The STaTe hermiTage muSeum annual reporT

The STaTe hermiTage muSeum annual reporT 2009

The STaTe hermiTage muSeum annual reporT 2009
General Editor
Mikhail Piotrovsky,
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 Sciences (History)
ediTorial Board:
M. Piotrovsky,
Director of the State Hermitage Museum
G. Vilinbakhov,
Deputy Director for Research
S. Adaksina,
Deputy Director for Registration and Keeping,
Chief Curator
V. Matveyev,
Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Development
V. Ivanov,
Deputy Director for Finance, Management
and Construction
A. Bogdanov,
Deputy Director for Maintenance
M. Dandamayeva,
Academic Secretary
Ye. Zvyagintseva,
Head of the Publishing Department
L. Korabelnikova,
Head of the Press Service
head of The execuTive group:
V. Matveyev,
Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Development
execuTive group:
M. Antipova, M. Dandamayeva, L. Korabelnikova,
V. Matveyev, S. Philippova, Ye. Zvyagintseva
ISBN 978-5-93572-400-9
© The State Hermitage Museum, 2010
conTenTS
The Amstelhof Year .................................................................... 4
The State Hermitage Museum. General Information .............. 8
Awards .......................................................................................... 12
Composition of the Hermitage Collections
as of 1 January 2010 .................................................................... 14
Permanent Exhibitions .............................................................. 25
Temporary Exhibitions ............................................................... 31
Restoration and Conservation .................................................... 60
Publications ................................................................................. 82
Conferences ................................................................................. 91
Dissertations ................................................................................ 93
Archaeological Expeditions ....................................................... 95
Major Construction and Restoration ......................................... 104
Structure of Visits to the Hermitage in 2009 ............................ 110
Educational Events ...................................................................... 111
Special Development Programmes ............................................ 116
International Advisory Board
of the State Hermitage Museum ................................................ 132
Guests of the Hermitage............................................................. 134
Hermitage Friends Organizations .............................................. 142
Financial Statements of the State Hermitage Museum ............ 148
Principal Patrons and Sponsors of the State Hermitage
Museum in 2009 .......................................................................... 150
Hermitage Friends’ Club ............................................................ 152
Staff Members of the State Hermitage Museum ...................... 154
E-mail Addresses of the State Hermitage Museum .................. 159

The amSTelhof year
The amSTelhof year
On 19 June 2009, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
and the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev opened
the new Hermitage-Amsterdam Satellite Centre in
the restored seventeenth-century Amstelhof Building.
Splendid fireworks to match the displays of Peter the
Great illuminated the launch of a magnificent and
greatly successful exhibition At the Russian Court. This is
a landmark event for Amsterdam’s cultural life as well
as for the cooperation between Russia and the Netherlands.
But it is also a part of our overall strategy which
sees the Hermitage as a world museum, ready to offer
urbi et orbi the Russian tradition of collecting, displaying
and interpreting the world’s cultures in all their diversity.
Many of this year’s events fall into the same pattern.
The Hermitage-Kazan Centre staged a wonderful exhibition
on ancient art and Classical mythology, which was,
as usual, framed by a whole range of museum events.
The Hermitage-Italy Centre coordinated and organised
a number of exhibitions, seminars, conservation
meetings and archaeological agreements through the
length and breadth of the Apennine Peninsula. Largescale
exhibitions in Yekaterinburg, Lipetsk, Astana, Tokyo,
Turin, Pavia, Prata, etc. have once again shown
the Hermitage as a trailblazer.
The Hermitage was a pioneer in staging displays which
tackle complex historical and cultural problems. Here,
as elsewhere, cooperation has proved to be the key.
Swedish museums took part in the exhibition on the
Poltava Battle organised by the Hermitage and the
Kremlin Museums, continuing the historiographic
“thaw” started by the exhibition Peter I and Charles XII.
Another Hermitage innovation was a new art display
project Hermitage 20/21. The Newspeak exhibition was
meant as a discovery of a new generation of British artists.
It moved to London after St. Petersburg.
The diversity of the world’s cultures is the main theme
and ideological premise of museum life. It found embodiment
in the key permanent displays which reopened
at the Hermitage this year: Siberian Antiquities,
The Kingdom of Bosporus, Culture of Japan and Art of Dagestan.
Their launch was accompanied by striking exhibitions
on jewellery of the Great Mughals and the art of
enamel in different cultures. A framework for all these
events was provided by a series of international academic
conferences which have now become permanent.
the amstelhof year
The international presence in the Hermitage is felt
more and more, despite the world financial crisis – in its
exhibitions, its round tables, sessions and training programmes.
This year, we were witnesses of two miracles.
Gérôme’s painting The Pool in the Harem was returned
to the museum after restoration. Mysteriously abducted
and then returned in strange circumstances, it was in
need of extremely painstaking restoration. This was performed
by a young conservator supervised by her senior
colleagues. Once again, we could see that the traditions
4 5

the amstelhof year
the amstelhof year
have remained unbroken, that new Hermitage generations
are fit to take over. And Gérôme’s painting has
drawn a whole new exhibition room after itself, a room
of “Orientalist” paintings.
Another miracle is the acquisition, in the midst of the
crisis, of a famous collection of Russian watercolours.
This collection is now in the best possible place where
it can become the focus of extensive research into its
history and history of art, so that its cultural significance
will increase manifold.
The Hermitage is carrying on with the major project of
presenting its vast collections as temporary exhibitions
and full collection catalogues. The museum is proud
to preserve the memory of its brilliant, if not always famous,
employees in the publications of our favourite
series called The Curator as well as of archive materials.
The Hermitage is one of the most democratic museums
of the world. Its exhibitions are intended for a wide
range of perceptions – from small children to refined
art connoisseurs. Its special price policy makes the museum
free for nearly half of the visitors and nearly free
for Russian citizens. Our numerous children’s events,
activities, lectures, series of classes are free of charge or
nearly so.
The museum tries to be welcoming to everyone. Once
a year only, in June, the Hermitage opens its doors
to friends who are prepared to support the restoration
of the General Staff Building with considerable financial
donations. A splendid gala reception is organised
in honour of the General Staff. It is based on a unique
programme of one-day exhibitions and musical and ballet
numbers specially staged in museum rooms.
This formal occasion highlights another of the year’s
great successes – the start of practical work in the Eastern
Wing of the General Staff Building, which will
house the museum of nineteenth-, twentieth- and twentyfirst-century
art. The next stage of the Greater Hermitage
Project is underway. We are continuing to prepare for
the 250th anniversary (2014).
Mikhail Piotrovsky,
Director of the State Hermitage Museum
6 7

The STaTe hermiTage muSeum. general informaTion
founding of The muSeum
The museum was founded in 1764, when
Empress Catherine the Great purchased
an impressive collection of works by Flemish
and Dutch masters (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.
STaTuS of The hermiTage
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 objects of national heritage
belonging to all the people of the Russian
Federation.
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.
OFFICIAL NAMES
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, the Small Hermitage, the Old Hermitage,
the Hermitage Theatre, the New Hermitage and the Reserve House (30–38 Dvortsovaya
Embankment); the Menshikov Palace (15 Universitetskaya Embankment); the eastern wing
of the General Staff Building (6–8 Palace Square); the Staraya Derevnya Centre for Restoration,
Conservation and Storage (37 Zausadebnaya Street); the Imperial Porcelain Factory Museum,
located on the premises of the Imperial Porcelain Factory Public Company (151 Prospekt
Obukhovskoy Oborony).
muSeum BuildingS
Winter Palace. 1754–1762
Architect, Francesco Bartolommeo Rastrelli (1700–1771).
Reconstructed by Vasily Stasov (1769–1848) after a fire in 1837
Small Hermitage. 1764
Architects, Yuri Velten (1730–1801), Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe (1729–1801)
Old (Big) Hermitage. 1771–1787
Architect, Yuri Velten
Hermitage Theatre. 1783–1787
Architect, Giacomo Quarenghi (1744–1817)
New Hermitage. 1842–1851
Architect, Leo von Klenze (1784–1864),
construction supervised by Vasily Stasov and Nikolai Yefimov (1799–1851)
Reserve House of the Winter Palace. 1726–1742, 1830, 1878
Architects, Domenico Trezzini (?) (1670–1734), Carlo Giuseppe Trezzini (1697–1768),
Nikolai Bekker (1838 – after 1917)
Menshikov Palace. 1710–1711
Architects, Giovanni Mario Fontana (1670–?), Georg Schedel (1680–1752)
General Staff Building (the former Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and the Ministry of Finance building). 1819–1829
Architect, Carlo Rossi (1775–1849)
Staraya Derevnya Centre for Restoration, Conservation and Storage
The beginning of construction – 1990
muSeum Space
Total area 183,820 sq. metres
Exhibition area 66,842 sq. metres
Storage area 45,000 sq. metres
Window surface area approx. 13,500 sq. metres
Parquet floors approx. 26,000 sq. metres
Marble and stone floors approx. 38,000 sq. metres
Exhibition area in the General Staff Building more than 3,152 sq. metres
hermiTage WeBSiTe
www.hermitagemuseum.org
General InformatIon
muSeum main collecTionS
enTering The muSeum Since
iTS foundaTion
1764 – Johann Ernest Gotzkowsky collection
1769 – Count Heinrich von Brühl 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 – Piotr Semenov-Tyan-Shansky
collection
After 1918 the Hermitage also received
the socialized collections of the Russian
aristocratic families Sheremetev, Stroganoff,
Shuvalov, Yusupov, as well as the famous
collections of Sergei Shchukin and Ivan
Morozov.
1935 – collection of the former Museum
of the Baron Stieglitz Central Higher School
of Technical Drawing
1950 – collection of banners and banners’
accessories, banners’ drawings, the archives
from the Artillery Historic Museum
exhiBiTion cenTreS
of The STaTe hermiTage
ouTSide ST. peTerSBurg
Hermitage–Amsterdam
The Netherlands, Amsterdam
(exhibition area about 585 sq. metres)
Hermitage–Italy
Italy, Ferrara
(exhibition centre – Castello Estense)
Hermitage–Kazan
Russia, Kazan
(exhibition area about 1,381,3 sq. metres)
8 9

General InformatIon
J general informaTion on The main deparTmenTS and SecTionS of The muSeum
deparTmenT of The archaeology of eaSTern europe
and SiBeria
It was 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. Among the Department’s
thirty-six staff members, four hold doctorates and fifteen hold
Kandidat degrees. The Department’s collections include approximately
500,000 objects.
deparTmenT of claSSical anTiQuiTy
One of the oldest departments in the Hermitage, it consists of two
sectors: one is devoted to the art and culture of Ancient Greece and
Ancient Rome and the other to that of the Northern Black Sea Area.
Seven of the Department’s twenty-seven staff members hold Kandidat
degrees. The Department’s collections comprise approximately
100,000 objects.
orienTal deparTmenT
Founded in 1920, the Department has four sectors covering art
and culture of the Ancient East; Byzantium and the Near East; Central
Asia, the Caucasus and Crimea; the Far East. Of its forty-five staff
members, six hold doctorates and twenty hold Kandidat degrees.
The Department’s collections number about 150,000 items.
WeSTern european fine arTS deparTmenT
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. Among the Department’s sixty-three staff members, four hold
doctorates and fifteen hold Kandidat degrees. The Department’s
collections boast approximately 400,000 objects.
deparTmenT of WeSTern european applied arTS
The Department consists of two sectors: one devoted to applied
arts and the other to precious metals and stones. Of its thirty-one
staff members, two hold doctorates and nine hold Kandidat degrees.
The Department’s stock comprises about 150,000 items.
deparTmenT of The hiSTory of ruSSian culTure
Founded in April 1941, the Department acquired its present-day
form after WWII. Of its fifty-four staff members, two hold doctorates
and sixteen hold Kandidat degrees.
The Department’s collections include more than 300,000 items.
numiSmaTic deparTmenT
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. Among the Department’s twenty-five staff members,
two hold doctorates and three hold Kandidat degrees. 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.
arSenal
The foundation of the collection was laid by Grand Duke Nicholas
Pavlovich (future Emperor Nicholas I) in the early 19th century.
The Arsenal boasts some 16,000 superb examples of arms and
armaments from various epochs and countries. The main exhibition
space is the Knights’ Room. The Arsenal has five staff members,
one of whom holds the Kandidat degree.
menShiKov palace
It was founded in February 1981 as a sector “Menshikov Palace.
Russian Culture in the First Quarter of the 18th Century” within the
Department of the History of Russian Culture. The status of department
was received in 1996. Among the Palace’s twenty-four staff
members two hold Kandidat degrees.
imperial porcelain facTory muSeum
It was founded in February 2001 on the basis of the historical collection
at the Lomonosov Porcelain Factory Museum.
Presently, the Department boasts about 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 Factory.
The Department has twelve staff members.
deparTmenT of The hiSTory and reSToraTion
of archiTecTural monumenTS
Founded in 1975, the Department functioned as the Department
of the Chief Architect of the Hermitage. In 1992 it was given the
status of a research department. The Department 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, one holds doctorate and three Kandidat
degrees.
educaTion deparTmenT
The Hermitage has been organizing educational activities within
the museum since 1925, when first guided excursions were arranged
for the benefit of the general public. Fifteen of the Department’s
139 staff members hold Kandidat degrees. The Education Department
is responsible for introducing 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.
SecTor of archiTecTure and archaeology
The Sector deals with architectural and archaeological explorations,
including those on the Hermitage complex territory as well as with
preservation of architectural monuments uncovered in the course
of excavations. It has eight staff members, four of whom hold
the Kandidat degree.
School cenTre
In 1999 the School Centre became a separate department. It has
an Art Studio, various children circles, Young Archaeologists Club,
and Young Art Historians Club. One of the Department’s twelve staff
members holds Kandidat degree.
reSearch liBrary
One of the oldest and largest museum libraries in Russia specializing
in art history, it has been an integral part of the Hermitage since
its founding. 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 rare books and manuscripts
sector contains more than 10,000 rare pieces, among them
European and Russian manuscripts, early Russian and Western
European printed books, a collection of decorative bindings, unique
“gift” editions from the Imperial libraries, and the autographs of
prominent Russian and European figures from throughout history.
The Department has forty-four staff members, with two of them
holding Kandidat degrees.
deparTmenT of manuScripTS and documenTS
Founded in 1980, the Department consists the documents archives
and photograph archives, the latter including 1,000 photographs
and 75,000 negatives. The archives were founded in 1805 and
at present contain sixty-seven funds, among them are sixty-two
private archives and ninety-seven inventories. 37,392 items were
catalogued in the Hermitage’s archives between 1767 and 2000.
The Department has nine staff members.
regiSTrar deparTmenT
The Registrar Department catalogues the objects kept in the Hermitage,
issuing all the necessary documents concerning their inventory
and keeping. It supervises their movement both within and outside
the museum. It is responsible for the timely inventorying of each new
object that enters the museum. It registers the newly acquired items
and regularly checks the availability of the museum items. The Department
has thirty-one staff members, with three of them holding
Kandidat degrees.
SecTor of neW acQuiSiTionS
The Sector was organized in 2000 with the main aim to ensure
the fruitful activity of the Hermitage Purchasing Commission.
Three of the Sector’s four staff members hold Kandidat 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. At present 129 highly qualified restorers work in the Department,
four of them hold Kandidat degrees. They undertake restoration,
conservation, and preventive work on objects in the museum’s
collections and control the conditions under which objects are
maintained in storage areas and museum exhibitions. These skilled
restorers regularly participate in meetings of restoration councils and
General InformatIon
commissions in Russia and abroad as well as archaeological expeditions.
The Department consists of thirteen restoration laboratories:
of easel painting, tempera painting, mural painting, Oriental painting,
graphic works, sculpture and coloured stones, applied arts, organic
materials, textile, timepieces and musical mechanisms, precious metals,
furniture and chandeliers.
deparTmenT of experT examinaTion
Founded in 1936, it was the first in Russia and one of the first in
the world X-ray 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. Based on modern scientific technologies,
the Department carries out expert examination, identification
of art works and offers expert opinions. The Department has fourteen
staff members, with six of them holding Kandidat 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 reorganized into a research laboratory with
highly qualified experts in entomology, mycology, microbiology,
and climatology. It has nine staff members, three of whom hold
the Kandidat degree.
laBoraTory for climaTe conTrol
The Laboratory monitors the climate conditions of the Hermitage
exhibition and storage areas. It has four staff members, one of whom
holds the Kandidat degree.
academic council of The STaTe hermiTage muSeum
The Academic Council has evolved from the State Hermitage Council
founded in 1917 after the Hermitage had ceased to be an Imperial
collection. For dozens of years it has been discussing all the aspects
of scholastic, exhibition and preservations activities of the Hermitage
as well as has been responsible for the administration of the museum.
Today the Council, which is a collegial board, makes decisions
on both the strategic development of the Hermitage and its vital
everyday problems. The Academic Council is headed by the Director
of the State Hermitage and includes the Deputy Director for Research
and other deputy directors responsible for scholastic, exhibition
and preservation activities, Academic Secretary, heads of the main
departments and the Department for Scientific Restoration
and Conservation as well as a number of members elected
by the departments. The meetings of the Council can be attended
by any member of the museum staff.
10 11

aWardS
The muSeum olympuS
3 September 2009 saw the first museum award ceremony
in Russia. A statuette of Mnemosyne, goddess of memory,
became the symbol of the “Museum Olympus” award, established
on the initiative of the St. Petersburg Committee
for Culture and the Interdepartmental Museum Council.
Thirty-five museums participated in the five nomination
categories of the award competition. The State Hermitage
won in the “Museum Book” category with its publications
of The Curator series (a collection of articles and documents
about Boris Piotrovsky, the books by Nikolai Nikulin
and Nina Biriukova).
The State Hermitage was also awarded an Honorary Diploma
for the exhibition marking the 300th anniversary
of the Battle of Poltava.
Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director
of the State Hermitage,
with Job Cohen,
Mayor of Amsterdam
12
Photo by Jurgen Koopmanschap
The Silver medal,
amSTerdam’S higheST honour,
preSenTed To miKhail pioTrovSKy
On 17 August 2009, high government awards were formally
presented to the originators of the most significant
cultural cooperation project between Russia and the
Netherlands. The ceremony took place in the Hermitage-
Amsterdam Centre, marking the exhibition At the Russian
Court, which consists of items from the State Hermitage
collections.
Mikhail Piotrovsky was awarded Amsterdam’s highest honour,
the Silver Medal. This is an award given to people who
make a contribution to the development of the city of Amsterdam
in different areas.
The medal was presented to Mikhail Piotrovsky by Job Cohen,
Mayor of Amsterdam.
On the bidding of Dmitry Medvedev, President of the Russian
Federation, Kirill Gevorgyan, Ambassador of the Russian
Federation to the Netherlands, presented the Order
of Friendship to Ernst Veen, Director of the Hermitage-
Amsterdam Centre, and Theo Bremer, President of the
Hermitage-on-the-Amstel Foundation.
The WoodroW WilSon aWard for puBlic Service preSenTed
To miKhail pioTrovSKy
On 1 October 2009, the annual awards ceremony was held
at the Woodrow Wilson International Center.
Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage, was
presented with the Award for Public Service and Cultural
Diplomacy.
This award is an important sign of Professor Piotrovsky’s
public recognition in the USA. The founders of the
award acknowledged his efforts to intensify the exhibition
exchange, expand the collections of American art on display
in the Hermitage, and provide materials for exhibitions
in American museums.
The vladimir poTanin chariTaBle foundaTion granTS aWarded
To STaff memBerS of The STaTe hermiTage
In 2009, 100 employees of the State Hermitage were
awarded individual grants of the Vladimir Potanin Charitable
Foundation. The grants (each worth 45,000 roubles)
marked the most notable projects carried out between
1 August 2008 and 1 August 2009. The great number
of nomination categories reflects the wide range of the
museum’s activities. A third of the total number of grants
was awarded to the staff of research departments and the
Registrar Department for collection processing and surveying,
and the compilation of the electronic catalogue.
The large percentage of awards in this category reflects the
important role played by the Hermitage curators. As usual,
a significant number of awards marked the completion
of the most complex restoration projects, including the
restoration of The Pool in the Harem by Jean Léon Gérôme,
the early medieval wall painting Feasting Youths from Penjikent,
the completion of the restoration of marble sculptures
from the Classical Antiquity Department, and the
completion of the complex restoration of lighting units in
the Winter Palace state rooms.
Among other areas marked by the Potanin awards are the
permanent exhibitions re-opened in 2009: the Ancient
Siberia exhibition, the exhibition on the art and culture
of Japan and the exhibition of sixteenth – nineteenth-century
European silver in the Alexander Hall. Many grants
were awarded for individual temporary exhibitions and
accompanying catalogues, completed dissertations, published
collection catalogues, monographs, popular books
of art history and other editions, the organization of research
conferences, and technical projects. The process of
grant allocation has been honed over the years: the nomi-
The Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation grants presented
to the Hermitage employees
awards
A charity dinner in honour of the award-winner was held
at the Kennan Institute, a branch of the Woodrow Wilson
Center dedicated to the study of Russia and relations
between Russia and the US.
The Woodrow Wilson International Center was established
in 1968 by the US Congress in honour of the twenty-eighth
President of the US. Along with the National Gallery
of Art and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,
it is a part of the Smithsonian Institution. It is governed
by its own independent Board of Trustees appointed by
the US President.
nations presented by the departments are assessed by the
Grants Committee with the help of representatives of the
Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation. Then, the winner
list is approved by the museum’s Academic Council
headed by the museum’s Director and the Foundation’s
General Director.
The awards ceremony is traditionally held during the Hermitage
Days and serves as a way of taking stock of the year’s
work at the museum.
13

