hercules Room to hear a short talk by the Head of the Treasure Gallery Yelena Kashina on the history of the Hermitage Treasure Gallery and its collection. Following it,
Dr. Igor Malkiel, Head of the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Precious Metals, showed the
Friends a film on the restoration of some of the Gallery’s objects. In the end of the meeting, the Friends
had an opportunity to visit the exhibition of the Diamond Room with the curators of the Hermitage Education Department, and see some of the objects that were brought back to life with their help.
Visit of the Canadian Friends of the Hermitage (The Royal Ontario Museum, 24 people). Monday in the
Hermitage programme offered to the Friends a unique opportunity to see the collection when the museum is closed for public. The guests were offered a tour round the museum guided by the curators of the
Education Department, with the demonstration of the Peacock Clock in operation.
16 May
Meeting in the Hermitage Friends’
Club entitled “A Visit to Jupiter”
dedicated to the 150 years of
the arrival of the Marquis Campana
collection to the Hermitage
Official event dedicated to the 15 years of partnership between
the State Hermitage Museum and an international law firm
Baker & McKenzie
Presentation of the joint projects of the State Hermitage Museum and Philips Company for 2012–2014.
The State Hermitage Museum General Director Mikhail Piotrovsky announced the start of a Russianwide competition The Hermitage in a New Light aimed at creating a concept for lighting the façade of the
General Staff Building. Arjan de Jongste, General Director of Philips Company in Russia, talked about
the results of lighting project of the Arch of the General Staff Building. Guests were shown a film about
the collaborative projects of the State Hermitage Museum and Philips Company that were implemented
in 2009–2012.
25–27 June
This year five representatives from the Hermitage Museum Foundation in the USA attended the traditional International Charity Gala Reception at the Winter Palace. A special programme, Monday in the
Hermitage, was organised for them during their stay in St. Petersburg, which included a demonstration
of the Peacock Clock in operation and a visit to the “Staraya Derevnya” Restoration, Conservation
and Storage Centre.
Presentation of the joint projects
and Philips Company
for 2012–2014
11 and 13 September
Visit of a delegation of the British Friends of the Hermitage (a group of porcelain specialists and lovers, 10 people). A special programme was organised for them that included a visit to the exhibitions
and storages of German, English, French and Russian porcelain, as well as meetings with the curators
of the Western European Applied Arts Department, Western European Fine Arts Department and History of Russian Culture Department.
18 October
Official event dedicated to the 15 years of partnership between the State Hermitage Museum and an international law firm Baker & McKenzie. Since 1997 Baker & McKenzie has been a corporate member of the
Hermitage Friends’ Club and has sponsored programmes for work with disabled children. Starting from
2000, the company has supported the programme of the Hermitage School Centre entitled Our Hermitage.
At the Hermitage Theatre, guests of the evening were presented the results of the conservation project
Cornflowers and Stems of Oats once made by the craftsmen of the famous Carl Fabergé firm. This project
was completed by the Hermitage conservators with the support of Baker & McKenzie.
23 October
Opening of the new 2012–2013 season in the Hermitage Friends’ Club. The event “Contemporary Art:
Provocation or...” took place in the General Staff Building. Prof. Mikhail Piotrovsky, the General Director
of the State Hermitage Museum, opened the evening for the Friends with a few words about the provocative function of contemporary art. Then, the museum Friends were given the unique opportunity to view all
of the temporary exhibitions of contemporary art that were taking place at that time in the General Staff
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FOUNDATION HERMITAGE FRIENDS IN THE NETHERLANDS
Awarding ceremony for sponsors
and patrons of the State
Hermitage. Mikhail Piotrovsky
and Olga Monakhova, Director
of the International Chodiev
Foundation
Despite the economic crisis, the number of Friends stayed more or less on the level of 2011:
5,500 members. The number of Peter and Catharina Friends was also kept on the same level.
This year the Friends received two printed newsletters; these newsletters gave information on the
exhibitions in Amsterdam as well the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. 2012 was not an ordinary exhibition year for the Hermitage • Amsterdam, due to the fact that the famous Van Gogh Museum had
to close down for several months. In order to help the Van Gogh Museum and to have the masterpieces available for the numerous tourists of the Amsterdam city, the schedule of the Hermitage exhibitions was changed. It was decided to extend the successful “Rubens, Van Dyck & Jordaens. Flemish
Painters from the Hermitage” exhibition for three more months and to postpone the “Gaugain,
Bonnard, Denis” exhibition until 2013. This made it possible to house the Van Gogh masterpieces
for seven months in one of the wings of the Hermitage • Amsterdam museum.
In 2012, two special Friends’ Days were organised for the Dutch Friends, one in June, on the day before the public opening of the new “Impressionism: Sensation and Inspiration” exhibition; the other
was organised in October in conjunction with the opening of the Van Gogh exhibition. Both Friends’
Days were organised exclusively for the Friends and consisted of an introduction into the new exhibition, and the Board informing the Friends on the projects they had supported in Amsterdam as well
as in St. Petersburg. Furthermore on the Friends day the Friends had the possibility to have dinner
in the restaurant of the museum. This special Friends’ dinner attracted more than 100 Dutch Friends
each time.
New in 2012 were digital newsletters mailed to the Dutch Friends, the so-called “Friends greeting
newsletter”. In these newsletters last minute news were published.
The Foundation Hermitage Friends in the Netherlands contributed in 2012 to the following projects.
For the exhibition “Rubens, Van Dyck & Jordaens” in Amsterdam, two paintings were restored with
the support of the Dutch Friends: Lioness and Two Lions by the Rubens school and Lucius Albinus
Giving his Carriage to Vestals by Bertholet Flemalle.
The restoration of gilded frames for the works by Dutch Masters initiated in 2010 continued.
For the future exhibition “Peter the Great, an Inspired Tsar” scheduled to open in the Hermitage • Amsterdam in March 2013, the Dutch Friends supported the restoration of the uniform of Tsar Peter
the Great, making it possible to bring this unique costume to Amsterdam.
The Board meetings were held on 7 February, 20 March, 11 September and 19 November 2012.
The Chairman of the Board Mr. Hein Blocks was replaced by Mr. Ernst Veen, former Director of Hermitage • Amsterdam; and the treasurer Mr. Renze Hasper was replaced by Mr. Joost Leeflang.
A new coordinator of the Dutch Friends organisation was hired: Lisette Forbes Wels-de Leeuw succeeded Jacqueline Lantain, who left the organisation.