compoSiTion of The hermiTage collecTionS as of 1 January 2010
The State Hermitage Museum inventory contains
2,967,334 items
Including:
paintings 16,842
graphic works 622,049
sculptures 12,620
objects of applied art 300,981
archaeological artefacts 737,772
numismatic objects 1,131,606
other items 145,464
6,816 exhibits (as per inventory) entered
the State Hermitage Museum as gifts and
acquisitions through the museum’s Purchasing
Commission and archaeological expeditions.
In 2009 the Research Library of the State Hermitage
Museum purchased 3,185 books as well
as Russian and foreign magazines of 225 names
and received 2,540 editions through the international
and Russian book exchanges.
2,500 publications were donated to Russian
mu seums and libraries and sent to foreign
libraries in accordance with the international
book exchange terms.
J The moST noTaBle acQuiSiTionS
of 2009
Vladimir Gau. Portrait of Natalia Pushkina
The collecTion of graphic WorKS
from The pariS gallery
popov & co.
The collection includes 92 nineteenth-century graphic
works from the notable Alexander Popov collection of Russian
art. It ranks among the most significant in the world
because of the number and artistic level of its works, which
have been selected with impeccable taste and preserved
in an immaculate condition. The core of the collec tion
is made up of watercolour portraits of the first half of the
19th century, the heyday of this genre. A number among
them are major masterpieces by Russian and Western
artists.
Works by Piotr Sokolov (1791–1848) have a special place
in the collection. Among the sixteen portraits by this artist
are the famous double portrait of Empress Alexandra
Fedorovna and Grand Duchess Maria (1829), the portraits
of Count Nikolai Samoilov (c. 1825), Nikolai Mukhanov
(c. 1827) and Lazar Lazarev (c. 1840).
The second most important watercolour painter of the
first half of the 19th century was Vladimir Gau (1816–
1895). Among his 28 watercolours is an exquisite portrait
of Natalia Pushkina (1844), wife of Alexander Pushkin,
and portraits of the Russian Imperial Family. His 1855 selfportrait
is an extremely rare and interesting image of the
artist himself.
The collection includes a portrait of Prince Mikhail Obolensky
(c. 1843) by Karl Briullov (1799–1852) and two
drawings by Orest Kiprensky (1782–1836): a portrait of
Countess Varvara Tolstaya (c. 1810), and an academic
study of a male nude (1803).
Other additions to the Hermitage collection of Russian
watercolour portraits include six first-class works by Alexander
Briullov (1798–1887) and three works by Christina
Robertson (1777–1852), along with watercolours by Alexander
Orlovsky, Alexander Molinari, Eduard Gau, Mikhail
Terebenev, Andrei Stackenschneider, Alexander Vitberg
and others.
Savely Sorin. Portrait of Princess Nadezhda Orlova
porTraiT of princeSS nadeZhda orlova
Drawing, 1917
medallion WiTh a porTraiT of caTherine
The greaT
Carved bone, second half of the 18th century
medallion WiTh a porTraiT of empreSS
eliZaBeTh
Amber, second half of the 18th century
Gift of Maurice Baruch
Maurice Baruch, owner of the Paris gallery “Popov & Co”,
donated to the State Hermitage three works of unquestionable
historical and artistic value for the Department of the
the most notable acquIsItIons of 2009
The Hermitage received a wonderful gift from Maurice
Baruch – a graphic portrait of Princess Nadezhda Orlova,
daughter of Grand Duke Peter, made in 1917 by Savely
Sorin (1878–1953), a pupil of Ilya Repin who made a name
for himself in the West.
The acquisition of the collection has added an impressive
portrait gallery, all but free of chance objects, to the collection
of Russian watercolours and drawings at the State
Hermitage. Apart from their unquestionable artistic value,
these portraits are extremely important as historic and
iconographic artefacts and offer an ideal material for exhibitions
and illustrations.
Anonymous artist.
Medallion with a portrait
of Catherine the Great
Anonymous artist.
Medallion with a portrait
of Empress Elizabeth
History of Russian Culture. Apart from works of applied
art, Maurice Baruch also gifted to the Hermitage a graphic
portrait of Princess Nadezhda Orlova (1898–1988), daughter
of Grand Duke Peter and Grand Duchess Milica (pencil,
sanguine, colour crayons on paper; 94.0 × 74.0 cm).
The portrait was made in 1917 to mark Nadezhda’s marriage
to Prince Nikolai Orlov. Its author is Savely Sorin
(1878–1953), a pupil of Ilya Repin who emigrated from
Russia in 1920 and became a prominent artist in the West.
He is famous for his exquisite portraits of Alexei Gorky,
Fedor Chaliapin, Tamara Karsavina, Anna Pavlova, as well
as numerous striking female portraits. In 1973, following
Sorin’s will, thirty of his paintings were given to Russian
museums, but none of them came to the Hermitage,
14 15

the most notable acquIsItIons of 2009
which makes this gift especially important for the museum
community. The drawing is an excellent sample of Sorin’s
work and the only known graphic portrait of Princess Nadezhda
Orlova.
Two oval plaques from the second half of the 18th century
are valuable examples of Russian applied art. One
of them, a carving on bone by an unknown master after
Johann Georg Wächter’s medal, is a portrait of Empress
Catherine the Great as Minerva. The profile bust has
a chiselled laced framing in the lower part, with rocaille
curls typical of the Kholmogory school. The second plaque
The BooK collecTion from The liBrary
of maTvei guKovSKy
Gift of Seraphima Braude following the will of her late sister
Asya Kantor-Gukovskaya
In 2009, Seraphima Braude followed the will of her late
sister Asya Kantor-Gukovskaya, donating to the State Hermitage
162 rare books, most of which come from the collection
of the eminent medievalist historian Matvei Gukovsky
(1898–1971). All in all, Gukovsky’s library numbers
over 4,000 volumes. The Hermitage acquired a small, but
most valuable part – one manuscript and 159 rare Western
European editions published between the 15th and
20th centuries. These works had been set apart by Gukovsky
himself and kept in a separate bookcase: 76 books are
is of carved amber; it is a relief portrait of Empress Elizabeth
in a mantle, wearing a military order ribbon and the
small Imperial crown. This is a work of the St. Petersburg
school, which copies a bronze medallion by Johann Karl
Hedlinger. Portraits on amber plaques are extremely rare,
so this plaque is of great scientific value, both iconographically
and artistically.
Both medallions are in a good condition and can serve
as excellent exhibition material. They have been added
to the Hermitage collection of Russian eighteenth-century
relief portraits.
in Latin, 62 in Italian, sixteen in French, four in German,
and two in Greek.
Matvei Gukovsky was a man of diverse academic interests,
but his main field was the study of art and printing
in Renaissance Italy. Leonardo da Vinci was his real passion.
Among Gukovsky’s published works, one can mention
the monographs Leonardo da Vinci’s Mechanics (1847),
Italian Renaissance (2 vols., 1947–1961), and Leonardo da
Vinci (1958).
In any book collection, manuscripts and early printed
books (incunabula) are of special interest. The only manuscript
in Matvei Gukovsky’s library is the Latin theological
treatise Of the Incarnation of God’s Word, most likely produced
in seventeenth-century Italy; it is written on paper
in a humanist cursive hand. There are two incunabula:
Cosmography by the Roman geographer Pomponius Mela,
popular in the 15th century (Franciscus Renner’s Venetian
edition of 1478), and a treatise On the Errors and Customs
of the Christians by the Polish Carthusian Jacobus de Clusa,
Master of Theology and Erfurt University Professor, published
in Lübeck in 1488.
Among the sixteenth-century editions (there are 82 in the
collection, including 32 printed between 1501 and 1551)
especially noteworthy are the illustrated Latin grammar
by Priscian (the main Latin textbook of the Middle Ages),
printed in Paris in 1516 by the prominent philologist and
printer Badius Ascensius; Erasmus of Rotterdam’s Commentary
to Elegiac Distichs by Pseudo-Cato, published in 1517
by the German editor Melchior Lotter the Younger, famous
for his cooperation with Martin Luther. Matvei Gukovsky’s
library contains editions of key European printers
and printing companies of the 16th – 17th centuries:
the Aldines, the Plantins, the Étiennes, the Giuntis and
the Elseviers.
Standing out among illustrated editions, the 1578 Venetian
edition of Dante with notes by Cristoforo Landino
an alBum of engravingS
By giacomo Quarenghi ShoWing
The hermiTage TheaTre
Gift of Maurice Baruch
The State Hermitage Research Library has been given
a wonderful late eighteenth-century artefact. An album
of engravings by Giacomo Quarenghi featuring the
Hermitage Theatre was donated to the State Hermitage
in December 2009 by Maurice Baruch. It contains five
sheets showing the façade, plans, and a cross-section of the
Theatre, prefaced by a folded page with printed text. The album
has a blue soft paper cover, with a hand-written French
the most notable acquIsItIons of 2009
and Alessandro Vellutello contains around 100 woodcut
illustrations to the Divine Comedy. Of doubtless interest
is the 1521 Venetian edition of Dante’s Convivio, which was
the first to feature the author’s portrait on the title page.
Another notable item is the first edition of Leonardo
da Vinci’s Treatise on Painting (Paris, 1651) with engravings
after drawings by Nicolas Poussin. This is only one
representative of the large section of Gukovsky’s library
containing works by Leonardo and studies of his life and
work. The other books from the “Leonardiana” are due
to be transferred to the Hermitage in the second instalment
of books from Gukovsky’s collection. A number of
books have preserved their sixteenth-century pressed
leather covers, and some of them are dated, which is especially
valuable. Many contain ex libris, super ex libris,
and owners’ notes, including those by such famous collectors
as Heinrich von Bünau (1697–1762), Jan Fryderyk
Sapieha (1680–1751), Józef Andrzej Załuski (1702–1774),
Pieter van Suchtelen (1751–1836) and Avraam Norov
(1795–1869), along with numerous other less-known
book collectors.
inscription in ink on the upper side, reading “Théatre
de l’Hermitage à St. Petersbourg”.
Engraved albums of Quarenghi’s drawings, entitled Théatre
de l’Hermitage de Sa Majesté l’Imperatrice de toutes les Russies,
were published in St. Petersburg in 1787 and 1810, with
two further editions coming out in Italy: Milan in 1821 and
Mantua in 1843.
The album gifted by Maurice Baruch is the first St. Petersburg
edition of the album. The preface to it was written by
the architect himself. Dedicating his work to Catherine the
Great, Quarenghi went on to explain how he had used the
principles of theatres of classical antiquity as an example
for his own work. His design for the Hermitage Theatre
16 17

the most notable acquIsItIons of 2009
was based on ancient prototypes, but complied with contemporary
criteria for theatre construction.
What follows is a detailed description of the Hermitage
Theatre and its décor: columns, sculptures, busts, medallions
etc. Quarenghi notes that since the theatre was intended
for the Imperial Family and the Court, it meant that
“…all the seats are equally honourable, so that everyone
can sit where they wish. I have decided on the semi-rotund
shape of the amphitheatre, for, firstly, it is most convenient
collecTion of coin-maKing ToolS
Gift of the St. Petersburg Mint
Many Western European mints started donating their coinmaking
tools and obsolete presses to museums as early as
the 18th and 19th centuries. This tradition has not regrettably
been followed in Russia until recently. There are
only a handful of coin-making tools in Russian museum
collections.
The change came in 2008, when the St. Petersburg Mint,
following the initiative of its Director, Sergei Orlov, donated
a large collection to the Hermitage. This includes over
three and a half thousand items of coin-making equipment
(molds, hubs, and dies) used in the making of Soviet commemorative
medals and tokens. This generous gift was an
important contribution to the Hermitage’s rich collection
of Soviet memorabilia.
The collection includes notable medals from the period
between the second half of the 1950s and 1991. It contains
the dies used by talented Soviet medal-makers, including
such eminent members of the Leningrad Mint
as N. Sokolov (Chief Designer between 1950 and 1971),
A. Kozlov (Chief Designer between 1971 and 1986), A. Baklanov
(Chief Designer between 1987 and 2007).
from the point of view of the audience, and, secondly, each
person can see all others from their seat”.
The gifted item lacks Quarenghi’s dedication to Catherine
the Great and the first two engraved sheets: the view
of the theatre in Olympia and a drawing of an ancient
theatre. But this does not detract from the value of the
album acquired by the Research Library: the extant engravings
show the Hermitage Theatre, the only surviving
eighteenth-century Russian theatre building.
The thematic range of the material represented is considerable.
It contains the dies for medals which reflect political,
scientific, cultural, sports and other events which
affected the Soviet society. There are medals commemorating
the State Hermitage, the USSR Academy of Sciences,
the Electrosila plant, the Pravda newspaper. There
are medals marking various folklore, music, and literary
festivals. There are medals marking anniversaries of writers
and musicians, academics and politicians from both
Russia and abroad. There are medals which served as prizes
for academic, cultural, and sports achievements. There
are medals commemorating the USSR Armed Forces, the
Komsomol (Communist Union of Youth) and the formation
of Soviet republics.
The collection contains the dies for medals familiar to
anyone born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), as well
as trial and faulty dies known only to a limited number
of numismatists.
The addition of this unusual collection to the State Hermitage
Department of Numismatics is another reminder
of the long-term partnership and friendship between one
of the largest museums of the world and the St. Petersburg
Mint, the oldest member of the Russian Federal coin and
banknote enterprise GOZNAK.
a collecTion of african faBricS
Gifted by V. Arseniev
The collection of fabrics includes traditional hand-spun,
hand-woven and hand-dyed covers reflecting traditional
techniques and technologies which go back to the early
stages of local African cultures. They feature popular imagery
and colours, as well as ornamental and meaningful
symbolic systems. Such universally useful fabrics continue
to be produced in Africa, primarily for internal use. Only
a small percentage makes it to the tourist market.
Of special interest in the collection is a decorative cloth
which consists of several handmade cotton strips sown together.
It features images recalling a python, a lion (or leopard),
birds and anthropomorphic figures wearing masks.
The fabric is painted in the bogolan technique. Such cloths
were traditionally used for the burial rites of the Bambara
and Senufo tribes in the North of Côte d’Ivoire. However,
they gradually evolved into household items which are still
popular with the local population today. This demand was
especially strong during the rise of the European Ethno
Art vogue of the 1980s and 1990s. This led to the establishment
of a production and trade chain centred in the town
of Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire, which supplies fabrics both
to the local African market and to the museum and private
collections in Europe and America.
Another decorative cloth is the work of the artist Moro
Kate in the bogolan technique.
A representative example of imaginative and technical
resources of traditional art in present-day urban Africa
is a piece of factory-made cotton cloth, known locally as
bazin (hand-dyed and painted in the “hot” batik technique).
Its red, blue, white and beige geometric patterns recall traditional
Oriental palettes and may reflect the popularity
of Islamic cultural artefacts in Africa. This sample can be
used as a matrix for cutting a fashionable woman’s dress.
The whole collection of African fabrics gathered by the
professional ethnographer has a high artistic quality and
significantly expands the range of fabrics currently represented
in the State Hermitage.
The fabric collection, numbering over 40 items, provides
the first opportunity in the museum’s history to examine
African manual and factory spinning and weaving techniques.
It also contains industrial textiles produced in
Europe and Asia for the African market and reflecting the
local tastes and preferences for colours and symbols.
the most notable acquIsItIons of 2009
18 19

the most notable acquIsItIons of 2009
Director of the State Hermitage
Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky
receiving a gift from Grand Dukes
Dmitry Romanovich and Nikolai
Romanovich – St. George’s saber
once owned by Grand Duke Nikolai
(Nicholas) Nikolaevich the Elder
J acQuiSiTionS of The STaTe hermiTage in 2009
WeSTern european fine arTS
deparTmenT
20 21
Gifts:
SculpTure
L. Zichichi (Il Cigno GG Edizioni)
Emilio Greco (1913–1995)
Syren
Italy, 1989–1990
Cast bronze, brown patina
phoTography
A. Naslednikov
Giovanni Crupi (1859–1925)
Taormina. Landscape with a Female
Figure
Italy, late 19th century
Albumen print on cardboard
Through the Purchasing Commission:
painTing
J.H. Schönfeld (1609–1684)
Historic Scene with a Naked King
Germany, 1670s
SculpTure
Ch.D. Rauch (1777–1857)
Portrait of Princess Charlotte of Prussia
(Future Empress Alexandra Fedorovna)
Germany, first quarter of the 19th century
L.M. Schwanthaler (1802–1848)
Melusine
Germany, Munich, first half of the 19th century
graphic WorKS
R. Dufy (1877–1953)
Croquis I–IV, VI and 1920 Summer Fashions
(Panorama) with a title page and notes
from the Gazette du Bon Ton (1920)
France, 1920
phoTography
Photo album. 60 prints
Western Europe, second half of the 19th century
WeSTern european applied arTS
deparTmenT
Gifts:
applied arT
A. Dolgov
Plaquette Summer Gardens. White Night
Carved by A. Dolgov,
mounted by Ye. Artamonov
Russia, St. Petersburg, 2000
Carved shell, agate, silver, red stone
M. Kryzhanovskaya
Cup decorated in the Japanese style
Great Britain, 20th century
Printed and painted faience
Through the Purchasing Commission:
applied arT
Mirror in a blue glass frame with polychrome
painting in Oriental style
France (?), second half of the 19th century
Tapestry Gleam of the Fire
After a cartoon by J. Lurçat. The cartoonist’s
signature is in the lower left corner: Lurçat
France, Aubusson, Dassonval Workshop, 1950s
Gueridon table with a round marble table-top
Western Europe (?), middle – second half
of the 19th century
hiSTory of ruSSian culTure
deparTmenT
Gifts:
painTing
M. Baruch
(PEARLY GATES Trading Corporation)
S. Sorin
Portrait of Princess Nadezhda Orlova
Russia, 1917
Crayon, chalk, coal, sanguine on paper
phoTography
A. Ivanov
A. Mikhailovich
Self-Portrait
USA, 2005
Bromide print on paper
acquIsItIons of the state hermItaGe In 2009
A. Mikhailovich
Views of New York (2)
USA, 1990s
Bromide print on paper
applied arT
M. Baruch
(PEARLY GATES Trading Corporation)
Medallion with a bas-relief portrait
of Empress Elizabeth
Russia, middle
Medallion with a bas-relief portrait
of Catherine the Great
Russia, late 18th century – second half
of the 18th century
Carved amber
Carved bone, velvet, metal, glass, leatherette
M. Kryzhanovskaya
Casket. Inside are two open boxes
with four bone pieces
Russia, first half of the 19th century
Carved bone, wood, foil, metal, fabric
Yu. Bublichenko
Fleur d’Orange – three wedding accessories.
In the original cardboard box
France, Hirschfeld Brothers and Co
Early 20th century
Metal, fabric, wax, paper, printing, stamping
O. Tserpitskaya
Floor mirror Psyche in a carved frame
Russia, second half of the 19th century
Carved and polished walnut wood, glass
G. Romanova
Jug with a rooster figurine
Russia, Vladimir Province, early 20th century
Hot-blown and faceted glass
A. Ivanov
Six table napkins with an ornamental fringe
and inscription We ask you to visit us
Russia, late 19th century
Woven linen
V. Zubritsky
Memorial scarf The Life of St. Basil the Righteous
Drawing by V. Zubritsky
Russia, OAO Pavlovo-Posad Shawl Manufactory,
2009
Printed silk