Building: “The Wild Swans. Découpages and Costumes Designed by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II
of Denmark for the Film Adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tale”, “Architectural Library:
Architectural Drawings from the State Hermitage and Sergey Tchoban’s Collections”, “‘There is No One
to Help them’. Tragedy in the Graphic Works of Francisco Goya”, and “Jake and Dinos Chapman.
The End of Fun”. Friends were also welcome to ask their questions to the curators of these exhibitions.
29 October
Presentation of the long-term project for the restoration of a unique monument of the world technological thought in the 18th – 19th centuries: the Grand Strasser Clock. This project is being implemented
by the State Hermitage Museum with the support of the JTI Company.
8 December
International Hermitage Friends’ Day. Hermitage Friends from around the world are annually invited to the museum for this celebration. The programme of this event is always unique and interesting.
This year, the Friends were traditionally the first to see the new space of the State Hermitage Museum –
the new premises “Х” at the “Staraya Derevnya” Centre. Prof. Mikhail Piotrovsky, the General Director
of the State Hermitage Museum, welcomed the Friends and awarded the sponsors of the museum with
Honorary Diplomas and personal membership cards of the Hermitage Friends’ Club. Then, Friends were
given an opportunity to independently see over the new premises of the Restoration and Storage Centre,
as well as to enjoy a concert programme and ballroom dancing in the Main Vestibule of the new building.
The evening programme ended with a banquet for the Friends.
10 December
Presentation ceremony of the Hermitage Friends Association in Italy, creation of which was officially
announced in summer 2012. In the Hermitage Days 2012 the Association made a statement in Russia
by organising a special visit for the delegation of the Italian Friends as part of a special programme
Monday in the Hermitage.
Italian Friends at the Hermitage
Foundation Hermitage Friends in the Netherlands
P.O. Box 11675,
1001 GR Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel.: (31) 20 530 87 55
Email: vrienden@hermitage.nl
www.hermitage.nl
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urged all of the assembled guests to come to Norfolk for this once in a lifetime exhibition: the temporary return of the Walpole Collection, which had been purchased by Catherine the Great in 1779,
to its original Palladian home. The HMF is a full Sponsor of the “Houghton Revisited” exhibition.
In its scale and ambition the exhibition will serve as a fitting commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Catherine the Great’s accession to the throne, and more broadly the distinguished history
of Anglo-Russian cultural relations.
In December, the HMF sponsored the visit of Helen Drutt English, internationally renowned collector and scholar in the applied arts and a member of the HMF Advisory Board, to St. Petersburg,
the Hermitage Museum and a number of other institutions. The primary purpose of her trip was
to share her knowledge of contemporary applied arts with various specialists and student groups.
Her lectures at the Vladimir Palace and at the Academy of Fine Arts were both extremely well
received. Her visit coincided with the publication of the December Antiqvariat Magazine which included a comprehensive article about Mrs. Drutt English and her collections.
The HMF held its semi-annual full board meetings on 1 June and on 9 November 2012 at the law
offices of Baker & McKenzie, New York City. The HMF Newsletter (Volume 3, Issue One) was released in June.
In addition, the HMF is working on a number of other exhibition efforts as part of its Art from
America ™ initiative.
The Hermitage Museum Foundation (USA), Inc. (“HMF”) is a corporation which contributes
to the preservation and promotion of the museum’s collection of more than three million objects
and its historic buildings. The HMF raises funds for restoration and conservation projects as well
as securing the donation of art and artifacts for the museum. The annual Hermitage Dinner held
in New York City supports the Art from America TM effort to secure post-War American art for the
museum’s collections. In addition, the HMF hosts educational outreach programs; supports exhibitions both in the U.S. and Russia; curatorial exchanges, and organizes an annual White Nights tour
to the museum and St. Petersburg.
The HMF’s activities in 2012 continued to strengthen its commitment to the Hermitage Museum
and to Russian-American relations.
In January the HMF Junior Committee organized a visit to the opening of the Sol LeWitt – Alfred
Jensen Exhibition, “Systems and Transformation” at Pace Gallery. Twenty participants enjoyed an
impromptu walk-through talk and concluded the evening at a casual dinner.
In April the Junior Committee hosted, in conjunction with Depesha Magazine, a private tour
of the museum at FIT exhibition, “IMPACT: 50 Years of the CFDA” followed by a VIP dinner to benefit the HMF’s Art from America TM campaign with a guest of honor, designer Thom Browne. Patricia
Mears, Deputy Director of the Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology, and co-curator of the
IMPACT exhibition, guided the twenty guests of the HMF, sharing insights about select objects
in the show as well as the key ideas behind the exhibit’s conception and installation.
The HMF’s fifth White Nights Tour welcomed guests to St. Petersburg in late June for six days
of specially organized tours of the Hermitage Museum as well as highlights of the city and countryside. The White Nights program is designed to coinciding with the annual Gala Banquet in the Winter Palace. This year, the impressive Gala Dinner took as its theme the 200th anniversary of the victory over Napoleon in the War of 1812. The evening’s activities culminated in a ball in the Armorial
Hall featuring Mariinsky dancers leading the guests through the polonaise, the mazurka and more.
As a final crescendo, guests were conducted to the newly restored Hanging Garden for an informal
jazz concert and champagne.
During this six-day program, the guests spent considerable time in the museum, enjoying private
viewings of exhibition and collection highlights; paintings, sculpture, applied arts treasures, furniture, and the ceremonial opening, on the Jordan Staircase, of the magnificent exhibition “Santiago
Calatrava. The Quest for Movement”. A special invitation to the Rare Book Library gave an opportunity to view centuries-old volumes in rare materials and unusual designs created for Imperial
presentation and other purposes, and the Porcelain Storage visit was another interesting event.
On 9 November, as part of its program surrounding the Fall Board meeting and the Hermitage
Dinner, HMF invited three individuals to speak to supporters of the HMF at the Explorers Club
in New York. The speakers were: the celebrated artist and one of the recipients of the 2012 HMF,
Erik Bulatov; Eames Demetrios, Principal of the Eames Office; and Dr. Tamara Rappe, Head of the
Department of Western European Applied Arts, State Hermitage Museum. The diversity of their
presentations made for a memorable evening attended by more than sixty guests.
On 10 November, under the Honorary Chairmanship of Eli Broad, the HMF honored American contemporary art icon Jeff Koons together with Erik Bulatov, one of today’s most important Russian
artists at the 3rd Annual Hermitage Dinner co-hosted by Simon de Pury, the legendary Chairman
and Chief Auctioneer of Phillips de Pury & Company. He also conducted an auction of works donated
especially for the Dinner by artists including Damien Hirst, Michal Rovner, David Levinthal, Jeff
Koons and Martin Mull. HMF Awards were presented to Jeff Koons, introduced by Mr. Broad, and
Erik Bulatov, introduced by Igor Tsukanov, for their lifelong artistic achievements and contributions
to contemporary art. Introduced by Vitaly Komar, philanthropist and collector Neil K. Rector was
recognized for his gift of Russian artist Oleg Vassiliev’s Artistic Vision 2009 to the Hermitage Museum’s contemporary art collection in St. Petersburg. This important gift inaugurated the Hermitage Museum Foundation’s Art from America™ initiative.
In early December, Peter Schaffer, President of the HMF, hosted an elegant cocktail party at
A La Vieille Russie on Fifth Avenue in New York, to bring attention to the forthcoming exhibition
“Houghton Revisited” due to open in 2013 at the Houghton Hall in Norfolk, England. Attending
the event were members of the HMF Board and Advisory Board, collectors and art lovers from New
York and the West Coast. Lord Cholmondeley, Mr. Schaffer, and Dr. Thierry Morel, an HMF Advisory Board member and our guest curator, gave a brief outline of what the exhibition was about and
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505 Park Avenue, 20th Floor
New York,
NY 10022 USA
Tel.: (1 212) 826 3074
Fax: (1 212) 888 4018
www.hermitagemuseumfoundation.org
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The State Hermitage Museum Foundation of Canada Inc.
and The Canadian Friends of the Hermitage
Hermitage Foundation (UK)
On 14 May 2012 a group of UK Friends – specialists from the Furniture History Society visited
the museum to take part in the exclusive Monday in the Hermitage programme. The Friends had
an opportunity to meet museum curators and specialists, and to see the collections of Russian and
Western European furniture without distraction of the crowds, on the day when the museum is closed
for visitors.
“Tony Cragg. Luke”. For the summer months (from 29 June 29 to 26 July), this bronze sculpture
was displayed in the courtyard of the Hermitage from the Cass Foundation, UK. The artist himself
visited the unveiling at the June Gala dinner.
In September, a specialist group of international porcelain collectors visited the Hermitage, organised by UK Trustee Adrian Sassoon and led by Rosalind Savill, former Director of the Wallace Collection and world renowned expert on Sevres porcelain.
In September “Medals of Dishonour”, an exhibition that originated from The British Museum, cocurated by Yekaterina Lepyokhina from the Hermitage, Felicity Powell and Philip Atwood from the
British Museum, sponsored by The Metabolic Foundation, USA and organised with the help of the
Hermitage Foundation UK was shown at the Menshikov Palace. It combined a selection of medals
from the British Museum collection and 13 recently commissioned contemporary medals with several medals from the Hermitage numismatic collection that had not been displayed in the original
exhibition at the British Museum.
In October, the new exhibition space in the General Staff Building was introduced to the public with
the exhibition “The End of Fun” by The Chapman Brothers. The exhibition was funded entirely by
The Hermitage Foundation UK, from money raised at the annual charity banquet and auction held
in March 2012 at the Connaught Hotel in London. The main piece of the exhibition was the infamous
showcases depicting Nazi SS officers mutilating one another. Also exhibited, in other galleries in
the General Staff Building, were a display of drawings by Jake and Dinos Chapman entitled Injury
to Insult to Injury and the Chapman Brothers series of The Disasters of War, adapted from original
etchings by Goya, with their own additions to the works.
The “Visiting Curators” scheme continued successfully, thanks to the generosity of the Foundation’s
Trustee Elena Heinz and sponsorship from Sotheby’s. During the year, Yekaterina Lopatkina came
to develop her knowledge on contemporary installations. Julia Balakhanova came to research the
vast collection of Emblem Books in the Glasgow University Museum. Two curators from the Armoury, Ilya Yermolayev and Dmitry Lyubin had a very full and busy two-week visit, seeing different
museums every day and travelling to the Royal Armouries in Leeds. Later in the year, three curators
from different departments visited London: Julia Semyonova and Anastassia Bukina from the Classical Antiquity Department, and Marina Gavrilova from the Oriental Department. Mikhail Dedinkin,
Deputy Head of Western European Fine Arts Department, came to London to continue talks with
the Hampton Court Palace about a planned exhibition on the drawings of Capability Brown in the
Hermitage collection.
In December, the publication of the new catalogue raisonee from the Islamic department, Persian
Manuscripts, Paintings and Drawings, was celebrated with a book presentation party given by the
Intercontinental Hotel, Park Lane. The author Dr. Adel Adamova was present. The publication
was made possible by a generous donation from Mrs. Sedigeh Rastegar, as well as contributions
from Maryam Eisler and Mr. and Mrs. Farhad Diba.
In March 2012, Geraldine Norman retired as Chief Executive of the Hermitage Foundation UK after
over 12 years of loyal support and hard work. Katya Galitzine took over as the new Chief Executive
of the London based charity.
In 2012, the State Hermitage Museum Foundation of Canada was happy to once again award scholarships to six of Canada’s most promising young artists, allowing them to participate in the Art
Semester at the Hermitage program of the Youth Education Center in August of 2012.
The success of the program was best expressed by the students themselves in their letters of appreciation to their sponsors.
During April and May of 2012 Canadian Friends of the Hermitage, associated with the Royal Ontario Museum and the Calgary Art Gallery, visited St. Petersburg and Moscow. The warm hospitality
and efficiency of the Hermitage staff made this visit truly inspiring. Program Monday in the Hermitage organized as a special privilege for the Hermitage Friends allowed the guests to see the museum
and enjoy its treasures without the distraction of large crowds. As a result of these tours, donations
were made towards the restoration project Conservation of the Drawing by Wolgemut “Nativity”.
At the Annual Meeting held on 23 November 2012 the Board of Directors approved a new Mission
Statement for the Foundation: “Enriching the lives of Canadians through a vibrant program of educational and exhibition exchanges between the State Hermitage Museum and Canadian universities,
art galleries and museums”.
With the retirement of Robin Young as Executive Director in 2012, the administration of the Canadian Friends of the Hermitage has been integrated with the Foundation, with Robert Kaszanits serving as President of both organizations. Robin Young has been appointed to the Board of Directors
of the Hermitage Foundation.