acquIsItIons of the state hermItaGe In 2009
Through the Purchasing Commission:
graphic WorKS
M. Vrubel (1856–1910)
Portrait of V. Pampel
Russia, St. Petersburg, 1882
A. Golovin (1863–1930)
The Boyar. Sketch for a theatrical costume
Russia, early 20th century
Statesman in a Wig. Sketch for a theatrical
costume
Russia, early 20th century
Man in an Oriental Gown. Sketch for a theatrical
costume. Reverse: sketch of a medieval
male dress
Russia, early 20th century
Sketch for a woman’s theatrical costume
Russia, early 20th century
Sketch for a man’s costume for P. Tchaikovsky’s
opera The Oprichnik
Russia, early 20th century
Sketch for sets for A. Serov’s opera Judith
Russia, 1908
G. Lukomsky (1881–1952)
Roofs of Paris
France, 1904
Galicia
Poland, 1914–1915 (?)
P. Sokolov (1826–1905)
Portrait of N. Pimenov
Russia, 1850s
Ye. Korneev (1780 ? – 1839)
A Game of Chocks
Russia, 1800s – 1810s
Painter of the Circle of V. Bart
View of the Palace Embankment
from the Sts. Peter and Paul Fortress
Russia, late 1810s – early 1820s
S. Chekhonin (1878–1936)
Portrait of M. Kudrina-Redkozubova (1885–1921),
in an oval medallion
Russia, 1923
Collection of graphic works from the Paris gallery
“Popov & Co.”
France
L. Seryakov (1824–1881)
The Incredulity of Thomas the Apostle
Russia, 1858
J. Strohmer (1807–1904), A. Hard (1807–1855),
unknown lithographer
Five lithographs and a title page from the series
Utsigter af Petersburg och Moskwa
SculpTure
Unknown sculptor
Portrait of Alexander III
Russia, second half of the 19th century
phoTography
Russia and Romania in 1917
(171 in two albums)
Photographers: Orrin S. Whiteman
and Harold Vykov
USA, not earlier than 1917
Views of Russia during the Crimean War (22)
Photographer: R. Fenton
Great Britain, 1852–1855
applied arT
Tufted carpet
Russia (?), early 20th century
Children’s swaddling clothes (10)
Russia, late 19th century
A lidded jorum on a tray
Russia, Imperial Glass Factory (?), 1880s
V. Muratov (1929–2005)
Sogdiana
Russia, Gus-Khrustalny, 1980
Table games (8)
Russia, 19th – 20th century
Set of colour pastels
France, 1900
Pennywhistle Mother-in-Law’s Tongue
Russia, late 19th – early 20th century
Opening Easter egg, with a smaller egg
inside
Russia, late 19th century
Bracelet
Russia, St. Petersburg (?), 1845
Cigarette holder
Russia, St. Petersburg, Third Artistic Workshop,
1908–1917
Crystal vase shaped as a bratina (loving cup)
in a silver setting
Russia, Moscow, I. Khlebnikov Company,
1908–1917
orienTal deparTmenT
Gifts:
applied arT
Russian Academy of Sciences Institute
of History of Material Culture
Saka collection from the Akbeit burial
(28; excavated by A. Bernshtam, 1952)
and a bronze knife from Lake Issyk-Kul
Pamir, 6th – 5th century B.C.
Bronze, iron, ceramic
L. Aksenova
Jug
Central Asia, 18th – 19th century (?)
Clay, potter’s wheel, light engobe
A. Zhukov
Bottle
Japan, late 19th century
Glazing, overglaze polychrome painting
with gold inclusions, ceramic mass
Small vase
Japan, late 19th century
Glazing, overglaze polychrome painting, gilding,
ceramic mass
M. Kryzhanovskaya
Enclyclopedia Chinese People’s Painting
China, 20th century
Paper, woodcut, silk braid, bone
A. Ivanov
Ring with inscription Allah on the plaque
Syria or Egypt (?), 20th century
White alloy, casting, engraving, gilding
V. Arseniev
Collection of West African fabrics:
decorative cloths (17); mass-produced local
and European fabrics (14); throws (3); caps (4);
scarf; hunting shirt, a kente (Zulu shawl)
West Africa, 20th century
Plant fibres, plaiting, weaving, hand knocking,
hot batik painting, bogolan technique
(painting on fabric), printing, factory-made
and hand-made cotton textiles
Doll in traditional urban African dress.
Typical for the urban culture of Dakar (Senegal):
Doll of Île de Gorée
West Africa, 20th century
Fabric, wire
Through the Purchasing Commission:
painTing
Virgin the Milk-Giver. Icon with an inserted
inscription by monk Theodorite
Greece, Athos, Master of the Skete of Prophet
Elijah, 1898
SculpTure
Shakyamundi Buddha
Tibet, 14th century
Sculpture of sitting Buddha in the lotus
position
China, 17th – 18th century
acquIsItIons of the state hermItaGe In 2009
22 23
applied arT
Belt plaque with an Arabic inscription
and a pattern in a round medallion
Iran, 12th – 13th century
Cauldron with lid
Iran, late 16th century
Matrix for an amulet
Iran (?), 1324 A.H. (1906–1907)
Ring
Central Asia, 14th – 15th century
Pendant
Iran (?), Central Asia (?), 12th century
Zoomorphic figurine (part of a jug)
Iran (?), Central Asia (?), 11th – 12th century
Open bracelet with ends shaped as animal
heads
Central Asia, first years A.D.
Mirror with an eight-petal festooned rim
China, 7th – 10th century
Vessel with representation of fish
Syria, 19th century
Altar set of deities (5)
China, second half of the 19th century
Woodcuts (13)
Japan, 19th century
Two-tiered cabinet
South India, 19th century
Attributes of a Japanese sword (24)
Japan, late 16th – 19th century
arSenal
Gifts:
applied arT
S. Demchenko
Sheathed hunting knife, with belt
Smith V. Soskov, mounted by A. Grachev
Russia, Moscow, early 21st century
Damask steel, wood, leather, hammerwork,
carving, casting
Battle rings (2)
Tibet, 19th century
Cast, embossed, carved steel
A. Morozov
Stand for three swords
Japan, late 19th century
Wood, mother-of-pearl, cloth, carving,
encrustation, engraving
Through the Purchasing Commission:
applied arT
Walking stick with a sword
Spain, Toledo, second half of the 19th century
Reed (?), steel, white metal, brass, etching,
engraving, lacquer
numiSmaTicS deparTmenT
Gifts:
St. Petersburg Mint
Coin-making tools (3506)
USSR, Russia, 20th century
Steel
St. Petersburg Maritime Assembly
Set of St. Petersburg Maritime Assembly
awards (15)
Russia, early 21st century
White and yellow alloys, enamel, textile
Interregional Trade Union of Marine
Pilots, the Primary Trade Union
Organization, St. Petersburg Branch
of ROSMORPORT Federal State Unitary
Enterprise ITMP
Memorial badge marking the 300th anniversary
of the St. Petersburg Pilot Service no. 001.
With a certificate and regulation concerning
the memorial pilot’s badge
Russia, 2009
White and yellow alloys, enamel, leatherette,
paper, cardboard, printing
St. Petersburg State Academy of Veterinary
Medicine
Honorary medals marking the 200th anniversary
of the St. Petersburg SAVM, with badges and
certificates (2 sets)
Russia, Feodorovsky Plant, 2008
Silver, brass, gilding, yellow alloy, enamel, paper,
printing
VNIIOkeangeologia Federal State Unitary
Enterprise
Memorial badge marking the 50th anniversary
of VNIIOkeangeologia Research Institute
Russia, 1998
White and yellow alloys, enamel
Memorial badge marking the 60th anniversary
of VNIIOkeangeologia Research Institute
Russia, 2008
White alloy, enamel
ELAR Corporation
Memorial medal 15 years of Electronic
Archive Corporation. For the Contribution
to the Corporation Development
Russia, Moscow Mint, 2007
Gilded silver
I. Sokolova
Anonymous follis
Byzantium, Constantinople, 976–1030/1035
Copper
A. Panshin
Ceremonial seal
Kievan Rus, late 11th – early 12th century
Lead
A. Panshin and P. Lukina
Church seal
Russia, Novgorod, 12th century
Lead
Church seal with the Golgotha crucifix (?)
on one side and a fragment of four lines
of inscription on the other
Russia, Novgorod, 15th century
Lead
P. Ekimov
Seal of the Novgorodian Posadnik (Mayor)
Yuri Ivanovich
Novgorod, 1354–1380
Lead
V. Lukin
Medal 300 Years of the Central Naval Museum
with certificate
Russia, 2009
Tombac, fabric, paper, printing
A. Kolyzin
Memorial badge of the Moscow Numismatic
Society 1888–2008
Russia, introduced in 2008
White and yellow alloys, enamel
Ye. Pogrebnyak
Memorial badge 90 Years of Lugansk
Militia Service
Ukraine, 2007
Brass, alpaca, tombac, enamel
Yu. Kharitonova
R. Kharitonov (1931–2008)
Badges (17)
Russia, second half of the 20th – early 21st century
Tombac, copper, aluminium, white alloy, enamel

acquIsItIons of the state hermItaGe In 2009
A. Lyulko
1 Hryvnia
Ukraine, 1996
Yellow alloy
N. Kotlyar
Paper banknotes (8)
Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Russia, 1980s – 1990s
Paper
Ye. Nikolaeva
Sales receipt. Market value 20 Ural francs
Uralsky Rynok Partnership
Russia, Yekaterinburg, 1991
Paper
P. Gaydukov
Forged 100-ruble banknote
Russia, 1997
Paper without watermarks
K. Larionov
Lottery tickets (318)
Russia, USA, 1942–2000
Paper, cardboard
Through the Purchasing Commission:
R. Kharitonov (1931–2008)
Album I Medals and Plaques. 22 pages,
58 sketches. Album II Badges. Portraits
of Admirals. Applied Art. 32 pages, 95 sketches.
Album III Medals and Plaques. 32 pages,
33 sketches
Russia, 2008
Medals (24)
Russia, last quarter of the 20th – early
21st century
Plaque series Artists (7) and electroplated
plaques (7)
Russia, second half of the 20th – early
21st century
deparTmenT of claSSical anTiQuiTy
Through the Purchasing Commission:
Statuette of a warrior in cloak and cuirass
North Black Sea Area, 1st century A.D.
Statuette of a goddess with a pomegranate
in her right hand and an aryballos in another
Corinth, early 5th century B.C.
Statuette of a woman wearing an ivy wreath
Asia Minor (Northern Black Sea Area ?),
2nd century B.C.
Red-figure pelikes (2)
Attic, c. 330–320 B.C.
24
reSearch liBrary
Gifts:
M. Baruch (Paris)
[G. Quarenghi]. Théatre de l’Hermitage
à St. Petersbourg (1 folded page
of text and 5 pages of engravings)
Russia (?), late 18th century
Paper, cardboard, printing, manuscript
S. Braude
Rare books from M. Gukovsky’s library (162)
Western Europe, 15th – 20th centuries
Paper, cardboard, parchment, printing, engraving,
pressed leather, metal, planks
Through the Purchasing Commission:
F. Kupka
Leconte de Lisle, Charles-Marie-René
Les Érinnies, tragédie antique
Paris, A. Romagnol, 1908
Goethe-Galerie.
Nach original Kartons von Wilhelm von Kaulbach.
Has an ex libris TH under an imperial crown
München, F. Buckmann, 1880s
Columbian Minerva. Newspaper with an article
of 21 April 1801 reporting the death of Paul I
No 246. 23 June, 1801
N. Gretsch
Über das Werk: la Russie en 1839…
Heidelberg, Druk und Verlag von Karl Groos,
1844
Acts of Apostles
Moscow, Moscow Printing Press, printed
by Kondrat Ivanov, 1623
Psalter with service book
Moscow, Moscow Printing Press, 1625
Gospels
Vilna, the Mamonich Printing Press, 1600
Lenten Triodion
Moscow, Moscow Printing Press, 1650
Pentacostarion Triodion
Moscow, Moscow Printing Press, 1670
manuScripTS and documenTS
deparTmenT
Gifts:
Ye. Golitsyna (London)
R.R. Tatlock. Soviet Sale of Art Treasures
Newspaper article in English
UK or USA (?), early 1930s (?)
Printed paper
T. Sumina (New York)
Page with drafts for a dictionary
(handwritten by Admiral Shishkov)
Russia, c. 1815 (?)
Rag paper with watermarks, black ink, pencil,
manuscript
Page with autographs. Easter 1911
Russia, 1911 (?)
Paper with watermarks, black ink, red pencil,
manuscript
V. Molotkov
Photographs (9)
Russia, 1850s – 1940s
Through the Purchasing Commission:
Archive of S. Gabaev (30)
Russia, first half of the 19th century
imperial porcelain facTory
muSeum deparTmenT
Gifts:
applied arT
Imperial Porcelain Factory
Russian Seasons Design
Mold and painting by I. Olevskaya
OAO Imperial Porcelain Factory, 2006
Porcelain, overglaze polychrome painting,
gilding
B. Sharikov
Vase with a portrait of Academician I. Orbeli, with
a presentation inscription To dear Iosif Abgarovich
Orbeli on his 60th anniversary from colleagues
at the Hermitage. 20-III-1947
By M. Mokh
Russia, Leningrad, State Lomonosov Porcelain
Factory, 1947
Porcelain, overglaze polychrome painting, gilding,
diverging patterns
Through the Purchasing Commission:
A. Yefimova (1897–1962)
Drafts for porcelain painting and design
arrangement, sketches (28)
permanenT exhiBiTionS
J permanenT exhiBiTionS opened in 2009
SiBerian anTiQuiTieS. early iron age –
middle ageS
20 may 2009. rooms 28–32
The Winter palace: ground floor
Many items which form part of this permanent exhibition
at the Department of Archaeology of Eastern Europe and
Siberia are on display for the first time. The exhibition
is housed in the same rooms which it had occupied for
several years before the mid-1970s.
The new display showcases the history and culture of the
peoples of the Sayan and Altai Mountains, Transbaikal Region,
and Southern Siberia. The artefacts represent the
period from the age of the Scythians to the Middle Ages
(8th century B.C. – 13th century A.D.).
The rooms which examine the age of the Scythians mostly
feature finds from the Altai and Tuva. These include
household items, jewellery, weapons, and livery. Unique
wooden artefacts along with felt, leather, and fur clothes
and footwear from the “frozen” barrows of the Altai are
25

permanent exhIbItIons
well complemented by the Tuva discoveries. Of special
interest are the earliest Scythian kurgan complexes and
dress reconstructions, which make it possible to visualise
the ceremonial clothing worn by people who lived over
two and a half thousand years ago.
The exhibits are a testimony to the sophisticated level
of various crafts and a keen artistic taste of the ancient
Scythian masters.
A separate section focuses on the materials of the Tagar
culture, which was located in the Minusinsk Depression
in the middle reaches of the Yenisei River. The staple
means of livelihood for the Tagar tribes were cattle-herding
and agriculture. Their pottery-making and bronze-casting
crafts were developed to a high level.
The exhibition materials piece together a consistent
picture of the Scythian age in all its variety, allowing
the viewers to form an impression of the cultural unity of
the world of Siberian steppes before it was destroyed by
the Xiongnu tribes. The “Empire” formed by the Xiongnu
invasions paved the way towards the contemporary ethnic
and cultural makeup of many regions of Central Asia. The
Xiongnu influence can be traced in nearly all the early medieval
traditions of the Sayan, Altai, and Southern Siberia.
But the display which examines this people focuses rather
on the exhibits uncovering its everyday life.
The final room contains archaeological finds which deal
with the history and culture of the Sayan, Altai, and Southern
Siberian peoples in the 6th – 13th centuries. One
groundbreaking discovery of that age was runic writing.
Livery sets achieved their present-day state in that period.
Individual ethnic traditions became more prominent
in the material culture. This was the time when the military
and political dominion belonged to Turkic-speaking
tribes. One after another, they formed several nomad states
and large tribal unions in the steppes, the last of which succumbed
to the Mongols in the 13th century.
The exhibition does not include the finds from the Fifth
Pazyryk Kurgan (Mound) in the Altai, which was studied in
the late 1940s. These will be displayed in Room 26, which
is currently under renovation and is due to reopen in December
2010.
By N. Nikolaev
arT of Japan. 13Th – 19Th cenTurieS
30 June 2009. rooms 358, 375, 376
The Winter palace: Second floor
After more than a quarter of a century, the Winter Palace
is again home to a permanent exhibition on the Art
of Japan.
Over four hundred paintings, drawings, and applied art
objects from the 14th – 19th centuries, many on display
for the first time, represent one of the richest and most important
collections of Japanese art in Russia. The renewed
exhibition includes works from Imperial and Grand Ducal
collections; objects from the collection of Baron Alexander
von Stieglitz (1814–1884), which was formerly kept at
the museum of the Central School of Technical Drawing
and which includes various samples of traditional Japanese
crafts. Along with these, the display also features new acquisitions,
gifts from private donors, including the netsuke
from Sergei Varshavsky’s collection. A number of artefacts,
displayed for the first time, had belonged to the Berlin Museum
für Völkerkunde before 1945.
The earliest exhibits on display (Room 376) are Buddhist
scrolls, including the Kokuzo Bodhisattva made around the
turn of the 14th century by the Buddhist monk Nippo Soshun
(1369–1448) and Shakyamuni Buddha with Bodhisattvas
Fugen and Monju (first third of the 14th century).
The well-balanced design, the confident drawing, and the
sophisticated detail of dress decoration are all typical for
the paintings of the Kamakura period (1185–1333), which
is traditionally considered the Classical age of Buddhist
art. Among the works of Buddhist plastic arts, eighteenth-
and nineteenth-century home altars are of special interest.
They look like small cases with hinges with statuettes
of Buddha or the Bodhisattvas inside.
The next section of the exhibition focuses on the art and
culture of the military caste. Here one can find military
equipment: armour, weapons and firearms, livery. These
come from the collections of the Imperial and Grand Ducal
families, and collections of Alexander Stieglitz and
Agafon Fabergé. An undisputed gem is the blade by Jiro
Taro Naokatsu, commissioned by Kawadji Tosiakira and
presented to Vice-Admiral Count Putyatin in 1854 during
the Russo-Japanese trade negotiations.
A separate showcase contains objects used in tea ceremonies.
The arrival of tea in Japan followed the spread of the
Zen Buddhist school in the 16th century. Gradually, the
custom of tea drinking was embraced by the military caste,
and the powerful daimyo started to hold “tea gatherings”.
Ahead of the coming of visitors, painted or calligraphic
scrolls were hung out in the reception room, and incense
burners and carved lacquer artefacts were also placed on
display. Chinese-made objects became an indispensable
part of the ritual. The second half of the 16th century saw
the emergence of another, less ostentatious type of tea ceremony,
which became known as wabi-cha, “humble tea”.
At the same time, it became customary to use Japanesemade
equipment, which was simpler and preserved the
natural beauty of the material. These principles can be
clearly seen in the hand-moulded bowls with black or red
glazing known as raku.
In the central showcase, one can see a six-board seventeenth-century
screen painted by an artist of the famous
Kano school and illustrating the story of Minamoto no
Raiko defeating a drunken demon of Mount Oe. In time,
as other screens undergo restoration, there will be a regular
rotation.
Japanese theatre, a unique and complex phenomenon,
has for the first time been given its own section (Room
375). Among the exhibits are masks and costumes of Noh
theatre, a pulpit for the chanter of gidayu in the jaruri puppet
theatre, a rare eighteenth-century scroll (1763–1764)
by the artist Yamagata showing scenes of the Bugaku theatre.
Among Ukiyo-e woodcuts on display in the room, one can
also see Yakusha-e prints, which could serve as advertisements
for both performances and actors of the Kabuki
theatre. Ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”) is a genre
of paintings and prints popular in the Edo period (1603–
1868), which focused on everyday life of city dwellers, their
day-to-day business, leisure, and festivals.
The State Hermitage possesses around 1,500 prints of the
18th – 20th centuries. Since graphic works are sensitive to
light and cannot be exposed for long periods of time, exhibits
will be rotated every four months.
Room 358 houses objects of applied art: enamel, metalwork,
lacquer and ivory items.
The Hermitage has a rich and diverse collection of netsuke
– toggles or weights made of wood or bone in the shape
permanent exhIbItIons
of miniature statuettes. The exhibition contains over
200 netsuke made by prominent masters of the late 18th –
early 20th centuries and representing all the main schools
of this unique genre of applied art: Edo, Osaka, Kyoto,
Nagoya, Iwami, and Tsu.
Boxes for paper and writing tools, caskets, a picnic set,
inro and combs demonstrate the incredible diversity of the
maki-e technique (the picture produced by means of sprinkling
gold or silver powder over wet lacquer), known
in Japan since the Nara period (710–794).
A separate showcase is given to enamels. The tradition
of enamel decoration over a metallic frame was adopted
from China between the 16th and the 17th centuries.
The Japanese name for enamel, shippo, means “seven precious
things”. Early objects made in the champlevé technique
are represented by bird-shaped incense burners and
a statue of Fukurokuju, the god of luck. They have a limited
and somewhat muted palette and clear geometric
patterns. The 19th century saw the discovery of new dyes
and the advent of cloisonné enamels. The period between
1880 and the early 20th century was the zenith of enamelmaking.
A large dish with chrysanthemums and a dragon
dates back to that period. It was made in the 1890s, probably
in the workshop of Ando Jubei.
Owing to various circumstances, the preparation of the
new exhibition was split into two parts. A fourth room is
scheduled to be opened in future. It will house the objects
which reflect the diverse links between Chinese, Japanese,
and European art, and the presents to Grand Duke Nicholas
(future Emperor Nicholas II) brought from his trip
to the East in 1890–1891.
By A. Savelieva
26 27