The State Hermitage Museum
Foundation of Canada Inc.
900 Greenbank Road, Suite 616
Ottawa, ON K2J 4P6, Canada
Tel.: 1 (613) 489-0794
Fax: 1 (613) 489-0835
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Canadian Friends of the Hermitage
Hermitage Foundation UK
1500 Bank Street, Suite 302
Ottawa, ON K1H 1B8, Canada
Tel.: 1 (613) 236-1116
Toll Free: 1-(866) 380-6945
Fax: 1 (613) 236-6570
Email: friends@hermitagemuseum.ca
Pushkin House
5a Bloomsbury Square
London WC1A 2TA
Tel.: +44 20 7404 7780
Email: info@hermitagefoundation.co.uk
www.hermitagefoundation.co.uk
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Association of the Friends of the Hermitage Museum (Italy)
The Associazione Amici del Museo Ermitage (Italia) was founded in Florence on 4 July 2012. Its official presentation took place in Palazzo Vecchio, in the Hall of Lorenzo the Magnificent, during the
ceremony of signing the Agreement on Cooperation between the State Hermitage Museum and the
municipal government of Florence. The agreement was signed by the General Director of the State
Hermitage Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky and the Vice Mayor of Florence for Culture Mr. Sergio
Givone. A gala reception was organised to celebrate this event in the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum
and Bardini Museum, where Cav. Francesco Bigazzi, the President of the Association, introduced
to Prof. Piotrovsky new Friends – first members of the new Association that has joined the international family of Hermitage Friends’ organisations already existing in Amsterdam, New York,
Toronto and London.
The Bardini Museum opened its doors for the official inauguration of the Association that was established largely owing to the support of such internationally important members as Ferruccio Ferragamo and the first Italian Friends of the Hermitage: Marchesa Diletta Frescobaldi, Claudia Cremonini,
Professor Mina Gregori, Avv. Marco Ramadori – Presidente Codacons, Prince Roberto Troubetskoy,
Prince Girolamo Strozzi, the Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Florence, actor Giorgio
Albertazzi, Goppion S.p.A. and La Compania Italiana, and other representatives of Italian cultural
community.
On the eve of its first anniversary, the Association is proud to number already fifty Patrons and one
hundred Friends, such a rapid and steady growth being directly related to the numerous initiatives
of the Association.
In November 2012, the Association contributed to the publication of “Imperial Portraits and Profiles in the Antique Manner. Sculpture of Quattrocento at the Museum Stefano Bardini” by Antonella Nesi, Director of the Bardini Museum. In December 2012 a delegation of over 50 Italian
Friends visited the Hermitage to participate in the celebration of the Hermitage Days. In January
2013 the new campaign will start to raise funds for the restoration of two large paintings that had
suffered from the earthquake in the Emilia region. Other plans include: a charitable reception at
the Medicean Villa di Artimino on 27 June 2013; conference “The Hermitage: Yesterday, Today,
and Tomorrow” at Palazzo Strozzi on 15 April 2013 presided by Prof. Anna-Maria Petrioli Tofani;
conference “Culture Promotes Exchange” on 16 April 2013 at Palazzo Vecchio in cooperation with
the association “Exploring Eurasia”, with the participation of representatives of culture and business community from all over Italy; opening of the exhibition of Quinto Martini at the Hermitage
on 24 May 2013 where five sculptures of the Tuscan master will be donated to the State Hermitage
Museum; “Picnic on the Volga” in September 2013 organised for the Italian Friends of the Hermitage in collaboration with Hermitage • Kazan Сentre; and in December 2013 a large Italian delegation will once again visit St. Petersburg to attend the celebration of the Hermitage Days and to bring
a special protective showcase for the Hermitage masterpieces.
ASSOCIAZIONE AMICI DEL MUSEO ERMITAGE (ITALIA)
Via Santo Spirito n. 11
Palazzo Frescobaldi
50125 Firenze, Italia
Tel./Fax: +39 055 5387819
Email: info@amiciermitage.it
202
The State Hermitage Museum is inviting you to participate in its special
international programme – The Hermitage Friends’ Club.
The State Hermitage Museum was the first museum in Russia to organise a Friends’
society back in November 1996. Since that time, to be a Friend of the Hermitage
has become a good tradition. Many international and Russian companies,
charitable organisations, foundations and individuals have already become
Members of the Hermitage Friends’ Club.
The main development programmes of the Hermitage are:
Restoration and renovation of the museum buildings, halls and premises;
Restoration of exhibits;
Improvement of visitor services;
Academic research and education programmes;
Purchase of new exhibits.
The Internet café offers a 30% discount to the Hermitage Friends;
Shops and kiosks offer a 20% discount to the Hermitage Friends;
The museum Internet shop (www.shop.hermitagemuseum.org) offers a 10% discount
to the Hermitage Friends;
Members of the Hermitage Friends’ Club are welcome to enter the Hermitage Museum
from the Komendantsky Entrance of the Winter Palace, where they can use the
cloakroom.
Some of the privileges granted by the Hermitage to Corporate members of the
international Hermitage Friends’ Club in proportion to the level of their charitable
contribution:
We invite you and/or your company to join the international Hermitage Friends’
Club and thus contribute to the preservation of the priceless treasures which
form the Hermitage’s legacy, guaranteeing that they are available to future
generations.
The Corporate Members are added to the “List of Sponsors and Patrons of the State
Hermitage Museum”, which is published in the Hermitage’s Annual Report and
on the official web-site of the State Hermitage Museum (www.hermitagemuseum.org)
An Honorary Diploma is awarded to the Corporate Member to certify its support
in the development of the Hermitage
For organisations making especially significant contributions, the Director
of the Hermitage grants additional benefits.
The donation may be made in the form of money or goods, services, materials,
or special discounts for “in-kind” donations.
Different levels of Individual and Corporate Membership are offered depending
on the sum of your donation for one of the development programs.
The State Hermitage Museum gratefully receives donations from its supporters,
and grants special privileges to the Hermitage Friends.
204
All memberships are renewable annually
All Hermitage Friends receive Personal Membership Cards of the Hermitage
Friends’ Club.
For further information on the Hermitage Friends’ Club, please contact:
Personal Membership Card entitles its holder (according to the Membership Level
chosen) to participate in the special programme of visiting temporary exhibitions
of the State Hermitage Museum, including the permanent displays and the
Hermitage branches and centres in Russia and abroad (St. Petersburg, Vyborg,
Kazan, Amsterdam).