permanent exhIbItIons
arT of dageSTan.
14Th – early 20Th cenTurieS
9 december 2009. rooms 58–60
The Winter palace: ground floor
To be precise, this exhibition contains artefacts from the
village of Kubachi in Central Dagestan. The State Hermitage
has no medieval objects from other areas.
The collection of art from Kubachi consists of stone fragments
of architectural décor coming from the buildings
with unreconstructed floor plans (14th – 15th centuries),
and bronze (or brass) cauldrons (14th – 20th centuries).
For the first time, the display aims to juxtapose décor fragments
of clay slate (used in the construction of the village’s
older houses and burial steles of the 14th – 15th centuries,
and fragments of sandstone, which is not found in the area
near Kubachi. The patterns on the sandstone fragments
are derived from a five-leaf palmette, which can also be
found on round cauldrons of the so-called closed type.
The patterns on the clay slate fragments are similar to the
floral patterns found in the countries of the Near East in
the 12th – 13th centuries. Close to them are the patterns
on the open-type cauldrons, which were produced in Kubachi
from the second half of the 14th century up till the
1970s. The patterns have undergone changes during this
time, but the shape of the cauldrons remains the same.
The fragments of sandstone reliefs are likely to have a connection
with a different settlement, which was not too far
away from Kubachi, since the horizontal wings and some
patterns on the closed-type cauldrons are very similar to
the open-type cauldrons produced in Kubachi itself.
It is likely that the five-leaf rosette reliefs got to Kubachi as
a result of some important events happening in the 15th –
16th centuries. This is when the production of artistic reliefs
stopped in Kubachi, although the making of small
stone tools (pestles, spindle whorls) was widespread as late
as the 19th century.
Manuscripts were copied in Kubachi in the 15th – 19th
centuries, and one manuscript produced in the mid-16th
century is on display in Room 59. Very little is known
about the art of the 16th – 18th centuries, and our only notion
of the artefacts of that period comes from open-type
cauldrons.
In the 19th century, Kubachi was famous for the splendidly
decorated weapons, firearms, and jewellery, which can be
seen in Room 60.
Since the start of the 20th century, collections of Near
Eastern applied art from Kubachi have been popular with
European antiquarians. Following this demand, the Kubachi
craftsmen started producing fake “antiques”, which
can be seen in one of the showcases in Room 60.
The new exhibition sheds light on some aspects of the artistic
evolution in Kubachi in the 14th – 19th centuries,
although there are still significant lacunae in the history
of this village and its art.
By A. Ivanov
arT and culTure of The greeK ciTieS
of The norThern BlacK Sea area
9 december 2009. rooms 115–117
The new hermitage: ground floor
The opening of the exhibition in the Bosporus Rooms
marked the end of one of the most complex and successful
permanent exhibition reconstruction projects at the
Department of Classical Antiquity.
The interior décor and general outlook of the halls have
changed, and the permanent display of antiquities found
by Russian archaeologists in the Northern Black Sea Area
has undergone a considerable transformation. The reconstruction
started in 2007. Its first stage was the project development
and interior restoration with a full recreation
of the original wall décor. The walls had been repainted
twice in the 20th century, and the original design by Leo
von Klenze was replaced with a greyish-green colour, and
then (in 1970) with bright red paint. In 2007, the original
“striped” wall painting, imitating the style of Pompeian frescoes,
was restored on the basis of watercolours, drawings,
project drafts and in situ investigations. Two plaster fragments
which had miraculously survived since the 19th century
were discovered behind an old showcase and closely
studied. During the restoration, all the décor elements
originally produced in the 19th century by prominent
Russian artists and craftsmen were renewed: the elegant
plafond paintings following Classical motifs, the ceiling inlaid
with Italian marble. State-of-the-art LED lighting was
installed, providing a soft illumination of the ceiling and
highlighting the exhibits. The recreation of the original
décor has brought about a stylistic unity of all the rooms
designed by Klenze, while the technical renovation and
new lighting have transformed the Bosporus Rooms into
a modern museum space.
The new exhibition relies on a vision which brings together
a historicist approach to the museum and a modern understanding
of the artefacts found in the Greek colonies
on the Northern Black Sea Coast. The permanent exhibition
housed in the Bosporus Rooms sheds light on the history
of the rooms in the New Hermitage building, and the
history of archaeological studies. At the same time, it tells
a consistent story of the cultural and artistic evolution undergone
by the ancient cities in Southern Russia.
A set of showcases which uses Klenze’s stylistic ideas and
principles was specially designed for this exhibition. The
arrangement of showcases, their proportions and décor
are reminiscent of the library which had been housed
there from the time the New Hermitage was opened until
the early 20th century. Drafts and drawings for the modern
exhibition furniture have taken into account the historic
documents, measurements and studies of the surviving
cases. The warm wood has a perfect rapport with the archaeological
artefacts on display, and the soft lighting creates
an atmosphere of introspection and calm.
permanent exhIbItIons
The exhibition highlights the age of Classical Antiquity
represented by the finds from the settlements and burial
sites of the Northern Black Sea Area which illustrate the
evolution of art and culture between the 7th century B.C.,
the time when the first Greek colonies were founded, and
the end of the Antiquity in this region, i.e. the 3rd century
A.D. Among the exhibits are masterpieces known all over
the world – figured vases in the shape of Aphrodite and
a sphinx preserving in full their colours of the 5th century
B.C., delicately engraved bone plates showing the Judgement
of Paris, splendid silverware, Kerch-style vases, marble
portraits of King Mithridates of Pontus.
The structure of the exhibition follows one main idea:
a multidimensional illustration of key cultural and historical
aspects of the Classical Period on the northern shores
of the Black Sea. Present-day Classical scholars believe
that the most important characteristic of the art of the
Northern Black Sea Area was a close contact between the
culture of Greek colonists with that of the local nomadic
barbarian tribes. It is thought that this contact resulted
in the rise of a unique Graeco-barbarian community which
left its most striking trace in the aristocratic burials of the
Bosporus. According to the logic of the story, which also
follows the chronological pattern, the exhibition in the
Bosporus Rooms is broken up into several sections. Each
thematic section has an individual architectural and spatial
arrangement and lighting.
The first section which opens the exhibition, “Archaic Period.
The Start of Colonisation”, illustrates the arrival of the
Greeks to the shores of the Black Sea. Two large showcases
contain objects found during the excavations of Olbia and
a settlement in the island of Berezan. The abundance of
brightly-coloured Eastern Greek, Corinthian, Egyptian
vessels, along with specimens of local ceramics and metalwork,
creates a diverse picture of the first hundred and
fifty years of Greek colonisation of these remote barbarian
shores.
The second thematic group, “The City”, introduces us to
the everyday life of an ancient city in the Northern Black
Sea Area in the Classical and Hellenistic periods. The exhibition
includes outstanding masterpieces of Greek art
brought from the main centres of the Ancient World, as
well as some highly original local products. The showcases
and sculptures are located in a spacious and well-lit gallery,
which emphasizes the vibrant culture of the erstwhile
colonists. The exhibition contains statue bases with votive
inscriptions, stone hermae, figured vases, moulds for terracotta
and coin making, rings, and household items.
The next, central, section, “The Bosporus Kurgans”, focuses
on the famous burial mounds of the Bosporan Kingdom.
The low ceiling and muted lighting of this section
are meant to remind the viewers that they are looking at
ancient burials, mounds, and tombs. The exhibition incorporates
three unique wooden sarcophagi with wooden
overlaying and incrustation, placed in special protective
28 29

permanent exhIbItIons
glass cubes. The showcases contain world-famous masterpieces
– the objects from the Nymphaeum, Semibratny,
and Kul-Oba burial mounds, as well as the Yuz-Oba group.
Special attention is paid to the weapons: swords, spears,
helmets, and fragments of suits of armour. Also on display
are golden decorative plaques, silver and bronze vessels,
and parts of plaques made of engraved bone.
The final section, “Rome”, centres on the age when the
barbarian influence on the Bosporan Kingdom and other
regions of the Northern Black Sea Coast was strongest. Displayed
here are some glass and ceramic vessels, wooden
and painted sarcophagi, fragments of ceramic and metal
statuettes. A separate showcase contains finds from a famous
burial with a third- or fourth-century gold mask, one
of the last rich mounds of the Bosporus.
Another section demonstrates the décor of ancient buildings
in the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic ages. The
central exhibit is a fresco with a ship from the city of Nymphaeum,
covered in drawings and inscriptions, which is on
display for the first time. In the same section one can also
see frescoes and architectural details from the excavations
of Chersonesos, Olbia, and Panticapaeum. The artefacts
of this section introduce the viewers to the interiors of ancient
houses.
30
The new exhibition is a unique and multifaceted collection
of antiquities from the 7th century B.C. to the 3rd
cen tury A.D., discovered over many years of archaeological
research in the Northern Black Sea Area. This is an
outstanding collection which has no analogues in the rest
of the world, and it has a key place in the structure of the
Department of Classical Antiquity at the State Hermitage.
Ancient artefacts from the Northern Black Sea Area provide
us with a comprehensive historical panorama of the
culture and art of a significant part of the Ancient World
and represent the best achievements of two centuries
of Russian archaeology.
The reconstruction works were aided by the Restoring Ancient
Stabiae Foundation (Italy).
The restoration of the rooms, the design of the lighting
system, project development and production of the exhibition
equipment were undertaken by Likeon – Museum
Concepts and Projects Ltd.
By A. Trofimova
Temporary exhiBiTionS
Temporary exhibitions in the Hermitage in 2009:
The Hermitage hosted 23 temporary exhibitions from the collections
of the Hermitage and other museums in Russia and abroad.
Exhibitions outside the Hermitage in 2009:
The Hermitage took part in 92 exhibitions including objects
from the Hermitage – 1,500 exhibits were shown in Russian museums,
4,671 in museums abroad.
J Temporary exhiBiTionS in The hermiTage
meissen porcelain. 1900–1930.
from the collection of the haus
der Kunst, remshalden
13.02.09 – 24.05.09
A display of 115 works created at the Meissen
Manufactory between the two world wars, during
the transition from Art Nouveau to Art
Deco.
“The cooperative for proletarian art”
of friedrich Brass: a collection
of german avant-garde art
in Soviet russia
13.03.09 – 21.06.09
This exhibition surveyed the history of the
first collection of contemporary European art
brought to Soviet Russia after the 1917 revolution.
It included 170 works on paper. Organised
by the State Hermitage Museum with the
Scholarly Research Museum and Research Library
of the Russian Academy of Arts.
Boris Smelov. retrospective
20.03.09 – 28.06.09
Part of the Hermitage 20/21 programme.
More than 90 works (still lifes, portraits, urban
landscapes) from the gallery pARTnerproject
(Moscow) and private collections,
presenting the art of the outstanding St. Petersburg
photographer Boris Smelov. This
exhibition was held under the patronage of
Valentina Matvienko, Governor of St. Petersburg.
chamber of Book curiosities
in the hermitage
1.04.09 – 7.06.09
A display of 128 books from the Research Library
of the State Hermitage Museum – the
oldest museum library in Russia. These books
all differed from traditional manuscripts and
printed books in their unusual form, dimensions
and decoration.
The Mystery of the Golden Mask
The mystery of the golden mask
21.04.09 – 6.09.09
First ever display of the Hermitage’s finds
from the so-called Reskuporid Tomb (a burial
in Panticapaeum, capital of the Bosporan
Kingdom), mostly dating from the 3rd century.
As well as a marvellous golden mask, the
exhibition included several burial masks from
other sites for comparison – from Ancient
Egypt and the barrows of the Tashtyk culture
in Central Siberia – and an iron battle mask
from a Polovets barrow.
afro Basaldella.
The colour of emotion
19.05.09 – 20.09.09
The milestones in the artist’s development between
1935 and 1975, represented by a comprehensive
survey of 56 works, demonstrating
the evolution of visual means and colouring
in post-war Italian art. Organised by the State
Hermitage Museum in collaboration with the
publishing house Il Cigno GG Edizione, the
exhibition enjoyed the support of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture
of the Italian Republic, the Istituto Italiano
Opening of the exhibition “The Perfect Victory”.
300 Years of the Battle of Poltava
31

Temporary exhIbItIons
Opening of the exhibition “The Cooperative for Proletarian Art” of Friedrich
Brass: A Collection of German Avant-Garde Art in Soviet Russia
L. Polyakova, M. Dedinkin, T. Grechukhina
32
Chamber of Book Curiosities in the Hermitage
Opening of the exhibition Boris Smelov. Retrospective Opening of the exhibition The Mystery of the Golden Mask
Afro Basaldella. The Colour of Emotion
Opening of the exhibition Meissen Porcelain. 1900–1930.
From the Collection of the Haus der Kunst, Remshalden
K. Krockenberger, L. Lyackhova, M. Piotrovsky
di Cultura and the Consulate General of the
Italian Republic in St. Petersburg. It was the
first ever display of works by this leading Italian
abstract artist in Russia.
renoir. compositions with Stairs
from the Revived Masterpieces
series
26.05.09 – 6.09.09
First of a new series of exhibitions, Revived
Masterpieces, which take a closer look at the vital
work of conservators. It presented a pair of
restored works by Auguste Renoir, Man on the
Stairs and Woman on the Stairs, painted in 1876
for the publisher Georges Charpentier and
his wife Marguérite.
“The perfect victory”.
300 years of the Battle of poltava
29.05.09 – 20.09.09
Organised by the State Hermitage Museum
in collaboration with the State Historical and
Cultural Museum Preserve “The Moscow
Kremlin”, with the participation of museums
in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Stockholm.
More than 300 exhibits included commemorative
items belonging to participants in the
battle, pieces of body armour, equipment and
weapons of the Russian and Swedish armies,
banners, portraits, battle paintings and prints,
all of which combined to relate the events running
up to the battle, the battle itself and its
aftermath.
The Triumph of holiness and Beauty.
Korans of dagestan
5.06.09 – 6.09.09
Eight copies of the Koran from the Hermitage
collection and twelve from the Oriental Manuscripts
Fund of the Institute of History, Archaeology
and Ethnography of the Dagestan
Research Centre of the Russian Academy of
Arts. Most of these priceless ancient manuscripts
were apparently copied and illustrated
in various settlements in Dagestan during the
14th to 19th centuries. The earliest Koran
scroll in the exhibition was a fragment dated
1009.
“The Beautiful One Has Come”.
Masterpieces of Portraiture from the Egyptian
Museum, Berlin
“The Beautiful one has come”.
masterpieces of portraiture
from the egyptian museum,
Berlin
23.06.09 – 20.09.09
A joint exhibition between the State Hermitage
Museum and the Egyptian Museum and
Papyrus Collection in Berlin, presenting three
sculptural portraits from the workshop of the
Tuthmosis, created in middle of the 14th century
B.C.: Bust of the Young Nefertiti, Bust of the
Mature Nefertiti, Bust of the Princess, Daughter
of Akhenaton and Nefertiti, and a Head of Amasis
dating from the middle of the 6th century
B.C. All of these exhibits were removed from
Germany during the Second World War and
were kept in the State Hermitage Museum until
1958, when they were returned to the Egyptian
Museum.
The azure and gold of limoges.
Twelfth – to fourteenth-century
enamels
23.06.09 – 23.05.10
Limoges is famous for its champlevé (hollowed)
enamels. This exhibition brought together
more than 70 items, most of them from
the golden age of Limoges enamels – the late
12th to early 13th centuries – that are usually
scattered among the permanent displays in
the Romanov Gallery and the Treasure Gallery
and the museum stores. It thus presented
the different stages in the development of
Limoges enamel production.
Temporary exhIbItIons
Wim delvoye D11
27.06.09 – 6.09.09
D11 by the Belgian artist Wim Delvoye is
a large metal construction that combines architectural
and mechanical elements. Its different
component parts, its mathematically
precise symmetry and openwork structure are
based on the motifs of Gothic architecture.
feciT ad vivum.
portraits of artists in Western
european engravings
(16th – 18th centuries)
14.07.09 – 27.09.09
A display of a gallery of 100 engraved portraits
and self-portraits of painters, sculptors and
engravers, many of which were exhibited for
the first time.
relics of the Varyag cruiser
25.07.09 – 24.08.09
First ever showing in Russia of the remains
of the Russian cruiser Varyag, sunk during
the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905. These
remains have long been stored in the reserve
collections of the Incheon Metropolitan City
Museum in South Korea. The eleven exhibits
included the cruiser’s bow flag or jack,
a St. Andrew’s bow flag from the Koreyets
gunboat, the Russian trading flag from the
post ship Sungari and an album of Japanese
watercolours showing the battle between the
Varyag and Koreyets and the Japanese squadron.
These relics were brought to Russia from
Korea through the efforts of the Organising
Committee for the Exhibition “Varyag Cruiser.
Acquisition of Relics”.
Treasury of the World.
Jewelled arts of india in the age
of the mughals. from the Kuwait
national museum
7.08.09 – 29.11.09
Organised jointly by the State Hermitage
Museum with the Al-Sabah collection, Dar al-
Athar al-Islamiyyah, the National Council for
Culture, Arts and Literature of the State of
Kuwait and the Kuwait National Museum, this
exhibition presented more than 400 examples
of jewellery from the age of the Mughals from
the private collection of Sheikh Nasser Sabah
Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and his wife, Sheikha Hussah
Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah.
33

Temporary exhIbItIons
holy images. greek icons
from the velimezis collection
11.09.09 – 12.12.09
More than 40 icons were shown in an exhibition
organised by the State Hermitage Museum
in collaboration with the Alexander
S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation. They
dated from the 16th to 18th centuries, a time
when, although Byzantium had ceased to exist
as a state, its artistic culture continued to develop.
In this so-called post-Byzantine period,
local artistic traditions grew up in different
parts of the former Byzantine Empire.
Satsuma ceramics of Japan
in the State hermitage collection
25.09.09 – 13.12.09
70 works by Japanese ceramicists – only five of
which had previously been shown – made up
Russia’s first ever exhibition of ceramics from
the province of Satsuma. The Hermitage’s collection
makes it possible to trace the development
of Satsuma ceramics and Satsuma style
from the 18th century to the first third of the
20th century and to demonstrate the variety
of artistic and technical devices used in their
ornamentation.
dance. dedicated to 100 years
of Sergei diaghilev’s russian
Seasons
14.10.09 – 17.01.10
To mark the anniversary of Sergei Diaghilev’s
Russian Seasons in Paris, this exhibition
brought together 80 paintings, works on paper,
sculptures and items of applied art not
only to present the dance itself, but to create
a context through the evocation of style, movement
and characteristic line. Works by Edgar
Degas, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri Fantin-Latour,
Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Agathon
Leonard van Weydelveldt, Walter Crane
and Henri Laurens, all from the Hermitage’s
own collection, were complemented by works
on paper from the St. Petersburg State Museum
of Theatrical and Musical Art – costume
designs by Léon Bakst, Alexander Benois and
Boris Anisfeld, the poster for the first season,
designed by Valentin Serov, and photographs
of the artists and memoirs of participants
in the Russian Seasons. Two important works
were loaned from abroad, Degas’ Ballet
Rehearsal on Stage from the Musée d’Orsay
in Paris, and Umberto Bocconi’s Unique Forms
of Continuity in Space from the Tate in London.
34
georg Kolbe. Blue ink drawings
14.10.09 – 17.01.10
This exhibition introduced Russian audiences
to the drawn work of Georg Kolbe (1877–
1947), one of the most renowned German
sculptors of the 20th century whose works on
paper were much prized by contemporaries.
Three sculptures by Kolbe stood alongside
the drawings: Genius, from the Hermitage
Museum, and Naiad and Javan Dancer from
the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in
Moscow.
newspeak. British art now
24.10.09 – 17.01.10
Organised by the State Hermitage Museum
in collaboration with the Saatchi Gallery, London,
with support from the UK Friends of the
Hermitage. Some 50 works by young artists,
most of them little known to the wider international
public, included paintings, sculpture,
photographs and installations, most of them
never before exhibited. Some of the artists are
relatively recent immigrants to Britain. The
choice of works was made specially for this
exhibition in the Hermitage and it included
Truncated Trunk by Eugenie Scrase, winner of
a television competition for young artists organised
by the Saatchi Gallery. The winner’s
name was announced in a ceremony at the
State Hermitage Museum.
After its first showing in St. Petersburg, Newspeak.
British Art Now went on to be shown at
the Saatchi Gallery in London.
Newspeak. British Art Now
150th anniversary of the
establishment of the imperial
archaeological commission
21.11.09 –13.12.09
Thirteen masterpieces from the collections of
the Department of the Archaeology of Eastern
Europe and Siberia, the Classical Antiquity
Department and the Oriental Department of
the State Hermitage Museum, all of them internationally
famous finds that arrived in the
museum thanks to the work of the Imperial
Archaeological Commission.
enamels of the World 1700–2000.
from the Khalili collection
8.12.09 – 18.04.10
This exhibition presented works from one
of the world’s most important private collections
of enamels, belonging to the celebrated
scholar and collector Professor Nasser D. Khalili,
a partner and friend of the Hermitage for
many years. His collection includes more than
1,200 works.
A selection of 320 items produced over the
course of three centuries – from 1700 to 2000 –
by craftsmen in Europe, the Far East and the
Muslim region – presented the full variety and
beauty of the art form, demonstrating the different
techniques used in making enamels.
The exhibition included superb examples
of champlevé and cloisonné enamel (including
enamelled glass for windows and filigree
enamel) and of painted enamels in a variety
of styles and genres. These items relate the history
and life of different societies with different
cultural contexts. One interesting part of
the exhibition was a comparison of the styles
of Fabergé and Cartier.
The hermiTage dayS. TradiTional exhiBiTionS
The hermitage in the World
of publications – 2009
The hermitage in photographs –
2009
4.12.09 –20.12.09
Some 50 books and brochures from among
those issued by the State Hermitage Publishers
in 2009 included scholarly catalogues and
studies, more popular works for a wider circle
of readers, archival documents and studies of
the history of the Hermitage, covering the different
aspects of the museum’s publishing activities.
The artist photographers of the State
Hermitage Publishers concentrate their attention
on events and people in and around the
museum – events both large and small, people
both great and simple, from crowned heads to
ordinary visitors.
Opening of the exhibition Treasury of the World. Jewelled Arts of India
in the Age of the Mughals. From the Kuwait National Museum
A. Prokhorenko, A. Busygin, Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah
and his wife, Sheikha Hussah Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, M. Piotrovsky
Opening of the exhibition “The Beautiful One Has Come”.
Masterpieces of Portraiture from the Egyptian Museum, Berlin
M. Piotrovsky, A. Bolshakov
Opening of the exhibition Satsuma Ceramics of Japan
in the State Hermitage Collection
Ye. Yegorova, T. Arapova, M. Piotrovsky
Dance. Dedicated to 100 Years of Sergei Diaghilev’s Russian Seasons Opening of the exhibition Newspeak. British Art Now
Temporary exhIbItIons
Opening of the exhibition The Triumph of Holiness and Beauty.
Korans of Dagestan
A. Ivanov giving an interview to journalists
35