Komendantsky Entrance to the Winter Palace
(from Palace Square)
Tel.: (+7 812) 710 90 05
Fax: (+7 812) 571 95 28
Email: friendsclub@hermitage.ru
The Holders of the Personal Membership Cards receive invitations to participate
in special events arranged exclusively for the Hermitage Friends’ Club
Members.
The State Hermitage Museum
34 Dvortsovaya Emb.
190000 St. Petersburg
Russia
Friends’ Office
Postal address:
205
The State Hermitage Museum Expenditures by Sources of Income in 2012
income in 2012
(in thousands of roubles)
1. Receipts from the Federal Budget
Other Revenue
Including
Revenue
from the Federal
Budget
Payroll
Payroll social security
Total
Business
undertakings
Donations
and
other
revenue
Total
expenditure
including Federal Budget subsidies,
Federal Budget investments
710,225,0
16.4%
20.8%
2. Proceeds from exhibitions
683,741,0
15.8%
3. Recompense for participation in exhibitions
90,581,6
2.1%
4. Donations and other revenue
29,345,6
0.7%
812,0
0.02%
5. Grants 23,445,8
0.5%
7. Fees for reproducing pictures
from the Hermitage collection
7,646,1
0.2%
8. Earnings from selling catalogues
and souvenirs
8,844,5
0.2%
166,434,5
163,744,6
2,689,9
257,463,1
Total payroll
418,360,9
762,271,5
750,674,7
11,596,8
1,180,632,4
Purchase of materials
104,923,2
1,685,3
1,419,0
266,3
106,608,5
Building services
62,658,3
13,456,0
13,456,0
0,0
76,114,3
Total receipts
Transportation and communications
18,740,9
2,819,4
707,7
2,111,7
21,560,3
which amounts to USD thousand
(at 31,1 roubles per dollar exchange rate)
Repair of equipment
93,155,7
362,1
362,1
0,0
93,517,8
66,315,9
0,0
0,0
0,0
66,315,9
Police brigades
18,451,2
39,1
39,1
0,0
18,490,3
Acquisition of art works
68,400,3
0,0
0,0
0,0
68,400,3
62.8%
899,314,1
91,028,6
Repair of buildings
79.2%
2,714,417,7
Other receipts including:
6. Earnings from cultural, educational
and theatrical programmes
327,332,3 595,837,0586,930,1 8,906,9923,169,3
3,424,642,7
9. Earnings from renting out property
owned by the Hermitage 11,785,7
0.3%
10.Other income
43,111,8
1.1%
4,323,956,8
100%
Other current expenses
411,370,2
66,362,3
59,575,6
6,786,7
477,732,5
Total current expenses
844,015,7
84,724,2
75,559,5
9,164,7
928,739,9
1,262,376,6
846,995,7
826,234,2
20,761,5
2,109,372,3
Capital building activities
637,948,2
0,0
0,0
0,0
637,948,2
Capital repair
485,369,6
0,0
0,0
0,0
485,369,6
1. Payroll
Equipment purchases
522,099,4
2,499,3
491,2
2,008,1
524,598,7
2
3
4 5 6 7 8 9
10
1
139,034,0
(excluding payroll)
TOTAL CURRENT EXPENDITURES
TOTAL CAPITAL EXPENDITURES
TOTAL EXPENDITURES OF THE HERMITAGE
which amounts to USD thousand (at 31,1 roubles per dollar exchange rate)
206
1,645,417,2
2,499,3
491,2
2,008,1
1,647,916,5
2,907,793,8
849,495,0
826,725,4
22,769,6
3,757,288,8
93,498,2 27,315,0 26,582,8
732,1120,813,1
expenditures in 2012
2. Purchase of equipment and materials
3. Building services, transportation
and communication
4. Building and equipment repairs
1,180,632,431.4%
631,207,2
16.8%
97,674,6
2.6%
159,833,7
4.3%
5. Expenses for police brigades
18,490,3
0.5%
6. Acquisition of art works
68,400,3
1.8%
7. Other current expenses
477,732,5
12.7%
8. Capital repair and construction
1,123,317,8
29.9%
Total expenditures:
current and capital expenses
3,757,288,8
100%
which amounts to USD thousand (at 31,1 roubles per dollar exchange rate)
120,813,1
207
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Ms. Jayne Wrightsman (USA)
Information Sponsors
Russ Outdoor SPb (St. Petersburg)
Mr. Vladimir Potanin (Russia)
LLC “Northern Capital Gateway” (St. Petersburg)
Joint-Stock Company “Aero-Advertising” (St. Petersburg)
Mr. George Sosnovsky (USA)
PLADIS (St. Petersburg)
Sign City (St. Petersburg)
Mr. Leonard Blavatnik (UK)
The LADOGA Group JSC (St. Petersburg)
“Vertical” (St. Petersburg)
Mr. Yevgeny Satanovsky (Russia)
“Tochka Opory” (St. Petersburg)
“Russian Jeweller” Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Ilya & Emilia Kabakov (USA)
Metropress Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Vladimir V. Potanin Charitable Foundation (Moscow)
Slavia Publishing House (St. Petersburg)
Smolensk Diamonds Group
“Pro Animale für Tiere in Not e.V.” (Germany)
Open Joint-Stock Company Kristall Production Corporation
(Smolensk)
Prettycat Group Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Coca-Cola Export Corporation (Moscow)
“RADIOGUIDE” (St. Petersburg)
Coca-Cola HBC Eurasia Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Fazer Group (St. Petersburg)
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. (Republic of Korea)
“OMC – SPb Catering” Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
INTARSIA GROUP (St. Petersburg)
DELIA, Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
International Chodiev Foundation (Moscow)
GLENDO-RUS Co. (St. Petersburg)
JSC “AIKB Tatfondbank” (Kazan)
The Veterinary clinics network “ELVET” (St. Petersburg)
The company “Ivanko” (St. Petersburg)
SeveroWest Media Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Radio Hermitage (St. Petersburg)
“Amfora” Co.Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Mr. Andrey Maslivets, entrepreneur (St. Petersburg)
Official Supplier of Information Services
to the State Hermitage Museum
NIKOLAEV e:Consulting (St. Petersburg)
Official Courier of the State Hermitage Museum
‘Westpost’ Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
CJSC “JTI Marketing & Sales” (Moscow)
The KHEPRI, Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Philips Company in Russia (Moscow)
St. Petersburg Mint
Aksel Motors Co. (St. Petersburg)
BMW (Germany)
The Likeon – Museum Concepts and Projects Ltd.