Temporary exhIbItIons
The echo of the russian Seasons.
from the Christmas Gift series
25.12.09 – 28.03.10
Devoted to the 100th anniversary of Sergei Diaghilev’s
Russian Seasons in Paris, this exhibition
showed how the atmosphere and aesthetics
of the St. Petersburg theatre world in the
early 20th century were reflected in the products
of the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory.
More than 100 works were displayed, among
them sculptures and table compositions, vases
and services, cups and saucers, pipes and perfume
bottles, as well as works on paper with
designs for shapes and decoration.
masterpieces of european enamel
from the 12th to early 20th centuries
Novgorod State Museum Reserve,
Novgorod
15.05.09 – 27.09.09
An exhibition of enamel painting on some
100 precious objects both secular and religious
– dishes, salt cellars, vases, portraits and
jewellery. Many of them also have gold and silver
patterns and are set with precious stones.
precious filigree of the east
from the 17th – 19th centuries
from the collection
of the State hermitage museum
Museum of the History of Stone Carving
and Jewellery, Yekaterinburg
01.06.09 – 28.09.09
Filigree, the use of fine silver wire twisted and
worked in many decorative shapes, is one of
the most complex techniques used to make
jewellery in India, China and South Eastern
Asia. The exhibition in Yekaterinburg included
130 items from the Hermitage, which has
one of the world’s richest collections of Oriental
silver filigree of the seventeenth to nineteenth
centuries.
We draw and paint in the hermitage
26.12.09 – 24.01.10
The Hermitage’s traditional New Year show,
presenting the work of pupils attending the
museum’s Drawing Studio in its School Centre.
new acquisitions
30.12.09
Towards the end of December each year the
museum displays some of the most interesting
objects acquired over the course of the past
twelve months.
Of considerable importance were three drawings
by the architect Yury Matveevich Velten:
Main Façade of the North Pavilion of the Small
Hermitage; North Pavilion of the Small Hermitage;
Cross-Section of the Dressing Room, One of the
Bathing Rooms of Catherine II in the Winter Palace.
All date from the 1760s and 1770s and are in
J hermiTage exhiBiTionS in muSeumS around ruSSia
gods’ children. classical heroes
in ancient and new art
State Historical-Architectural and
Artistic Museum Reserve “Kazan Kremlin”,
Kazan
22.09.09 – 28.03.10
Central to the concept of this exhibition
was the treatment of the images of gods and
demigods in Antiquity and their later interpretation
in the art of Western Europe. The
riches of the Hermitage collection provided
a variety of material to illustrate the canons
and attributes of figures from Ancient Greek
mythology as seen in different eras. More than
200 objects covered the period from the 7th
century B.C. to the modern age.
The hermitage and famous russian
collectors. Western european art
of the 18th to 19th centuries from the
collections of pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-
Shansky, prince alexander gorchakov
and Baron alexander Stieglitz
Regional Picture Gallery, Lipetsk
13.10.09 – 28.02.10
Presenting works from the collections of three
nineteenth-century Russian lovers of Western
European Art: Pyotr Petrovich Semyonov-
Tyan-Shansky (1827–1914), Prince Alexan-
ink and watercolour on paper. The drawings
were a gift from the Chairman of LLS Amber
House, Ye. Tatuzov.
A superb portrait of Princess Nadezhda Orlova
(1898–1988), daughter of Grand Duke Peter
Nikolaevich (pencil, red and black chalk,
on paper), was painted in 1917 by Savely Sorin
(1878–1953), a pupil of the Russian artist
Ilya Repin. This was a gift from a Paris gallery
owner, Maurice Baruch, along with two oval
Russian medallions of the second half of the
18th century showing Empress Catherine II as
Minerva and Empress Elizabeth. Baruch also
presented the Hermitage with an unusual album
in a soft binding bearing the handwritten
text Théatre de l’Hermitage à St. Petersbourg,
with a printed text undoubtedly by the architect
Giacomo Quarenghi, and several prints
showing the inside and outside of the Hermitage
Theatre.
der Mikhailovich Gorchakov (1798–1883)
and Baron Alexander Ludwigovich Stieglitz
(1814–1884). Each collection was different
in character and in the way it was formed, but
each made a significant contribution to the
formation of the State Hermitage Museum.
Sea and navigation in the culture
of classical antiquity
Museum of the World Ocean, Kaliningrad
23.10.09 – 09.03.10
This exhibition looked at the development
of sailing and naval industries in Antiquity,
as well as representations of the sea gods who
were the patrons or enemies of those at sea.
Some 200 works of art and archaeology covered
the period from the 6th century B.C.
to the 3rd century A.D.
J parTicipaTion in exhiBiTionS in muSeumS around ruSSia
fyodor Tolstoy
State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
19.03.09 – 21.06.09
The museum of nikolai gogol
Manege Central Exhibition Hall,
St. Petersburg
01.04.09 – 21.04.09
Brasil, russia, india, china.
Step by Step
Russian State Historical Archive,
St. Petersburg
28.04.09 – 31.05.09
russian porcelain. The porcelain
enterprise of prince nikolai yusupov,
1818–1831
State Museum Estate Arkhangelskoe,
Moscow Region
29.04.09 – 20.05.10
J hermiTage exhiBiTionS aBroad
four great Banquet Tables
of catherine the great from
the State hermitage museum
Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum,
Tokyo, Japan
16.04.09 – 05.07.09
Iwaki City Art Museum, Iwaki-city, Japan
18.07.09 – 30.08.09
Daimaru Museum Shinsabash, Osaka,
Japan
09.09.09 – 28.09.09
Umi-Mori Art Museum, Hhatsukachi-city,
Japan
03.10.09 – 03.12.09
Oita Prefecturial Art Hall, Oita-city, Japan
11.12.09 – 07.02.10
A presentation of four ceremonial porcelain
dining services made for Catherine II that
have become part of Russian cultural history,
an attribute of the country’s prestige and evidence
of its European orientation.
The petrine assembly
Manege Central Exhibition Hall,
St. Petersburg
14.05.09 – 04.06.09
masterpieces of european enamel
from the 12th to early 20th centuries
Novgorod State Museum Reserve,
Novgorod
15.05.09 – 27.09.09
Temple of victory
Samson Cathedral, St. Petersburg
26.06.09 – 15.09.09
“By Bequest of the empress”
State Museum Reserve Pavlovsk,
St. Petersburg
01.10.09 – 20.04.10
at the russian court. palace
and protocol in the 19th century
Hermitage-Amsterdam Exhibition Centre,
Amsterdam, Netherlands
20.06.09 – 31.01.10
Unique in its vast scope, this was one of the
largest exhibitions ever organised by the State
Hermitage Museum, specially to launch the
Hermitage-Amsterdam Exhibition Centre.
More than 2,000 exhibits included ceremonial
portraits, unique prints, priceless diplomatic
gifts, magnificent dresses and uniforms
from the Hermitage’s abundant collections,
combining to recreate the atmosphere of one
of the most brilliant European courts of the
19th century. Covering the reigns of six Emperors,
from Paul I to Nicholas II, the exhibition
brought to life court traditions and ceremony
and some of the individuals prominent
at court.
The exhibition design was inspired by the
interiors of famous rooms inside the Winter
Palace – the St. George’s Hall and the Nicho-
Temporary exhIbItIons
“general Battle”.
300 years of the Battle of poltava
State Historical and Cultural Museum
Preserve “The Moscow Kremlin”
10.11.09 – 10.03.10
The russian empire and the
establishment of the grand duchy
of finland
Russian State Historical Archive,
St. Petersburg
11.11.09 – 17.12.09
historical personalities as reflected
in nineteenth-century european
art
Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts,
Moscow
30.11.09 – 08.02.10
las Hall. Interactive displays included the use
of clips from Alexander Sokurov’s film Russian
Ark.
Style of the Tzars. italian Textiles
in russia in the 13th to 18th
centuries
Textile Museum of Prato, Italy
18.09.09 – 10.01.10
Covering five hundred years of the Russo-
Italian trade in textiles, from the Italian settlements
along the Northern Black Sea Area
to St. Petersburg, this exhibition looked at
diplomatic relations between Italy and Russia,
the collecting of Italian textiles in Russia from
the 18th to 20th centuries and the formation
of the largest museum and private collections
in Russia.
36 37

Temporary exhIbItIons
The exhibition At the Russian Court. Palace and Protocol in the 19th Century.
Hermitage-Amsterdam Exhibition Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Spanish painting of the 16th and
17th centuries from the hermitage
museum
Musei Civici del Castello Visconteo
09.10.09 – 17.01.10
This exhibition presented 45 canvases by Spanish
artists – the first time that the Hermitage’s
collection of Spanish works had ever been so
fully seen abroad. It included works by some
of the most famous masters – Jusepe de Ribera,
Francisco de Zurbarán, Diega Velasquez,
Bartolomé Murillo – but also works by lesser
known artists, usually kept in the reserve collection.
The works were varied in type, with
religious subjects on display alongside allegories,
portraits, landscapes and genre paintings.
A dozen of works left the museum for the
first time and five were shown with entirely
new attributions.
russian parade and hunting Weapons
of the 16th to 19th centuries from
the collection of the State hermitage
museum
State Museum of Gold and Precious Metals,
Astana, Kazakhstan
27.11.09 – 27.01.10
An exhibition of weaponry made in Russia’s
main centres of production: Moscow, Tula,
Zlatoust and St. Petersburg. They included
military and hunting weapons, such as the pistols
and hunting rifle of Empress Elizabeth,
a sword and pistols belonging to Empress
Catherine II and the sabre of Alexander III.
imperial porcelain from the hermitage
collection
Palazzo Madama, Museo Civico d’Arte
Antica, Turin
30.11.09 – 14.02.10
Three tables were set with porcelain services
and bronze table decorations made in the
eighteenth century, the golden age for such
items. The exhibition illustrated the habits
and tastes of Russia’s ruling elite, Russia’s political
links with Europe and the use of porcelain
in Russia.
gold of the Steppes
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Kunsthalle
Leoben, Austria
25.04.09 – 26.10.09
Reiss-Engelhorn-Museum, Mannheim,
Germany
15.11.09 – 14.03.10
This exhibition presented superb examples of
ancient art from the celebrated burial chambers
discovered along the lower reaches of
the River Don: the Khokhlach Barrow, on the
edge of Novocherkassk, excavated in 1864,
and the Dachi Barrow near Azov, discovered
in 1986.
J JoinT exhiBiTionS aBroad
futurism 100
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
of Trento y Roverreto, Roverreto, Italy
15.01.09 – 07.06.09
canova. The classical ideal Between
Sculpture and painting
San Domenico Museums, Forli, Italy
20.01.09 – 05.07.09
matisse – menschen, masken,
modelle
Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg,
Germany
31.01.09 – 19.04.09
Tarsila do amaral (1886–1973)
Juan March Foundation, Madrid,
Spain
06.02.09 – 03.05.09
Caixa Galicia Foundation, Galicia,
Spain
06.02.09 – 03.05.09
Shah abbas and the Three great Shi’i
Shrines of the Safanids
British Museum, London, United Kingdom
09.02.09 – 14.06.09
Shadows
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid,
Spain
10.02.09 – 17.05.09
artistic luxury: fabergé, Tiffany,
lalique
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco,
USA
14.02.09 – 31.05.09
Sehnsucht und Wirklicheit. malerei
für dresden im 18. Jahrhundert
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden,
Germany
15.02.09 – 15.06.09
cézanne and Beyond
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia,
USA
19.02.09 – 31.05.09
della robia. The dialogue of arts
in the renaissance
National Museum of Modern and Medieval
Art, Arezzo, Italy
20.02.09 – 07.06.09
genghis Khan and mongolian
empire
Houston Museum of Natural Science,
Houston, USA
27.02.09 – 07.09.09
Denver Museum of Natural History,
Denver, USA
10.10.09 – 07.02.10
Jakob Backer. rembrandt’s
opposite
Rembrandt House Museum, Aahen,
Germany
11.03.09 – 07.06.09
art and love in renaissance italy
Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, USA
The master of flémalle
and rogier van der Weyden
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Germany
20.03.09 – 21.06.09
court costumes 1650 to 1800
Château de Versailles, France
30.03.09 – 28.06.09
i marmi vivi. gian lorenzo Bernini
e la nascita del ritrato baroco
Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence,
Italy
02.04.09 – 12.07.09
Temporary exhIbItIons
voir l’italie et mourir
Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France
06.04.09 – 19.07.09
emile galle. nature et Symbolisme –
influences du Japan
Musée Georges de la Tour, á Vic-sur-Seille,
Marcellus, France
03.05.09 – 30.08.09
napoleon
Kunsthistorishen Museum, Vienna,
Austria
picasso–cézanne, le soleil en face
musée granet, aix-en-provence,
france
22.05.09 – 27.09.09
matisse Between the Wars
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid,
Spain
09.06.09 – 06.09.09
encompassing the globe: portugal
and the World in the 16th and
17th centuries
Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon,
Portugal
09.07.09 – 11.10.09
The caves of a Thousand Buddhas.
russian expeditions on the Silk
road
Kyoto National Museum, Kyoto, Japan
14.07.09 – 06.09.09
Worshipping Women: ritual
and reality in classical athens
National Archaeological Museum
of Athens, Greece
20.07.09 – 30.11.09
38 39

Temporary exhIbItIons
Titien, Tintoret, veronese.
rivalités á venice 1540–1600
Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
14.09.09 – 04.01.10
louis c. Tiffany: master of glass
Musée du Luxembourg, Paris, France
16.09.09 – 17.01.10
State exhibition of ice age art
and ice age culture
State Museum of Archaeology
in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
18.09.09 – 10.01.10
Telemaco Signorini and painting
in europe
Palazzo Zabarella, Padua, Italy
19.09.09 – 31.01.10
don primo mazzolari art Biennale
Parish of S. Pietro di Bozzolo, Mantua,
Italy
20.09.09 – 22.11.09
caspar david friedrich – nature
animated
National Museum of Fine Arts, Stockholm,
Sweden
01.10.09 – 10.01.10
les enfants du paradis. Theatre
and painting from neoclassicism
to modernity
Musée Cantini in Marseille, France
01.10.09 – 03.01.10
alexander the great and the opening
of the World. asian cultures
in Transformation
Curt-Engelhorn-Stiftung für das Reiss-
Engelhorn-Museum, Mannheim,
Germany
03.10.09 – 21.02.10
40
horace Walpole’s Strawberry hill
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven,
Connecticut, USA
15.10.09 – 03.01.10
Juan Bautista maino (1581–1649)
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid,
Spain
19.10.09 – 17.01.10
Tears of eros
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid,
Spain
20.10.09 – 31.01.10
The Silk road – a Journey through
art, life and death
Royal Museums of Art and History,
Brussels, Belgium
22.10.09 – 07.02.10
andré-charles Boulle (1642–1732)
and the art of his Time. a new Style
for europe
Museum für Kunst in Frankfurt
on the Main, Germany
28.10.09 – 31.01.10
Silk, gold and Kermes. luxury
in the manufactures of the visconti
and Sforza courts
Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan, Italy
29.10.09 – 21.02.10
architecture as icon
Museum of Byzantine Culture,
Thessaloniki, Greece
06.11.09 – 31.01.10
Taswir – pictorial mappings of islam
and modernity
Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Germany
05.11.09 – 18.01.10
giorgione. enigma, mystery, myth
Giorgione Museum, Castelfranco Veneto,
Italy
11.12.09 – 11.04.10
The origins of el greco: icon painting
in venetian crete
Onassis Cultural Center, New York, USA
16.11.09 – 27.02.10
J hermiTage cenTreS
hermiTage-amSTerdam exhiBiTion cenTre
amsterdam, netherlands
The fully renovated Hermitage-Amsterdam Exhibition Centre was
opened with great ceremony on 19 June 2009. Taking part in the
event were the heads of both countries: President of the Russian
Federation Dmitry Medvedev, with his wife, and Her Majesty Queen
Beatrix of the Netherlands, accompanied by His Royal Highness
Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima. Also present at the
opening of the Centre were Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister
of the Netherlands, the Presidents of the First and Second Chambers
of Parliament, the Mayor of Amsterdam, and on the Russian
side, V. Zubkov, Deputy Premier of the Government of Russia,
S. Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, A. Avdeev, Minister of Culture,
and V. Matvienko, Governor of St. Petersburg.
Over the course of the preceding week, there were twelve receptions
at the Hermitage-Amsterdam Exhibition Centre to mark the
opening, each one aimed at different audience groups. Thus the
promise made at the start of construction in May 2007 was fulfilled,
and the first visitors to the new Hermitage-Amsterdam Exhibition
Centre were the employees of the contractors and members of
their families. Then came former employees and residents of the
Amstelhof Old People’s Home, employees of the new Centre, and
representatives of the Dutch cultural and business worlds. Some two
thousand people were present at the reception for members of the
Hermitage Friends’ Club in the Netherlands.
Temporary exhIbItIons
Opening of the Hermitage-Amsterdam Exhibition Centre
Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Dmitry Medvedev,
President of the Russian Federation, with his wife
The ceremonial opening on 19 June itself was specially organised
to make the event accessible to the wider public, with the main action
taking place on the Amstel. A floating stage was constructed
in the middle of the River. Amongst the highlights of the evening
were a joint performance by the Royal Naval Orchestra of the Netherlands
and the St. Petersburg Admiralty Orchestra conducted by
Alexei Karabanov, who presented a programme that included the
famous Pictures from an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky, and a ballet
staged specially for the opening of the Hermitage-Amsterdam
by the Dutch choreographer and artistic director of the National
Ballet Hans van Mannen.
The evening ended with magnificent fireworks and the words “The
Hermitage-Amsterdam is open!” on a vast screen.
This ceremonial opening was transmitted live on Dutch television
and attracted a record number of viewers. In late 2009 the Hermitage-Amsterdam
Exhibition Centre and the Xsaga company, received
a prestigious Golden Giraffe for their organisation of the event.
The next day at 10 am the Hermitage-Amsterdam Exhibition Centre
opened its doors wide to greet the public. By tradition the first
visitor to buy a ticket was presented with a copy of the exhibition
catalogue by the Director of the Hermitage-Amsterdam, Ernst Veen.
On this occasion the first visitor was Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky,
Director of the State Hermitage Museum.
“White Night on the Amstel”, a festival launched on the day of the
opening, lasted 32 hours and attracted 32,000 visitors.
The first exhibition in the newly-opened Hermitage-Amsterdam
Exhibition Centre was specially designed for it: At the Russian Court.
Palace and Protocol in the 19th Century. It immediately enjoyed considerable
success, drawing 100,000 visitors in the first month.
One visitor came eighteen times in the course of a single month!
At the end of July 2009 the Amsterdam city administration wrote
41

Temporary exhIbItIons
to the Hermitage-Amsterdam Exhibition Centre asking that they
solve the problems being caused by the huge queues to get in to
the exhibition, with people refusing to move as they feared losing
their place in the queue.
A total of 705,000 visitors saw the exhibition At the Russian Court.
Palace and Protocol in the 19th Century, some 20 % of whom came
from abroad. Polls conducted at the exhibition revealed that nearly
everyone interviewed intended to come back to see other exhibitions
at the Centre and to recommend the exhibition to their
friends.
In addition to the temporary exhibitions of the Hermitage-Amsterdam
Exhibition Centre (occupying 2,330 m 2 in two exhibition wings,
which function alternately) there are permanent displays devoted
to the history of relations between Russia and the Netherlands, the
history of the Amstelhof complex and the historical reconstruction
of the governess’s room of the Amstelhof Old People’s Home; visitors
can also see the chapel with its restored eighteenth-century organ.
There is also an Education Centre, two large museum shops,
a 400-seat auditorium and a restaurant Neva.
Particular mention should be made of the Hermitage for Children,
which occupies a separate building, Neerlandia, formerly (2004 and
2009) the home of the Hermitage-Amsterdam Exhibition Centre.
Totally refitted for young visitors, the Centre has six classrooms,
a dining room and a children’s shop. Every year the Hermitage for
Children can accommodate 20,000 children.
On 18 June 2009 an agreement of partnership was signed by Mikhail
Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage, and Ernst Veen, Director
of the Hermitage-Amsterdam Exhibition Centre, to run until
2024.
hermiTage-iTaly cenTre
ferarra, italy
In keeping with the original concept for the establishment of a permanent
base in Ferrara, the Hermitage-Italy Centre continued its
varied activities over the course of 2009. Most important as ever was
the study programme for Russian and Italian art historians working
in a wide variety of areas. Research projects for 2009 covered not
only the fine arts but also the applied arts and theoretical questions,
from the creation of multimedia education programmes (R. Kogan
and L. Livshits), to completion of a dissertation (Ye. Shablavina)
and the museum’s central project, the compilation of catalogues
raisonnés (L. Davydova, T. Slepova). Particular mention must be
made of the Hermitage’s first ever collaboration with its Italian colleagues
on preparation of a collection catalogue, in this case of the
Hermitage’s Italian seventeenth-century paintings. The team worked
on this throughout the course of 2009. The existing programme to
bring in more scholars from other museums around Russia, so successfully
commenced in previous years, continued apace in 2009,
with scholars in residence including Professor L. Markina of the
Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, who has worked for many years on
the colony of Russian artists in Rome, and a young curator from the
Radishchev Art Gallery in Saratov, M. Shchetina, whose forthcoming
dissertation is on Italian Neo-Classical sculpture in Russian museums.
Italian scholars manifested an increasing interest in studying
cultural exchange between Russia and Italy in the 18th and 19th
centuries – notably the presence of an extensive colony of Russian
artists on the Apennine Peninsula (Alessandra Rizzi), and connoisseurs
and art lovers travelling in Italy (Silvia Villa). One of the grant
projects was the direct result of the Garofalo exhibition held in Ferrara
the previous year – the Dutch scholar Arvi Vattel selected the
complex of paintings from the Monastery of San Bernardino as the
subject of his dissertation.
Part of a separate programme, but very much part of the Hermitage’s
activities in Italy, was the partnership between the Classical Antiquity
Department and the Fondazione Restoring Ancient Stabia:
in October a joint conference and round table were held in Castellamare,
the participants including historians, archaeologists and restorers
from both sides. An agreement was signed on the joint study
and restoration of Graeco-Roman archaeological artefacts and the
Hermitage’s involvement in excavations of ancient Italian towns in
the area covered by the eruption of Vesuvius was confirmed.
Although no exhibition was held in Ferrara itself in 2009, the
Centre’s involvement in coordinating exhibitions in other Italian
towns continued to grow. A number of exhibitions were held under
the aegis of the Ferrara Centre. In the Veneto there were two,
Canaletto: the Majesty of Venice (Treviso), and Giorgione. Mystery.
Legend. Myth (Castelfranco Veneto), both of which enjoyed large
visitor numbers. Three exhibitions composed entirely or almost entirely
from objects from the Hermitage also drew a considerable
audience: Spanish Painting of the 16th and 17th Centuries at Castello
Visconteo in Pavia, Imperial Porcelain from the Hermitage
Collection at the Palazzo Madama in Turin and Style of the Tzars.
Italian Textiles in Russia in the 13th to 18th Centuries at the Textile
Museum in Prato.
The latter exhibition is worthy of particular note. Preparations took
two years and were a model of collaboration between Italian and
Temporary exhIbItIons
Russian curators. The selection of exhibits, discussion of the content
and writing of the essays were all joint procedures, conducted
in an atmosphere of rare friendship and mutual understanding.
The main curators of the exhibition were the Hermitage curator
of textiles Tatyana Lekhovich, the curator from the Prato Museum
of Textiles, Daniela degli Innocenti, and the internationally renowned
specialist in Italian textiles Dr. Roberta Orso Landini. This
was the first large international exhibition to be held in the Museum
in Prato, a city famed as the heart of Italian weaving since
the medieval period. Textiles are not always the most striking exhibits,
despite the complexity of their production and the finesse
of their finish, and despite the fact that Italian textiles had reached
great heights in terms of patterns and technique as early as the 14th
to 15th centuries. Such was their brilliance that they were prized
equally with jewellery. Thanks to a skilful choice of complementary
material – paintings, drawings, watercolours, maps and archive
documents, costumes and jewellery – the exhibition presented
a broad and fascinating picture of the close trading links enjoyed
by Russia and the Italian states over the course of several centuries.
Moreover, the exhibition was superbly designed, all elements combining
a fine understanding of the objects on display and a daring
approach to attracting the viewer’s attention, including the use of
film: in one room a screen running high up along one wall showed
scenes (without sound) from Eisenstein’s films Alexander Nevsky and
Ivan the Terrible. Other participants in the exhibition included the
State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg and the Moscow Kremlin
Museums, three museums in Florence, the Uffizi, Pitti and Bargello,
the Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo e Centro studi di storia del tessuto
e del costume in Venice and the Archivio di Stato di Venezia.
In July there was a meeting in Ferrara of the Centre’s Scholarly
Committee, with Mikhail Piotrovsky in the chair. This set out the
Centre’s plans for 2010 and 2011, the latter being the year of Russian
language and culture in Italy, and Italian language and culture
in Russia.
Director of the Hermitage-Italy Centre
Irina Artemieva
42 43

Temporary exhIbItIons
hermiTage-KaZan cenTre
Kazan, republic of Tatarstan, russia
chronicle of evenTS
21 march
Programme Nauruz. Festive Culture of the Countries
of Central Asia and Iran, based on the Hermitage
exhibition From China to Europe. Art
of the Islamic World.
25 march
Opening of the exhibition A Hermitage Walk
with the Cat of Kazan. Seventy-two Kazan artists
presented more than 200 works in various
techniques. Hero of the exhibition was the
Cat of Kazan, a central figure in the Russian
popular print known as the lubok, both a legend
and yet a part of the Hermitage today.
Paintings, works on paper and sculptures, ceramics,
soft toys and textiles created the backdrop
for musical and artistic evenings, morning
gatherings and entertainments. There was
a children’s cinema, Kino-Cat.
march and october
Concerts were held in March and October:
Great ‘Old Men’ and Their Worthy Contemporaries
and Table Music from an Elegant Age, performed
by the ensemble for ancient music Seconda
prattica.
12–16 may
Media ART in the Kazan Kremlin
This week-long festival included public lectures
and video displays. Media artists – among
them Vladimir Logutov (Samara), Andrei Suzdalev,
Lida Kanashova (Moscow), Yevgeny
Strelkov (Nizhny Novgorod) and Vladimir
Seleznev (Yekaterinburg) – presented master
classes.
26 august
Hermitage Assembly, marking the Centre’s
fourth anniversary. Tied to the opening of the
Hermitage exhibition From China to Europe. Art
of the Islamic World.
7–10 september
Museum Administration – 21st Century: National
training programme by UNESCO / ICOM in
museum management, for Russian Federation
specialists. The subject was “Exhibition
Activity and Museum Education Projects
of the Hermitage-Kazan Centre”.
22 september
The opening of the exhibition Gods’ Children.
Classical Heroes in Ancient and New Art was the
central event of 2009 at the Hermitage-Kazan
Centre. It included exhibits from the Hermit-
44
Opening of the exhibition Gods’ Children. Classical Heroes in Ancient and New Art
Z. Valeeva, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan, Minister of Culture of the Republic
of Tatarstan; R. Khayrutdinov, Director of the State Historical-Architectural and Artistic Museum Reserve
“Kazan Kremlin”, Kazan; V. Matveyev, Deputy Director of the State Hermitage Museum
for Exhibitions and Development
age’s collection of Antiquities linked with Ancient
Greek heroic cults, and European works
from the Renaissance and modern period
showing real historical figures from Antiquity
who traced their descent to divine and heroic
individuals. The exhibition showed how the
life of the heroes of Antiquity was perceived in
European culture over many centuries.
Before the ceremonial opening of the exhibition
a press conference was held by the Director
of the State Historical-Architectural and
Artistic Museum Reserve “Kazan Kremlin”,
R. Khayrutdinov, and the Deputy Director of
the State Hermitage Museum, V. Matveyev.
Amongst those present at the exhibition was
Z. Valeeva, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister
of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan.
october–december
Between October and December the Hermitage-Kazan
Centre played host to the Club
20/21, a laboratory of contemporary art. The
project included the following series:
“Arsenal of Contemporary Art”:
– Lexicon of Contemporary Art
Leading Russian artists discussed their own
understanding of the term “contemporary
art”, illustrating it through their own artistic
practice;
– Portrait of the Contemporary Artist
A monographic series presenting the work of
leading Russian artists whose names are al-
ready part of the history of contemporary art,
using large and small exhibitions as examples
1) The artist instead of the work,
2) The painting in “its own” words,
3) Chance in the museum and other installations,
4) O&A Florensky;
– Subjects in Contemporary Art
Four subjects presenting the author’s view
of several key problems regularly dealt with by
contemporary art
1) Old and new myths,
2) Games and toys,
3) Laughter and tears,
4) The art of Femina;
– The Institute of Contemporary Art
Museums, biennales, art fairs (Biennales
in Istambul–Quanzhou–Moscow–Venice);
– Contemporary Strategies in Russian Art
The example of leading contemporary Russian
artists;
– Olga and Alexander Florensky, Leonid Tishkov
– Vladislav Mamyshev (Monroe), Alexander Vinogradov
and Vladimir Dubosarsky.
J curaTorS on exhiBiTionS
exhiBiTion the MysteRy of the GolDen
Mask
This exhibition was devoted to one of the most interesting
and mysterious burials of a member of the Bosporan nobility
during the Roman age. The burial was discovered by
A. Ashik, Director of the Kerch Museum, in 1837, during excavations
of a large burial mound near the village of Glinishcho
(modern Kerch). Inside and surrounding the marble
sarcophagus were several silver and bronze vessels, some
gold jewellery, many silver and gold plaques and a horse’s
bridle decorated with Sarmatian symbols. The most remarkable
item was a mask made from sheet gold representing
a human face. In its realism and the quality of its execution,
the Kerch mask is absolutely unique. An inscription
on a silver plate from the burial mentions the name of the
Bosporan King Reskuporid.
This unique burial was the subject of heated academic discussion
almost from the very start. Ashik himself asserted
that the dead person was female, but the presence of items
typical for male burials and the mask with its depiction
of a male face gave rise to doubt. Nor was there any agreement
on the date, which was variously put at between the
1st and 4th centuries. It was these unique features which
determined the nature of the exhibition.
On the one hand, this was the first ever display of all the
objects from the burial, which allowed people to see the
whole complex of finds. At the same time, it was possible
to show a number of other burial masks to demonstrate
the burial traditions of different cultures (Ancient Egypt,
the Tashtyk culture, etc). Two other gold masks in the Hermitage
collection deriving from Sarmatian burials of the
1st and 2nd centuries were also displayed.
Very important within the context of the exhibition was
the catalogue. In addition to presenting all the objects in
the burial, this included articles by a number of authors
dealing with the discovery of the burial and the dating and
provenance of different objects from the archaeological
complex overall. At times the different authors arrived
at very different conclusions, thus making this publication
a forum for discussion, of the kind vital to a full understanding
of the complex.
Sociological studies were carried out among visitors to the
exhibition, in which respondents themselves discussed
the questions of the individual’s sex and the character
of the mask, often coming to quite paradoxical conclusions.
It is my hope that the nature of the exhibition meant
that it was of interest both to specialists and to those without
any prior knowledge of the subject.
A. Butyagin
Temporary exhIbItIons
The ChaMbeR of book CuRiosities
in the heRMitaGe exhiBiTion
The Chamber of Book Curiosities takes its name from the German
word Kunstkammer (Kunst – art; Kammer – chamber),
which was the term frequently used to describe what
is also known as a Cabinet or Chamber of Curiosities.
It is within the tradition of the “Chamber of Curiosities”
that the Research Library of the State Hermitage Museum,
the oldest museum library in Russia, proposed this first exhibition
of its greatest rarities, some 128 exhibits dating
from the 14th to 21st century.
One of the Winter Palace’s most elegant rooms, the Rotunda,
was filled with books set apart from more traditional
manuscripts or printed books by their unusual form, dimensions
or bindings, including art objects and painted
trompe l’oeil books in oil on panel, produced in Holland
in the first quarter of the 18th century.
Many different materials were used for the different bindings
– beads and embroidery, lacquer and enamels, watercolour
on paper and sheets of music paper, textiles and
fur, ivory, mother-of-pearl and birch bark – and for the
slipcases and other containers for the storage of books –
chests, book stands, small cupboards and drawers. The display
cases also presented publications showing samples of
textiles, lace, cloth for military uniforms, different kinds
of wood and carpet weaving.
The exhibition included giant books and dwarf books, the
heaviest books and the longest. Of particular interest were
books of unusual construction: a sixteenth-century publication
made up of eight different blocks intertwined within
a single binding without a spine, that opens up on six sides;
playful books in card; books with movable paper details.
In the Oriental section of the exhibition were scrolls, different
editions of the Koran and the Torah, and the folding
“harmonica” books that replaced the scroll book.
In the artists’ books section, the exhibition presented the
works of leading contemporary artists working in this genre,
producing works of unusual form that make unusual
use of materials.
This unique collection of books was supplemented by objects
from the Department of the History of Russian Culture,
the Department of Western European Fine Arts and
the Department of Western European Applied Arts: these
included rarely-exhibited small sculptures and decorative
objects in the form of books.
The resulting exhibition was both fascinating and accessible
to visitors of all ages and levels of education. The catalogue,
which included certain playful elements, was awarded
the 2009 prize in the “Art Book” category at “The Art of
the Book: the VI International Competition for the Countries
of the Former Soviet Union”.
O. Zimina
45

Temporary exhIbItIons
J SociologiSTS on exhiBiTionS
viSiTorS To ChaMbeR of book CuRiosities
in the heRMitaGe: impreSSionS, opinionS,
aSSeSSmenTS
Chamber of Book Curiosities in the Hermitage brought together
items from the Research Library of the State Hermitage
Museum, the oldest museum library in Russia. It contained
128 books that differ markedly from traditional manuscripts
and printed works, presenting the wider public with
a rare chance to see objects usually accessible only to a narrow
circle of museum curators, historians and bibliophiles.
Visitors could view the thickest book in the Hermitage
Library – an Alphabetic Index to the Collection of Government
Laws and Decrees of 1913, which measures 18.5 cm. Or the
longest book in the Hermitage, a scroll measuring 6.16 m
which reproduces the Bayeux Tapestry, relating the story
of the Norman invasion of Southern England. Amongst
the miniature books measuring between 2.5 and 5.8 cm
were Russian Orthodox and Muslim religious works and
tiny works on secular subjects. The largest section of the
exhibition was composed of bindings making use of varied
materials and techniques. This unique collection of books
was supplemented by rarely shown pieces of applied art
and miniature sculptures in the shape of books: watches
and clocks, feather stands, bottles, medallions, a matchbox
and key ring, a paperweight and a purse, a writing set and
even a trompe l’oeil painted book.
Over the course of 56 days, from April to June, the exhibition
had some 70,000 visitors.
The visitors were predominantly female, women making
up three quarters (75%) of those taking part in the opinion
poll carried out at the exhibition.
More than half of all respondents (57%) were under the
age of 30. About one quarter (27%) were aged between
31 and 50. Just 16% were over 50 years old.
Most visitors (67%) had completed higher education or
had started, but not completed, a higher education course
(22%).
The greater part of the visitors were young people in education
(school and college – 24%), people not in work
(pensioners and housewives – 13%), then teachers (8%),
engineers and skilled workers (8%), businessmen (8%)
and middle managers (8%).
56% of the Russian-speaking visitors to the exhibition were
residents of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.
Those from other regions of the Russian Federation made
up 35%, and those from the former Soviet Union and further
afield 9%.
Two fifths of those questioned (40%) knew about the exhibition
before they visited the museum. Their main sources
of information were the internet, personal communication,
the museum itself and the press.
96% of responses were positive. Of those questioned,
nearly 80% gave the exhibition the highest score, noting
such positive aspects as the striking demonstration of rare
books, the exhibition’s variety and the uniqueness of the
exhibits:
“I really liked it, for the exhibition creates a good picture
of how book printing developed and also shows some interesting
art objects!” (Pyatigorsk, female, 17 years old, secondary
education, schoolgirl);
“Very impressive. The exhibits are attractive for their
unique and original qualities” (St. Petersburg, female,
37 years old, higher technical education, engineer with the
Lukoil oil company);
“I was pleasantly surprised by such unusual exhibits.
I have never seen anything like it” (St. Petersburg, female,
18 years old, unfinished higher scientific education,
student at St. Petersburg Chemical Pharmacological
Academy);
“I never knew there could be such a variety of objects shaped
like books” (Kaluga, female, 26 years old, higher humanitarian
education, employee in the town administration).
88% of those questioned spoke positively of the exhibition
design, noting its unity and aesthetic qualities, the good selection
and arrangement of objects, how convenient it was
to look at, and the provision of explanatory texts:
“The exhibition presents a finished and unified picture”
(Orenburg, male, 29 years old, higher economic education,
manager of a garage);
“The objects are well put together, and arranged conveniently
for the viewer” (St. Petersburg, female, 71 years old,
higher technical education, pensioner).
The explanatory material at the exhibition was used by 90%
of those questioned. Most popular were the labels in the
cases and the wall text. The highest rating was awarded to
the catalogue, which was available for visitors to read in the
exhibition space. Most comments about the explanatory
information were positive, noting the quality of its content,
its accessibility and suitability to the visitors’ interests:
“The catalogue is detailed and interesting” (St. Petersburg,
male, 18 years old, unfinished higher technical education,
student at St. Petersburg State University for Precision Mechanics
and Optics);
“The wall text is easy to read” (Krasnodar Region, female,
higher technical education, business IT engineer);
“The film was very informative and forms a good complement
to the exhibition” (Moscow, female, 20 years old, unfinished
higher humanitarian education, student at Moscow
Lomonosov State University).
A. Roshchin
The exhiBiTion “the PeRfeCt ViCtoRy”.
300 yeaRs of the battle of PoltaVa
aS Seen By viSiTorS To The hermiTage
This exhibition ran for 112 days from May to September.
Over that time it was seen by some 560,000 visitors, with an
average of 5,000 visitors each day.
Those visiting the exhibition were predominantly female,
who made up nearly three quarters (71%) of those taking
part in the survey.
The exhibition was of interest to all generations – young
people, middle aged and elderly. Most visitors to the exhibition
(51%) were young people under 30 years old.
Visitors with higher or incomplete higher education made
up 76% of those questioned.
Many of the visitors were from higher and secondary educational
institutions, making up 22% of respondents. Second
place was occupied by middle managers (15%) and
in third place were pensioners, school teachers and college
tutors. Next came technical and medical workers and
members of the military.
Social origin (% of respondents)
students
Schoolchildren, pupils at specialist secondary
institutions 8
Students in higher education
In employment
14
Managers and administrators 15
Teachers and tutors 9
Engineering and technical 7
Medical staff 5
Military 5
Businessmen 4
Workers 4
Accountants 3
Research staff 3
Artists, designers, restorers 2
Civil servants 2
Economists 1
Hairdressers 1
Librarians 1
Theatre employees
not in employment
1
Pensioners 10
Housewives 4
Unemployed 1
Most respondents were residents of the Russian Federation
(88%), of whom 30% were inhabitants of St. Petersburg.
10% were Russian speakers living abroad in the former Soviet
states and beyond.
More than half of respondents were aware of the exhibition
before their visit (57%). The main sources of information
were the museum itself, street advertising in St. Petersburg,
personal communication from relatives and friends.
Temporary exhIbItIons
Artistic and aesthetic motives dominated in an analysis
of why visitors attended the exhibition – they brought in just
over three fifths of respondents (63%). Historical interests
and a fascination with dates, facts and events linked to the
Battle of Poltava drew a quarter of respondents (26%).
6% had specific interest in the individuals involved in the
battle, being drawn by the aims and intents which guided
Peter I, Charles XII and those around them during the
Northern War.
By far the majority of visitors (97%) qualified the exhibition
as “excellent” or “good”. In their responses to the exhibition,
viewers noted its objectivity and its lack of a political
agenda; they appreciated its historical informativeness, its
patriotic resonance and the aesthetic quality of the exhibits:
“This exhibition is particularly necessary today, when there
is so much talk about the Battle of Poltava and so many conflicting
opinions about it” (Arkhangelsk, female, 60 years
old, higher humanitarian education, theatre employee);
“The exhibition presents a single picture of the battle,
without dividing people into ‘them’ and ‘us’ and thus
represents a serious Russian contribution to the preservation
of knowledge of military history” (Petrozavodsk, male,
50 years old, higher technical education, police employee);
“These seem not to be merely exhibits, but living history”
(Buryatia, female, 14 years old, secondary education,
schoolgirl).
82% particularly praised the exhibition design, noting the
arrangement of the cases in the Nicholas Hall, its good
structure and comprehensibility.
On average, three out of every four respondents stated
that the exhibition was particularly relevant, that it dealt
fully and objectively with the subject:
“The subject is extremely relevant. The way it is dealt with
in the exhibition emphasises the greatness of this victory
by the Russian army” (Astrakhan, female, 57 years old,
46 47