(St. Petersburg)
Delzell Foundation (USA)
Trading House Menachem (St. Petersburg)
Social-Cultural Foundation “Hennessy” (Moscow)
“Guide-Intour” (St. Petersburg)
Official Partner of the State Hermitage Museum
“Heineken Breweries” LLC (St. Petersburg)
Arctur Travel Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Renaissance St. Petersburg Baltic Hotel (St. Petersburg)
The Bank of Moscow
“Rusinco” Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Art-Color Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
“VODOHOD” (Moscow)
Official Partner of the State Hermitage Museum
Beta-Kom (St. Petersburg)
ITC Enterprises LTD (Moscow)
LLC “St. Petersburg CY Hotel Leasing” (St. Petersburg)
“Ilim Group” (St. Petersburg)
Hotel Astoria (St. Petersburg)
Open Joint Stock Company Promsvyazbank (St. Petersburg)
Schwamborn GmbH (Germany)
Novotel St. Petersburg Centre Hotel
CJSC “Opera” (St. Petersburg)
CafeMax St. Petersburg CSJC (St. Petersburg)
“Camfil International Aktiebolag” (Moscow)
Bronze Horseman Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
“Astra Marine” Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
LLC “Samsung Electronics Rus Company” (Moscow)
“Museum Technologies” Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Vitrinen- und Glasbau REIER (Germany)
Intrust Bank (St. Petersburg)
The PRO ARTE Foundation (St. Petersburg)
LION Art Servis (St. Petersburg)
The Imperial Porcelain Manufactory (St. Petersburg)
Komintel, Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Restoring Ancient Stabiae Foundation (Italy)
Gazprombank (St. Petersburg)
Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg
BP (British Petroleum)
208
Official Legal Advisor of the State Hermitage Museum
Baker & McKenzie – CIS, Limited (St. Petersburg)
Official Caterer of the State Hermitage Museum
“Nash Piter” Company (St. Petersburg)
209
Hermitage Friends Organisations Abroad
Foundation Hermitage Friends in the Netherlands
The State Hermitage Museum Foundation of Canada, Inc.
Canadian Friends of the Hermitage
Friends of the Hermitage (UK)
Associazione Amici del Museo Ermitage (Italia)
DIRECTORATE OF THE STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM
CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY
DEPARTMENT
M. Piotrovsky General Director, Corresponding Member
of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
Doctor of History
A. Trofimova
Head of the Department, Candidate
Deputy Director for Research,
Chairman of the Heraldic Council
at the President of the Russian Federation,
Professor of the Stieglitz St. Petersburg
State Academy of Art and Industry,
Doctor of History
Yu. Semenova
Chief Curator
G. Vilinbakhov S. Adaksina Deputy Director, Chief Curator
M. Antipova Deputy Director for Finance and Planning
A. Bogdanov Deputy Director for Maintenance,
Senior Lecturer of St. Petersburg
University of State Fire Service,
V. Matveyev M. Novikov Deputy Director for Exhibitions
and Development, Candidate of Art Theory
and History
Ye. Ananyich
Deputy Head of the Department
A. Kuznetsov
Academic Secretary
A. Butyagin
Head of the Northern
Black Sea Area Sector
Ye. Khodza
Head of the Ancient Greece
and Ancient Rome Sector,
Candidate of Art Theory and
History
ARCHAEOLOGY OF EASTERN
EUROPE AND SIBERIA
DEPARTMENT
A. Alexeyev
Head of the Department,
Doctor of History
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTORATE
Yu. Piotrovsky
M. Dandamayeva A. Mazurkevich
Chief Curator
M. Khaltunen V. Kovalenko O. Zalutskaya M. Matiyash O. Korolkova Academic Secretary,
Candidate of History
Personal Assistant to the General Director,
Candidate of Cultural Studies
Secretary to the Deputy Director
for Research
and Chief Curator
for Finance and Planning
for Maintenance
A. Furasyev
Academic Secretary,
Ye. Korolkova
Head of the Sector of the South
of Eurasia, Candidate of Art
Theory and History
R. Minasian
Head of the Sector of the Forest
and Forest-Steppe Zone
of Eastern Europe, Candidate
of History
Oriental DEPARTMENT
Yu. Marchenko Secretary to the Deputy Director
for Exhibitions and Development
N. Kozlova
Head of the Department
D. Oreshnikova
for Construction
M. Gavrilova
Chief Curator
Director’s Advisers
Yu. Kantor Adviser for Special Projects and PR,
Doctor of History
A. Galkin Adviser for Security
Ye. Sirakanian Adviser for Special Programmes, Charity
Projects and Sponsorship
210
A. Nikolayev
Academic Secretary, Candidate
of History
A. Bolshakov
Head of the Ancient East Sector,
Doctor of History
O. Deshpande
Head of the Far East Sector,
P. Lurie
Head of the Middle Asia and
the Caucasus Sector, Candidate
of History
A. Pritula
Head of the Near East and
Byzantium Sector, Candidate
of Philology
WESTERN EUROPEAN
Fine Arts DEPARTMENT
S. Androsov
Doctor of Art Theory and History,
Foreign Member of Ateneo Veneto
(Venetian Academy of Sciences),
Full Member of the Academy
of Arts in Carrara
M. Dedinkin
M. Garlova
Chief Curator
Ye. Abramova
Academic Secretary
R. Grigoryev
Head of the Print Room,
Candidate of Art Theory
and History
M. Lopato
Head of the Sector of Precious
Metals and Stones, Doctor of Art
Theory and History
HISTORY OF RUSSIAN
CULTURE DEPARTMENT
V. Fedorov
N. Guseva
Deputy Head of the Department,
and History
I. Zakharova
Chief Curator, Candidate of History
A. Solovyov
Academic Secretary
G. Miroliubova
Head of the Sector of Visual Arts,
and History
S. Nilov
Head of the Winter Palace
of Peter I Sector
N. Tarasova
Head of the Sector of Decorative
and Applied Arts, Candidate of Art
Theory and History
I. Grigoryeva
Head of the Cabinet of Drawings
B. Asvarishch
Head of the Sector
of the 19th – 20th Century Painting
and Sculpture, Candidate of Art
Theory and History
N. Gritsay
Head of the Sector
of the 13th – 18th Century
Painting, Candidate of Art Theory
and History
WESTERN EUROPEAN
Applied Arts DEPARTMENT
T. Rappe
O. Kostiuk
Deputy Head of the Department,
and History
L. Bulkina
Chief Curator
S. Kokareva
Academic Secretary
T. Kosourova
Head of the Applied Arts Sector,
and History
NUMISMATIC DEPARTMENT
V. Kalinin
Ye. Lepekhina
O. Stepanova
Chief Curator
K. Kravtsov
Academic Secretary, Head
of the Sector of Ancient Coins
and Coins from Asia and Africa
L. Dobrovolskaya
Head of the Sector
of Numismatic Monuments
from Europe and America,
ARSENAL
D. Liubin
M. Zaychenko
Chief Curator
Yu. Yefimov
Head of the Arms and Armoury
Sector
D. Yolshin
Academic Secretary, Candidate
B. Kravchunas
Head of the Art Studio, Candidate
Imperial PORCELAIN
Factory MUSEUM
RESEARCH LIBRARY
N. Krollau
Head of the Methodic Sector,
A. Ivanova
T. Kumzerova
Chief Curator
Modern Art department
D. Ozerkov
of Philosophy
Ye. Lopatkina
K. Malich
Academic Secretary
MENSHIKOV PALACE
V. Meshcheriakov
A. Dutov
Ye. Ignatyeva
Chief Curator
I. Saverkina
Head of the Research
and Exhibition Sector, Academic
Secretary, Candidate of History
G. Rodionova
Head of the Education Sector
O. Zimina
Deputy Head of the Library
A. Dydykin
I. Astrov
Head of the General Staff History
Sector
EXHIBITION DESIGN
DEPARTMENT
N. Martynenko
Deputy Head of the Library
B. Kuzyakin
I. Gogulina
Head of the Funds Sector
V. Korolyov
Head of the Sector of the
Exhibition Design and Installation
R. Klimchenkova
Head of the Catalogue Sector
A. Markushina
Head of the International
Exchange Sector
A. Samsonova
Head of the Service Sector
R. Shavrina
Head of the Bibliography Sector
T. Tarayeva
Head of the Completion
and Inventory Sector
G. Yastrebinskaya
Head of the Library Branches
Sector
MANUSCRIPTS AND
DOCUMENTS DEPARTMENT
Ye. Yakovleva
Ye. Solomakha
General Staff
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
L. Yershova
A. Plotnikova
Head of the Exhibition Equipment
and Management Sector
PUBLISHING DEPARTMENT
Ye. Zvyagintseva
N. Petrova
I. Dalekaya
Head of the Pre-Printing
Preparation Sector
Ye. Nasyrova
Head of the Sale Sector
V. Pankov
Head of the Printing Sector
A. Rodina
Head of the Editors Sector
V. Terebenin
Head of the Photography Sector
ELECTRONIC Editions
Preparation SECTOR
I. Melnikova
Head of the Sector
N. Vasilevskaya
Head of the Excursion Bureau
Registrar DEPARTMENT
S. Yashmolkin
Head of the Visitors Sector
N. Kozlovskaya
Head of the Methodic Sector
N. Grishanova
HISTORY AND RESTORATION
OF ARCHITECTURAL
MONUMENTS DEPARTMENT
S. Kudriavtseva
Head of the Youth Centre
and Student Club,
and History
A. Aponasenko
V. Lukin
Chief Architect of the Hermitage,
Candidate of Architecture
I. Yermolayev
Academic Secretary
Architecture
and Archaeology Sector
V. Danchenko
Head of the Military Heraldry
Sector, Candidate of History
O. Ioannisian
Head of the Sector, Candidate
of History
211
Ye. Makarova
Head of the Library
O. Kuznetsova
Head of the Guide Service Sector
L. Torshina
Head of the Sector
for Special Programmes
SCHOOL CENTRE
I. Diubanova
Head of the Centre
Ya. Ivanova
Head of the Sector
of the Registration of Temporary
Accepting and Leasing
of Museum Exhibits
O. Shcherbakova
Head of the Sector of Control
for the Preservation of Museum
Items
N. Ternovaya
Head of the Sector of the Forming
of Data Base on the Hermitage
Collections
Yu. Yefimova
Head of the Sector
of the Registration of Museum
Exhibits of Precious Metals
and Stones
DEPARTMENT
of the Organisation
of Register and Storage
of the “STARAYA DEREVNYA”
Centre
T. Zagrebina
Yu. Gromova
Laboratory for Scientific
Restoration of Oriental
Painting
Ye. Shishkova
Head of the Laboratory, Candidate
Restoration of Graphic
Works
T. Sabianina
Head of the Laboratory
Restoration of Chandeliers
P. Khrebtukov
Ye. Solovyova
Head of the Office Work Sector
T. Sayatina
LEGAL DEPARTMENT
Examination and
Authentication of Works
of Art DEPARTMENT
A. Kosolapov
V. Faibisovich
Head of the Sector,
S. Petrova
S. Khavrin
SECTOR OF EXHIBITION
DOCUMENTATION
Restoration of Applied
Art objects
SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL
EXAMINATION Laboratory
O. Ilmenkova
Head of the Sector
A. Bantikov
A. Kosolapov
Head of the Laboratory,
Treasure GALLERY
Ye. Kashina
Ye. Geyko
SCIENTIFIC RESTORATION
AND CONSERVATION
DEPARTMENT
T. Baranova
Ye. Chekhova
LABORATORY FOR SCIENTIFIC
RESTORATION OF OBJECTS
MADE OF ORGANIC MATERIALS
LABORATORY FOR PHISICAL
AND CHEMICAL METHODS
OF EXAMINATION OF MATERIALS
Ye. Mankova
L. Gavrilenko
Restoration of Textiles
and Water-Soluble
Paintings
M. Denisova
Restoration of Easel
Painting
Restoration of Precious
Metals
V. Korobov
I. Malkiel
Restoration of Tempera
Painting
I. Permiakov
Restoration of Timepieces
and Musical Mechanisms
M. Guryev
Restoration of Mural
Painting
Restoration of Furniture
A. Bliakher
V. Gradov
212
N. Diumina
Head of the Typing Sector
Restoration of Photos
Restoration of Sculpture
and semi-precious Stones