Temporary exhIbItIons
higher scientific education, specialist in infectious diseases
at the Astrakhan Anti-Rabies Centre);
“The subject is dealt with in a way that is accessible to both
schoolchildren and adults” (Germany, female, 24 years
old, higher humanitarian education, teacher).
This sociological study demonstrated the exhibition’s success
in terms of educating the wider public. A considerable
number of visitors – one in four (26%) – noted that the exhibition
had considerably altered and added to their knowledge
of the Battle of Poltava and related events (amongst
them were representatives of all social groups: secondary
school students, college students, school teachers and
college tutors, managers and businessmen, accountants,
scholars, doctors, customs officials and members of the
military, engineers and technical workers, unskilled workers,
housewives and pensioners):
vieWerS on The exhiBiTion
“the beautiful one has CoMe”.
MasteRPieCes of PoRtRaituRe
fRoM the eGyPtian MuseuM, beRlin
For most visitors their acquaintance with Nefertiti was
a revelation, almost a miracle; for a smaller group, older
inhabitants of St. Petersburg, the display of the sculptural
portraits of Nefertiti in the Hermitage rooms was something
they had awaited for many years.
The exhibition was held in the Picket Hall of the Winter
Palace and was visited by 320,000 visitors (between 23 June
and 20 September). Although it covered the summer
months, the breakdown of the visitors reveals that most
of them were inhabitants of St. Petersburg:
Inhabitants of St. Petersburg 74.8%;
People from outside St. Petersburg 21.6%;
People from the former Soviet states 3.6%.
Among the visitors were many teachers from higher education
institutions, students, members of the artistic intelligentsia,
historians, orientalists and scholars. A major group
was composed of people working in finance and business,
with slightly fewer people coming from the technical intelligentsia.
More than half of respondents expressed an
interest in the exhibition “The Beautiful One Has Come”
(50.5%) and to new exhibitions at the Hermitage (16.2%),
with 33.3% being interested in the museum overall.
The exhibition itself was assessed by visitors not just positively
but very highly: there was a positive response from
* In terms of age, visitors under 30 dominated (49%); the remaining
groups were more or less equally divided. The overall educational
level was high: higher or incomplete higher education – 88.2%; postgraduate
qualification – 2%; secondary or specialist secondary – 10%.
“I learned many new things” (Udomlya, Tver Region, female,
62 years old, incomplete higher humanitarian education,
pensioner);
“I now better understand the intensity, complexity and
multiplicity of events around the Battle of Poltava” (St. Petersburg,
female, 26 years old, incomplete higher humanitarian
education, senior specialist in LLS North West Customs
Control);
“I learned about Charles XII’s plan for a war with Russia,
I saw the weapons carried by the Swedes” (Lobnya, Moscow
Region, male, 18 years old, specialised secondary education,
sales consultant for LLS “TVOYO”);
“I now have a better and fuller understanding of what they
were talking about in history lessons” (St. Petersburg, female,
16 years old, secondary education, student at a technical
college).
A. Roshchin
46.8% of respondents; 35.2% rated it highly or very highly;
18% did not respond.
These positive results can be seen as a sign of satisfaction
with the exhibition overall. A more profound analysis of
the responses needs to take account of the qualities of key
aspects of the exhibition:
1) the content and quality of the purpose of the exhibition
(the exhibition concept);
2) the artistic value of the objects, their significance within
the structure of the exhibition;
3) the use of necessary explanatory texts.
A large percentage (42%) were very brief in their response:
“interesting”, “good”, “amazing”, etc, and most of these,
when asked to comment on individual works, revealed no
profound understanding, defining their attitude simply
with one or two words: “very interesting” (portrait), “beautiful”,
“ordinary”, “I liked it”, “unique”, etc, or they gave
no answer.
A smaller group of respondents, mostly inhabitants of
St. Petersburg, gave fuller responses, not only regarding
the general nature of their impressions but demonstrating
an understanding of the exhibition concept, its significance
and uniqueness. These visitors, whom we might
call artistically informed, had a broader perception of the
room with Nefertiti, appraising the exhibition both in
terms of content and as an exhibition design. We shall cite
several responses.
One factor in the exhibition organisation that was seen
as successful was the use of explanatory texts, which were
much appreciated by visitors: excellent – 84%; good – 8%;
a third group of visitors offered their own variations (9%):
“It is most important to provide maximum information:
the way things are made, a photograph of where things
were excavated and such like” (St. Petersburg, female, 50);
“It should have been possible to introduce an element
of concept or lyricism into the texts; I would have liked
some references to works by Egyptologists” (St. Petersburg,
male, 58, teacher).
In addition to overall impressions, visitors stopped by each
of the sculptures in order to answer the question: what
emotions do these images arouse? The purpose of this
question was to allow respondents to express their personal
attitude to the portraits on display, to create their own
image through the expression of emotions and a penetration
of their artistic sensibilities.
Nefertiti (sandstone, paint)
The most frequent expressions of a sense of revelation,
of warmth of response or great enthusiasm, were aroused
by the young Nefertiti.
Nefertiti (granodiorite)
The response to this image was quite specific, some viewers
being struck most by the keen sense of the passing of time,
which prompting varied assessments:
– mystery or rather secretiveness? (male, 23);
– maturity, severity, wisdom; material matching the image
(male, 27);
– amazing how wonderfully and perceptively the age has
been conveyed (female, 48).
As regards the queen’s head, visitors wrote of the portrait’s
unusual nature, its contrast with the other images, and
sought to compare them:
– finely executed but too neutral and distant (male, 22);
– a rare flower unfolding – a lotus (female);
– it is amazing, can this be Nefertiti’s daughter? She is so
different (female, 50);
– en face it is wonderful, in profile – one feels surprise and
disbelief (male, 55).
Interestingly, in answering the question “in what way are
we like those who lived several thousand years ago” most
respondents emphasised: “we feel the same emotions”
(65%); “we have the same perception of the world” (7%),
the rest (28%), who marked the response “other”, provided
a wide ranging sweep of opinions, in which the subject
of Egyptian art was interwoven with contemporary moral
and aesthetic questions: “we have the same love of beauty
and the same respect for art”; “no, we no longer see many
of the same things”; “everything is more complicated, further
from the truths of Beauty and purity of spirit”; “loyalty,
love, merit and hate, these things we probably appreciate
in the same way as people did many centuries ago”.
“Who is Nefertiti?” was the last question put to respondents.
Don’t know – 14.4%.
A large proportion of respondents stated the following:
Nefertiti is a queen (36%), Nefertiti is a wife (27%), evidence
that they had understood the special place occupied
by Nefertiti during the reign of Akhenaton.
Nefertiti – A beautiful woman (21.6%), a response based
on the direct perception of the unique images created by
a brilliant sculptor.
T. Galich
Temporary exhIbItIons
The exhiBiTion newsPeak: viSiTorS’
commenTS and aSSeSSmenTS
The exhibition Newspeak: British Art Now brought in a large
number of visitors (about 300,000). Since up to 90% of
all visitors to the Hermitage pass through the Nicholas
Hall, in which the exhibition was held, we have a rare opportunity
to asses how contemporary art is received by the
broader museum public, not just specific admirers of and
specialists in contemporary art, the usual visitors to such
shows.
We shall summarise the results of the study. Above all, we
should note the specific composition of the visitors. There
was only a slight predominance of inhabitants of St. Petersburg
(52%), which was due to the increase in people from
outside (48%) during the winter holidays; typical for the
museum overall was the relative proportion of men (36%)
and women (64%); a large proportion of visitors (77%)
had higher or unfinished higher education, mostly technical
or in the humanities. It is notable that the exhibition
drew a large number of young people (67%), about half
of them students.
How did visitors view the exhibition overall? Positively
73%; negatively 9%; 18% either answered “don’t know” or
said that they had conflicting responses.
That the overall response to the exhibition Newspeak. British
Art Now was positive is demonstrated by the following.
Some 70% of those questioned said it was right to hold the
exhibition in the Hermitage. Many of them willingly provided
justification for the need, usefulness and relevance
of the show. Here are certain expressions: “this exhibition
is necessary, because we know little about contemporary
art”, “it tells us about the British view of the world in the
20th century”, “it stimulates our perception of current reality”,
“it allows one to see the latest tendencies in contemporary
art, which you might like or not, but which you cannot
ignore”, “it is evidence of the museum’s ability to be up
to date and not get stuck in the mud”.
There were also, however, critical responses (about one
tenth of visitors). These were relatively typical for exhibitions
of non-traditional art: “these works can have no claim
to be masterpieces”, “making a mockery of art and beauty”,
“this exhibition is simply an expression of fashion”,
“ephemeral innovation and entertainment”, “this ‘creativity’
has emerged from graffiti and posters which offer
no profound thought; most of it is superficial, although
beautiful”.
Viewers expressed their overall impressions through a series
of definitions. The most common description was
“originality” – noted by 42% of respondents. Responses
also frequently included the words “emotional”, “interesting”,
“unexpected”, “expressive”, “ironic”, “playful”,
“beautiful”.
Although the exhibition prompted considerable interest
and approbation in the greater proportion of visitors, they
48 49

Temporary exhIbItIons
did not tend to look at the whole of the exhibition and in
general they did not understand the cultural meaning encapsulated
in the British works. Evidence for this is found
in the relatively small number of works that visitors found
pleasing, in contrast to other exhibitions of contemporary
art. Visitors tended to limit themselves to the most easily
comprehensible or striking works, which presented no
problems in mastering the new language of art.
Three works were undoubtedly the favourites: Swarm by
Tessa Farmer (40% of all choices), It Happened in the Corner…
by Littlewhitehead (27%) and Black Grape by Dick
Evans (23%).
The first of these usually struck visitors with the “skill”,
“miniature nature” or “fine work”. The second was particularly
popular with young people, because it required
audience participation (“it created the impression of real
events”, “I really felt the people in the corner were alive”).
The meaning of the provocation was also understandable
(“My reactions are just as much those of the crowd as those
of any other person”, “you want to go and look at what they
are looking at”, “you want to know what is happening”).
Dick Evans’ sculpture, on the other hand, gave rise to an
aesthetic rather than a psychological response (“this work
of art is very beautiful”, “I really admire this work and its
technical realisation”, “the exhibit is really beautiful but
it is spoiled somewhat by the jar with its cigarette butts”,
“you really want to take them away”).
The works exhibited were often perceived by visitors as
“experiments” (43%) or “a new stage in the development
of art” (25%).
50
In studying the visitors as a whole, we also noted their division
into groups. With the aid of factor analysis we identified
five groups of viewers, divided mainly according
to their different responses to the exhibition.
The first group (about one fifth of respondents), who
expressed the most positive responses to the exhibition,
was the most active in terms of museum visits and in how
informed they were about art, including contemporary
art both foreign and Russian. This included young people
of 18–29 years old, students and others, with an education
in the humanities or the arts, mostly women and residents
of St. Petersburg.
The second group, who also had a positive response, was
varied in age, education and profession, and was composed
of very young and elderly female inhabitants of St. Petersburg
who are frequent visitors to the Hermitage. They are
acquainted with but not specialists in contemporary art.
The next group (approximately one third of the auditorium),
also giving a positive response to the exhibition, included
men and women who were visiting the museum for
the first time and who had come across the exhibition by
chance; they were mainly middle aged, following a variety
of professions, relatively unfamiliar with art, particularly
contemporary art. They had enjoyed their visit to the Hermitage,
including their visit to this exhibition.
Conflicting emotions were expressed by a relatively limited
group of visitors – these were mixed-gender groups
of young people, of schoolchildren or students of technical
colleges, most of them from out of town. They were unfamiliar
with contemporary art and their artistic interests
tended to be limited to classic works of Russian art.
A critical attitude to the exhibition was characteristic of the
last group, consisting of inhabitants of St. Petersburg of
middle and old age, with higher education, who were
regular visitors to the Hermitage. This group was mixed
in terms of gender and profession, including professional
artists. They were familiar with contemporary art but rejected
it, preferring foreign and Russian traditional art.
I. Bogacheva
J preSS reporTS
on exhiBiTionS
meiSSen porcelain. 1900–1930.
from The collecTion of The hauS
der KunST, remShalden
The words “Meissen porcelain” seem to be
associated with something very old. The Hermitage
is showing the history of the manufactory
in the first half of the 20th century,
when it was already 200 years old, with items
from the Haus der Kunst in the German town
of Remshalden-Grunbach. Aesthetes are here
given the opportunity to see the differences
between Art Nouveau and Art Deco…
Speaking up for Art Deco is the chess set of
Max Esser, whose subjects are profound and
deceptive. Most of the figures are octopi, the
kings are large octopi, the pawns are small.
Only the elephants* have become crabs in
fighting positions, and the horses have of
course turned into sea horses…
V. Sh., “The Horse Became a Crab”,
Gorod, 23 March 2009
This exhibition introduces St. Petersburg
art lovers to a little-known period in porcelain
production at this famous manufactory in
Saxony, the first half of the 20th century…
Inspiration for the appearance of a new style
came from the Exposition Universelle in Paris
in 1900. The Art Deco style flourished after
the First World War. A combination of elegant
forms, precious materials and expressive
colours already lay behind the Art Nouveau
style.
Eugene von Arb, “Exhibition of Porcelain
in the Hermitage, Meissen – Art Nouveau
and Art Deco”, Nemetskaya afisha
v Sankt-Peterburge, February 2009
“The cooperaTive for proleTarian
arT” of friedrich BraSS:
a collecTion of german avanTgarde
arT in SovieT ruSSia
During preparation of this exhibition in the
Hermitage, scholars were forced to untangle
the confusion of ties between German and
Russian avant-garde artists, collectors, dealers,
Communist agents, Soviet cultural bureaucrats
and revolutionary activists…
The result is a most unusual exhibition. Here
works are united not by the taste of a connoisseur
or art lover. This is not a selection
*NB Bishops are known in Russian as elephants,
knights as horses.
of the best or the most characteristic. This
is a chance cross-section, and therefore it is
objective: a picture of artistic life in Germany
during the 1920s, when creative experiments
were interwoven with social convictions.
Ludmila Svetlova, “Getting Through
to the Thick-Skinned”, Time Out,
March 2009
German left-wing artists had no more luck
than other artistic revolutionaries in the 20th
century. They had reason to be so gloomy.
They seemed to have a premonition of the
fate that awaited them.
You come to understand the nature of the
20th century, with its fantastical interweaving
of different fates, when you learn that
these prints and drawings by members of
the previously unknown German “Cooperative
for Proletarian Art” were discovered in
St. Petersburg, in the Hermitage, by a member
of staff in the Prints Department, Mikhail
Dedinkin. He too discovered the creator of the
cooperative, the Communist Friedrich Brass,
who disappeared on the eve of the Nazis’ rise
to power.
Nikita Yeliseev, “A Side Product
of World Revolution”, Ekspert Severo-
Zapad, 6 April 2009
BoriS Smelov. reTroSpecTive
Yet whatever one says of Smelov as a bearer
of the spirit of St. Petersburg, as a photographer
he was entirely outside all place and time.
Through his works, eternity enters the flow of
Leningrad days. He might have lived and photographed
with equal success in Rome or Paris.
It is with some reason that the exhibition
curator, Arkady Ippolitov, compares Smelov to
Joseph Brodsky in terms of the two men’s significance:
both emerged from St. Petersburg’s
alleys and yards into the world in which they
were representatives of something larger and
more sublime. After Smelov, it became almost
impossible for photographers to shoot St. Petersburg
differently. Now the image of the city
was forever black and white and thoughtful,
with unexpected and amazing details: a tiny
spider caught by the photographer’s lens on
the stone cheek of a statue in the Summer
Gardens, a drop of rain suspended on the statue’s
nose, sprays of Neva water fanning up
over the parapet against the backdrop of the
Neo-Classical panorama of the Spit of Vasilyevsky
Island.
Anna Matveeva, “A Print of the Highest”,
Kommersant, 20 March 2009
Temporary exhIbItIons
Individual production led to the situation with
Smelov today, even less flexible than a stone
tomb in the Smolenskoe Cemetery. No one
learns to value him as a photographer, as
an individual he is being forgotten. Just like
in the old joke, “That’s not what we like him
for”. By the time this retrospective opened
in the Hermitage, an exhibition that should at
last finally and officially canonise him, the famously
unknown Boris Smelov had already
been transformed into something that is disappearing
as fast as the city that he photographed;
the name of the petit Boris has become
almost a password known to ever fewer
people…
Konstantin Agunovich, “ProPiter”,
Afisha, 9 March 2009
chamBer of BooK curioSiTieS
in The hermiTage
At this exhibition one can see books of different
peoples from around the world,
from Europe, from the Near and Far East.
Some were created by famous masters such
At the exhibition Chamber of Book Curiosities
in the Hermitage
51

Temporary exhIbItIons
as Albrecht Dürer, others by our contemporaries.
One whole part of the exhibition is
made up of objects by contemporary artists –
Yury Shtapakov, Anatoly Belkin, Mikhail Karasik,
Dmitry Sirotkin…
Amongst the most striking of all is one book
which at first sight one wishes to nominate
the very oldest, or at least “the most torn”.
But in fact it proves to have been made only
recently, in 1999, by Pyotr Perevezentsev,
and to be titled “Endless Book”: it has no cover
as such, but is mounted on an axis around
which the “aged” pages turn in different directions.
Alina Tsiopa, “The Book of Books”,
Nevskoe vremya, 3 April 2009
…One might fantasise and imagine the time
when this rare book will be digitised and put
on the Internet, on the Hermitage site. It may
just happen and very soon.
Then one asks, why go to a museum and look
at a book through glass? Here it seems important
to note one thing. In a museum, the
book looks authentic, equal unto itself. In its
original form it is perceived as part of living
history. Here, in the Rotunda, everything is
truth, nothing is misleading, there is no virtual
exaggeration.
Mikhail Kuzmin, “To Look in a Book
and See a Quadriga…”, Chas pik,
8–14 April 2009
The mySTery
of The golden maSK
All of this unheard of beauty was uncovered
by Russian archaeologists in a burial not far
from Kerch in 1837. It was the Director of the
Kerch Museum Anton Ashik who was fortunate
enough to find it, and to receive as a reward
from Emperor Nicholas I a gold ring set
with diamonds. Inside the barrow a stone sarcophagus
was found, containing the remains
of a woman, thought to have been a queen.
Her body was scattered with gold plaques
and her head adorned with a broad golden
wreath. But most of all the archaeologists
were amazed by the portrait golden mask that
covered the dead woman’s face.
Yelena Druzhinina, “The Mystery
of the Golden Mask”, Reklama-Shans,
13 May 2009
Inside the large barrow they found a marble
sarcophagus in which lay, at her eternal rest,
a queen – or so thought Ashik – in robes scattered
with golden plaques and with a wreath
The Mystery of the Golden Mask
upon her head. Most amazing of all, the dead
woman’s face was covered with a golden
mask. Since then “the burial with the golden
mask” has been much covered in the literature,
but discussions continue. Scholars are
still unsure as to why the burial included objects
characteristic both for female tombs –
the mirror and spindle – and for male tombs –
the horse caparison and the sword. Most of
all, the mask itself is no longer perceived
as the image of a female face, for research
has shown that it depicts the face of a man.
Ludmila Leusskaya, “The Golden Mask
from Kerch”, Sankt-Peterburgskie
vedomosti, 23 April 2009
afro BaSaldella.
The colour of emoTion
He was caught up on a new wave of abstract
painting: all concrete forms seemed then to
have been compromised by their connection
to great ideologies, by their service of politics
and violence. Areas of hot colour, outbursts
of colourful emotions, the automatic rhythm
of lines, all seemed to be, by contrast, innocent…
Afro was not greatly ingenuous: his
bouquets of colour seem to hint at a vision
of the real world, with a bull, or a woman’s
body, or simply bottles and a jug from some
still life. But it was thanks to his Italian lightfilled
colour that he became famous in America
and Europe.
Darya Agapova, “Experiments
that Became Classics”, Time Out,
29 May 2009
renoir. compoSiTionS
WiTh STairS. from The ReViVeD
MasteRPieCes SerieS
An unskilful restoration, when yellow varnish
was applied over dirt, stains and darkened areas,
spoiled the painting’s appearance. Thus
when the paintings became part of the Hermitage
collection in 1995 it was clear that
they had to be cleaned of all alien accretions.
Major conservation was entrusted to one of
the museum’s best restorers, V. Brovkin, and
as a result the paintings were “reborn”, regaining
not only their purity of colour but also
their sense of light, which seems to give life
to the paints.
Alexei Shmelev, “Renoir in a New Light”,
Vecherniy Peterburg,
28 May 2009
In the West it was thought that the works had
perished, and few knew that they were here.
Those who saw them were not impressed:
Renoir’s magical painting with light had disappeared
beneath a brownish skin and layers
of varnish. It was revived after restoration and
now the paintings have regained their majestic
tones and colours.
L.T., “The Panels from
the Rue de Grenelle”, Na Nevskom,
June 2009
“The perfecT vicTory”.
300 yearS of The BaTTle
of polTava
Peter also had a badge, a gilded semicircular
plaque on a blue ribbon. This plaque also
served to protect the chest from the slashes
of sabres. One soldier’s song of the time relates
how on the day of the Battle of Poltava
three bullets “hit Peter”, but one bounced
Opening of the exhibition “The Perfect Victory”. 300 Years of the Battle of Poltava
off his badge, another hit the saddle, and the
third went through his hat. Indeed, the pommel
of Peter’s saddle and his hat with its
broad curving rim still bear traces of those
bullets.
When you see how close everything is, it is
easy to imagine that fateful day…
Tatiana Kudryavtseva, “The Perfect
Victory”, Pionerskaya pravda,
7 August 2009
The exhibition space is organised so that visitors
can follow the development of the relatively
new Russian army. Of course this is not
possibly without reference to literary works,
among them Pushkin’s Poltava, in the edition
published during the poet’s lifetime, and Byron’s
Mazeppa.
The central and most important exhibits,
which seem to accumulate and summarise all
the historical attributes of this glorious victory,
must be two battle paintings, Louis Caravaque’s
The Battle of Poltava and The Victory
at Poltava by Alexander Kotzebu. These
show the glory of Russia, and the glory of Peter
himself!
Alexei Yerofeev, “And yet the Nation
Honours…”, Ploshchad truda,
25 June 2009
Temporary exhIbItIons
The Triumph of holineSS
and BeauTy.
KoranS of dageSTan
Since Muslims believe that the Koran was
dictated by Allah himself, to copy it out is
a righteous act. In the Islamic hierarchy,
calligraphy stands higher than painting,
and aesthetics are equal to ethics, for it is
thought that only those who are pure in spirit
can write so beautifully. The organisers of
this exhibition, entitled The Triumph of Holiness
and Beauty, would seem to be in agreement.
If Muslims today still have more or
less the same views of purity as a thousand
years ago, their perceptions of beauty have
changed over time. The very earliest Koran
scroll in the manuscript section, dating from
1009, was written out by Muhammed ibn
Husain ibn Muhammed in the monumental
kufi script, which is sharp, heavy and angular.
The black letters, drawn with short thick
lines, sit thickly along the horizontal lines.
They combine to create even rectangles,
their monotony broken only by modest ornamental
insets in the fields and by the yellow
headings to each verse.
Olga Luzina, “Census”,
Kommersant-Weekend,
5 June 2009
52 53