Sector of New Acquisitions
Chancery
O. Yushina
LABORATORY
FOR BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
L. Slavoshevskaya
Head of the Laboratory,
Candidate of Biology
LABORATORY
FOR CLIMATE CONTROL
T. Bolshakova
Personnel Department
V. Khrushch
A. Babenko
Head of the Passport and Visa
Sector
M. Tsyguleva
THEATRE AND Education
DEPARTMENT
N. Orlova
S. Mitskevich
Outer COMMUNICATIONS
DEPARTMENT
N. Kolomiyets
HOSPITALITY SERVICE
N. Silantyeva
O. Ratnitsyna
Head of the Sector
of the Administrators
of Entrance and Recreation Zones
Entrance Zone Service
Department
A. Leonenko
Marketing and Advertising
Sector
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT
A. Lisitsyna
Head of the Sector
T. Voronova
Sector of Project Finance
Safety of Labour
and Ecology Department
Ye. Fedorov
Head of the Sector
Friends
of the Hermitage Sector
S. Philippova
Head of the Sector
SECTOR OF SOCIOLOGICAL
RESEARCH
V. Selivanov
Head of the Sector,
Doctor of Philosophy
“STARAYA DEREVNYA”
Centre for Restoration,
Conservation and Storage
V. Dobrovolsky
Head of the Centre
A. Terentyeva
Deputy Head of the Centre
PLANNING AND BUDGET
DEPARTMENT
SECTOR OF TOURISM
AND SPECIAL PROGRAMMES
BOOK-KEEPING
Ye. Odintsova
Head of the Personnel and Social
Payments Sector
Maintenance
of Menshikov Palace
I. Prokofyeva
R. Baburin
Chief Mechanic
N. Grigoryeva
L. Korabelnikova
Head of the Service
T. Romanovskaya
A. Mikliayeva
Head of the Sector
N. Trofimova
Head of the Sector
O. Chertova
Head of the Sector of Employment
Relationship
N. Yakubenko
CHIEF MECHANIC DEPARTMENT
V. Chudinova
PRESS service
Maintenance of the General
Staff Building
Rights and Reproduction
Sector
Sector of Information
Infrastructure
and Recreation Zones
O. Arkhipova
Head of the Sector, Candidate
A. Pavlova
Ye. Mironova
Chief Book-Keeper
I. Belova
Deputy Chief Book-Keeper
O. Kuklina
Deputy Chief Book-Keeper
I. Baranshchikova
Deputy Chief Mechanic
N. Khobotov
Maintenance DEPARTMENT
of the “STARAYA DEREVNYA”
Centre
S. Gusev
SECURITY SERVICE
(MENSHIKOV PALACE)
V. Kozlov
Head of the Service
First Department for
Security of the Museum
Complex (First Museum
Security Department)
B. Pozhemetsky
V. Zababurin
COMPUTER Sector
A. Inozemtsev
A. Grigoryev
Head of the Sector
Second Department for
Complex (Second Museum
Supplying of Technical
Equipment for Buildings
and Exhibitions Department
V. Arkhipov
O. Bogdanova
S. Trofimov
Ye. Riabova
SECURITY SERVICE
(Museum SECURITY SERVICE)
A. Khozhainov
Third Department for
Complex (Third Museum
O. Chebotar
N. Burmak
CHIEF POWER ENGINEER
DEPARTMENT
T. Danilova
V. Smirnov
Chief Power Engineer
A. Subarnov
Fourth Department for
Complex (Fourth Museum
Operation Department
of the Security Service
V. Katkov
O. Targonsky
Deputy Chief Power Engineer
Ye. Vizner
Deputy Chief Power Engineer
CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION
DEPARTMENT
A. Vidineyev
Restoration and Repairs
Department
A. Moskaleva
B. Volkov
S. Taranov
I. Garin
GALLERY MONITORS
DEPARTMENT
Security Service
(Imperial PORCELAIN
Factory MUSEUM)
I. Belousikova
A. Gavrilets
Head of the Service
Ya. Kostochkin
SECURITY SERVICE
(“STARAYA DEREVNYA” CENTRE)
O. Boyev
Head of the Service
Transport Department
G. Salnikov
A. Zavadsky
Head of the Garage
Special Events Sector
State Purchases
DEPARTMENT
ELECTRONIC TECHNIQUE,
ALARM SYSTEMS AND
Communication DEPARTMENT
SECURITY SERVICE
(GENERAL STAFF BUILDING)
Civil Defence
and Emergency Sector
A. Soldatenko
Head of the Sector
N. Dubinina
P. German
N. Kisilyov
Head of the Service
A. Maksimychev
Head of the Civil Defence Staff
213
Email Addresses of the State Hermitage Museum
DIRECTORATE
Museum Departments
Personal Assistant to the General Director
haltunen@hermitage.ru
Press Service
press@hermitage.ru
for Research
vilinbahov@hermitage.ru
Rights and Reproduction Sector
Secretary to the Deputy Director,
Chief Curator
kat@hermitage.ru
Development Department
development@hermitage.ru
Alexey Bogdanov,
Deputy Director for Maintenance,
Chief Engineer
bogdanov@hermitage.ru
L. Yershova, Head of the Department
Mariam Dandamayeva,
Academic Secretary
scientia@hermitage.ru
A. Mikliayeva, Head of the Sector
mikliaeva@hermitage.ru
Education Department
ershova@hermitage.ru
School Centre
school_c@hermitage.ru
Web-master of the State Hermitage Museum
webmaster@hermitage.ru
Electronic Editions Preparation Sector
I. Melnikova, Head of the Sector
melnikova@hermitage.ru
Computer Sector
A. Grigoryev, Head of the Sector
grigo@hermitage.ru
214
215
Reference EDITION
The State Hermitage Museum Annual Report. 2012
Photographs by:
Pavel Demidov, Alexander Koksharov, Alexander Lavrentyev,
Oksana Meleshkina, Alexey Pakhomov, Andrey Terebenin,
Vladimir Terebenin, Leonid Volkov
Translated from the Russian by:
Maria Artamanova, Ksenia Beletskaya, Alexandra Davydova,
Tatiana Dodonova, David Hicks, Yury Kleiner, Natalia Magnes
English text edited by Julia Redkina
Designed by Irina Dalekaya
Computer layout by Nina Sokolova
Подписано в печать 09.08.2013
Усл. печ. л. 27,0. Тираж 800 экз. Заказ 55
Издательство Государственного Эрмитажа.
190000, Санкт-Петербург, Дворцовая наб., 34
Отпечатано в ООО «Типография „НП-Принт“».
197110, Санкт-Петербург, Чкаловский пр., 15

The State Hermitage Museum Annual Report 2012. St. Petersburg

Transcription

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