Temporary exhIbItIons
Opening of the exhibition “The Beautiful One Has Come”.
Masterpieces of Portraiture from the Egyptian Museum, Berlin
“The BeauTiful one haS come”.
maSTerpieceS of porTraiTure from
The egypTian muSeum, Berlin
But art is not so easy to remove from history.
The sensations and passions that inspired
artists in stone, on canvas and on paper, survive
the centuries, the destruction of civilisations
and the collapse of whole worlds. During
the last years of the 19th century local inhabitants
discovered several clay tablets in caves
not far from Akhenaton’s capital, long forgotten
by the gods and men. Then in 1912 a British
expedition led by the leading Egyptologist
Flinders Petrie discovered a whole city
on the site, the capital of the apostate monarch
Akhenaton and the pharaoh’s palace,
the houses of his grandees and of ordinary
inhabitants. It was then that Nefertiti returned
to the world – her name means “the beautiful
one has come” or “arrival of the beauteous
one”. It was then that the world learned
that the art of Ancient Egypt was different to
how it had previously been understood, that
it had a wider range of subjects: in addition
to the harsh images of cruel gods or powerful
pharaohs there was a place for quiet family
joys and tenderness, and for profound human
grief. The pharaoh and members of his
family appear in frescoes and sculpture as ordinary
people, who share in all the feelings of
earthly mortals.
Natalya Shkurenok, “Ancient Egyptian
Sculpture in the Hermitage”, Kultura,
24 July 2009
Four tiny sculptural portraits no more than
30 cm high constitute one of the most important
exhibitions today. The Hermitage’s
Egyptian collection enjoys huge popularity
but it has nothing from the Amarna period,
the mysterious age of the rule of Amenhotep
IV, who called himself Akhenaton, “Son of the
Sun”. In the 14th century B.C. the revolutionary
ruler revamped the very basis of religion
and built a new capital, Akhetaton, and he
was to leave behind him many strange mon-
uments that differ strongly from conservative
Egyptian tradition. Most of all, however, his
name has been remembered over the centuries
because of his beauteous wife, Nefertiti.
Darya Agapova, “Praise the Lord,
You Have Arrived”, Time Out Peterburg,
12–25 June 2009
The noble face with its clearly defined cheekbones,
high forehead, slender nose, almondshaped
eyes and calm half smile on the soft
lips, is executed with incredible gentleness: it
seems not as if the sculptor carved the young
queen’s face from stone, but as if he moulded
it, running his hands lovingly over each
flowing curve. The second portrait, of dark
sandstone, reveals Nefertiti when the bloom
of youth had passed, but her maturity had
done nothing to destroy her charm: the features
are even more precise, there are barely
perceptible but telling lines at the corners of
the mouth, but she still retains her airy, lunar
beauty, which has simply become more pronounced
with time.
Anna Matveeva, “Queen and Simply
Beauteous”, Kommersant,
26 June 2009
The aZure and gold of limogeS.
TWelfTh – To fourTeenTh-cenTury
enamelS
Those visitors who might come to the Hermitage
specifically to look at medieval art
are as hard to find as a needle in a haystack.
At the exhibition The Azure and Gold of Limoges. Twelfth – to Fourteenth-Century Enamels
Perhaps one or two specialists. Tourists usually
hurry directly in search of Raphael and
Leonardo’s Madonnas or the remains of Russian
imperial luxury; the St. Petersburg intelligentsia
prefers to amble amidst the Impressionist
works on the top floor of the Winter
Palace. But it should not be so. Medieval art –
modest and unmarketed – is nonetheless at
the peak of world culture, in no way inferior to
the painting of the Renaissance or the statues
of Antiquity. It is simply different, and therefore
all the more interesting…
As one looks over the treasures displayed in
the cases, one has an almost physical sensation
of how life in the Middle Ages was subordinated
to a single purpose, how to reach
the Heavenly Kingdom, and of just how far
religion was the all-embracing focus of existence
in Europe. Religion was there upon waking
and before one lay down to sleep, when
one ate and when one drank, when one went
to war and when one conceived children.
No purposes in modern life can compare with
that all-embracing search for salvation and
eternal life – and to really feel the difference
one has only to go and look at the medieval
enamels on display in the Hermitage.
Anna Matveeva, “Art for Piety”,
Kommersant, 29 June 2009
Wim delvoye D11
At first sight there is nothing out of the ordinary
here. A large iron sculpture. A reconstruction
of a Gothic cathedral. A high quality,
built-to-scale copy. The author is the famous
Belgian artist Wim Delvoye. His work, entitled
D11, is now on display on the ground floor
of the Winter Palace by the Saltykovsky Entrance.
And it will remain there until the end
of July.
So what, have we never seen Gothic architecture
before? Indeed we have never seen this
kind of architecture, cut filigree-like with a laser
from stainless steel. And anyway it is not
Gothic in the usual sense of the word, but a
gigantic skeleton of a cathedral. It measures
450 × 190 × 184 cm. You start to walk around
the work which disappears upwards, and you
suddenly realise: well, look at that, it’s also
some kind of hybrid. Or symbiosis, if you prefer
the word. An organic symbiosis of cathedral
and bulldozer!
I cannot answer for other visitors, but I found
myself afraid as I looked upon this monster.
Mikhail Kuzmin, “The Century Moves
along Its Iron Path”, Chas pik,
1–7 July 2009
You immediately realise that this is a modern
work. In the opinion of art critics, the
strange metallic construction recalls a gigantic
skeleton with its mathematically precise
symmetry and openwork silhouette.
The component parts of the sculpture seem
to grow out of the motifs of a Gothic cathedral,
with its heavenly harmony and cosmological
order. The bulldozer symbolisers replacement:
vain, earthly buildings disappear,
becoming literally and metaphorically part
of the eternal human yearning for the heavens.
At the same time the sculpture hints at
the eternal battle between earthly fame and
divine might, set against the background of
death’s pitiless and all-destroying inventiveness.
Look at it and think what you will. It is
an impressive sight.
Yelena Druzhinina, “Steel Wonder”,
Shans, 15 July 2009
feciT ad vivum. porTraiTS
of arTiSTS in WeSTern
european engravingS
(16Th – 18Th cenTurieS)
The exhibition of portraits and self-portraits
by artists of three centuries includes many
masterpieces and many great names. They
allow art historians to discuss questions of
technique and style, of attribution and the
history of the collection, but of greatest interest
to the non-specialist is the chance to survey
this vanity fair. The 16th century brought
radical changes to the artist’s status, taking
him from a dauber or craftsman, equal to an
apothecary or messenger, up to the ranks
of a demi-urge, an inhabitant of Mount Olympus,
a welcome visitor to royal palaces.
No longer did the career ceiling rest heavy
upon the artist’s head, but innate talent and
hard work served to create “social elevators”
unknown in other professions at that
time. The honour of the profession on the
one hand, and closeness to God responsible
for endowing one with such gifts on the other,
these are the psychological poles creating
a tension which it is fascinating to study in
these faces. Amongst them we see types one
might imagine in a modern context, but others
seem to belong to a kind of human being
that is now extinct.
D.A., “Portraits of Artists in Western
European Engravings
(16th – 18th Centuries)”, Time Out,
24 July – 6 August 2009
Temporary exhIbItIons
Engraving is an aristocratic art. Severe, ascetic,
demanding skill and patience from
the artist and much thought from the viewer.
But prints do not have ordinary viewers –
they are always connoisseurs, lovers of the
art form. A love of prints demands effort,
both intellectual and spiritual. At the opening
of this exhibition the Deputy Director of the
Hermitage, Vladimir Matveyev, lapsed into
lyricism, saying that such an exhibition might
seem better suited to winter than the middle
of summer: indeed, the gloom of the exhibition
space (prints are damaged by light),
the black and white sheets and the mood of
unhurried intellectual contemplation are far
removed from the hurly-burly of summer
colours and the festival of life unfolding outside
the walls of the Hermitage. Those who
wish to sober up for a moment should head
straight to the Twelve Column Hall.
Anna Matveeva, “Artist unto Fellow
Artist”, Kommersant,
17 July 2009
Over time the tastes and preferences of the
public change, as does our understanding
of the significance of different artists.
The memory of those who were loved and
respected by contemporaries often disappears
with time, or indeed the reverse comes
to pass. Rembrandt is today an undisputed
hero, but he was not always prized by his
contemporaries…
It is fascinating to look upon the faces of
men, many of whose names were to become
immortal.
Ludmila Leusskaya, “He Drew His Own
Portrait”, Sankt-Peterburgskie vedomosti,
15 July 2009
relicS of The VaRyaG
cruiSer
The flag, hidden away in the bow area, was
later raised from the sea bed by Korean fishermen.
Along with other relics, they spent
many years unloved and unknown in the
stores of the Incheon Metropolitan City Museum
in South Korea. Seven years ago, probably
on the eve of the 100th anniversary of
the sinking, they were recalled. Thus began
the history of the Russo-Korean project “Varyag
Cruiser. Acquisition of Relics”. Russian
historians, politicians and public figures embarked
on negotiations with Korean representatives
regarding the exhibition in Russia
of these symbols of military might and the
54 55

Temporary exhIbItIons
valour of the ship’s crew. This year an agreement
was reached.
In Korea the relics were given a military sendoff.
Everything connected with the Russo-
Japanese war is part of their fight for independence.
At the ceremony in the Hermitage,
members of the Korean delegation repeated
that they saw the relics as “their own children”
(which touching statement has, of
course, the negative aspect: there is almost
no chance that Russia will ever get the relics
back).
Irina Gubskaya, “Oh Valour, oh Feats
of Bravery, oh Glory – Never shall
You be Forgotten”, Nezavisimaya gazeta,
27 July 2009
… In the opinion of the Director of the State
Hermitage Museum, Mikhail Piotrovsky, this
event is part of the cultural life of the state
as a whole. For the project forces us to realise
that war is not always victory, but it is
always bravery and valour. And to think of
something “most important in our country:
that neither civilians nor the army are truly
aware of the concepts of ‘honour, bravery
and merit’”.
Olga Shervud, “Cruiser Varyag.
Gold on Black”, Sankt-Peterburgskie
vedomosti, 27 July 2009
TreaSury of The World.
JeWelled arTS of india in The age
of The mughalS. from The KuWaiT
naTional muSeum
Each of these items is a superb example of
jewellery. Lit from below, the diamonds, rubies,
jade and rock crystal reveal a play of
colours and facets to the viewer. Those visitors
with a knowledge of Arabic can read
the verses from the Koran and good wishes
engraved on the emeralds and rubies: “Bad
luck will pass”, or on the royal rings, “Leader
of the emirs, full moon of peace and faith,
may your victories be multiplied”. In the late
16th and early 17th centuries these jewels
belonged to the court and to the nobles
of the Mughal Empire, to the Muslim rulers
who brought Persia’s highly-developed culture
to India. Indian masters borrowed complex
techniques from Iranian jewellers and
gave them a new refinement. Thanks to this
union of cultures, new devices were born,
new ways of working the precious stones for
which India was famed.
This exhibition not only amazes the viewer
with its abundance of luxurious items, but
At the exhibition Treasury of the World. Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals.
From the Kuwait National Museum
it presents the different elements of the
Indian jeweller’s craft: incrustation with gold,
coloured stones and ivory, relief chasing,
engraving and enamel, the working of stone
and the variety of faceting.
Vasily Kogalovsky, “Treasures
of the Sheikh of Kuwait Exhibited
in the Hermitage”, Nevskoe vremya,
19 August 2009
This event has its own history. Exactly nineteen
years ago the first exhibition from Kuwait
was held in the Hermitage, at a moment
when the country was occupied by Iraq. After
the exhibition the objects spent a year
in the Hermitage, until Kuwait was released
from foreign control. During the war, some
70 items from the al-Sabah collection disappeared
from the National Museum and they
are still being sought. Those in the Hermitage,
however, remained intact.
V. Sh., “The Sky All in Rubies”, Gorod,
17 August 2009
My advice to the ladies: you must go and
see the show, but don’t put on any jewellery!
Firstly, your very best bijoux will still
fade alongside these elegant works by Indian
masters of the late 16th and 17th centuries,
worked from jade, cornelian, rock crystal,
enamels and so on and so on. Secondly,
in your state of “simplicity” it will be easier to
imagine the things you see around your wrist
or even your waist, for as a child did you not
always imagine yourself as a princess…
Olga Shervud, “Uncountable Rubies
in Stone Caves”, Sankt-Peterburgskie
vedomosti, 10 August 2009
holy imageS. greeK iconS
from The velimeZiS collecTion
Most of the exhibits are icons painted for
ordinary clients or small churches and they
have a certain charm in their simple naivety.
Some of the icons are signed, while others
without signatures have been linked by the
author of the catalogue, Nano Chatzidakis of
the University of Ioannina, with the work of
celebrated Cretan icon painters. According to
Chatzidakis, one of the icons in the collection,
Pietà with Angels, is the work of Domenikos
Theotokopolous himself. You’ve never heard
of him? I don’t believe it: for after he went
to Spain he became famous under another
name – El Greco…
When he opened the exhibition, the Director
of the Hermitage, Mikhail Piotrovsky, said:
“Looking at the icon by El Greco we are inevitably
reminded of Theophanes the Greek,
who developed Russian art just as El Greco
developed Western art. While the icon The
Virgin of Humility gives rise to associations
with the Vladimir icon of the Mother of God.”
Referring to the very specific climate control
in the room, Mikhail Borisovich added: “We
are all a little warm in here, but most importantly
the icons feel comfortable.”
Tatiana Kirillina, “Uniting East
and West…”, Vecherniy Peterburg,
18 September 2009
If eclecticism is not surprising in the 18th
century, the realistic departure from the canon
in the early works brings great pleasure.
For instance in the icon The Virgin of Humility
(probably circle of Andreas Ritzos, second
half of the 15th century) one of the Child’s
sandals has come loose and is now hanging
from its fine straps, and he seems to have instinctively
stretched out his leg as if to keep
it on. Such images are good for Russians to
look at, used as we are to seeing in Byzantine
icons only the sacred and nothing but the sacred.
Yet here we see a quiet smile, not just
blind adoration. Unfortunately, even though
it was Russian scholars and collectors who
were the first to study and collect Byzantine
art, today any non-ritual contact with icons
tends to be seen in Russia as sacrilege.
Olga Luzina, “Collective Image”, Kommersant-Weekend,
11 September 2009
SaTSuma ceramicS of Japan in
The STaTe hermiTage collecTion
One gains the impression that Japanese masters
were simply laughing at the clutch-fisted
Gaijin: you want it richer? more exotic?
more Japanese? And having turned out these
vases, they returned to their calming cobalt
and brown patterns, to their native flying hieroglyphs
against a pure ground. They were
not the Chinese, to send off to Europe things
that were carelessly made, but all that showy
luxury was very far from their own ideals of
simplicity, calm and humility. From their ideals
of the pure unadorned surface. From ascetic
unity of form. From natural earthy colours.
Over several decades the Satsuma style
was the antithesis of their own basic formula,
transformed into a garish mixture of Oriental
motifs and virtuoso technical devices.
The export version had nothing in common
with those items that Japanese craftsmen
made for the domestic market. Today’s Japanese
are probably amazed when they see European
collections compiled, like that of the
Hermitage, at the turn of the 19th and 20th
centuries.
Olga Luzina, “Export Colours”,
Kommersant-Weekend,
25 September 2009
If you look long and hard at the works of Japanese
masters, you almost start to feel their
inner essence, to feel their charm, to recognise
their mono-no aware – that state of natural
harmony and mobile equilibrium between
the elegant items themselves and the individuals
looking upon them.
Yelena Tarnovskaya, “The Hermitage
Presents Clay Japan”, Novosti Peterburga,
13–19 October 2009
Temporary exhIbItIons
dance. dedicaTed To 100 yearS
of Sergei diaghilev’S ruSSian
SeaSonS
The exhibition is constructed along chronological
lines, with big names in each room:
Toulouse-Lautrec, Chagall, Matisse, Bakst,
Benois, Anisfeld… But there are artists less
well known to the viewer. The works of Henri
Laurens, for instance, are rarely shown to the
public. Here the artist is represented by prints
from two publications.
The whole subject of the dance brings together
some 80 objects, including paintings,
sculpture, works on paper and applied
art. Dance has often inspired artists down
the ages. It is said that in the neighbouring
rooms alone, among the permanent displays,
one can find another dozen works which reflect
the subject in some way.
Ludmila Leusskaya, “Dance in the Art
Nouveau Age”, Sankt-Peterburgskie
vedomosti, 15 October 2009
georg KolBe.
Blue inK draWingS
The Hermitage exhibition tells us little about
the artist himself, above all, because it is not
about that aspect of his art that was most important
to him, it is not about sculpture, but
about a part of Kolbe’s work which scholars
often put on the same plane as his sculpture,
i.e. his works on paper. Kolbe was a superb
draughtsman. And what is interesting is that
he was more French in his drawing than in his
severe sculpture. The shades of Rodin, Maillol
and Matisse seem to flit over these drawings.
The collection now on show in the Hermitage
is of unknown origin… Perhaps the
exhibition will lead to the appearance of the
former owners’ heirs. Most importantly, however,
the amazing dancing, floating and twisting
figures in Kolbe’s forgotten drawings will
have seen the light.
Kira Dolinina, “The Draughtsman’s Sketchbook”,
Kommersant-Weekend, 9 October
2009
The exhibition Georg Kolbe. Blue Ink Drawings
has just opened in the Hermitage. The
title of this series of nudes was invented by
the curators, who noted the importance of the
colour to the artist at the start of the 1920s.
Kolbe usually signed his works with a monogram
but rarely dated them. The date, therefore,
is all the more believable. It is not known
how the drawings made their way into the
Hermitage collection.
56 57

Temporary exhIbItIons
In those days the clear eroticism of the subject
was still scandalous. It seems likely that
the models were well known dancers, among
them the barefoot dancer Charlotte Bara, but
study of the drawings and comparison with
other works has convinced scholars that the
“blue series” is not made up of studies from
life.
V. Sh., “Kolbe’s Blue Period”, Gorod,
19 October 2009
neWSpeaK.
BriTiSh arT noW
… The exhibition itself and its formulation are
an attempt to simultaneously resolve two of
the problems inherent in British art: the national
and the contemporary. Despite its apparent
simplicity, the Hermitage exhibition is
all about the identification of contemporary
art, particularly since the two declared poles
of the contemporary artistic space are not fully
defined…
But in addition to dealing with complex identificational
tasks, this exhibition has other merits:
it raises one’s spirits, it entertains. Perhaps
it might get on some people’s nerves,
but only a little and, of course, always in the
most politically correct manner. Newspeak –
the word has intriguing associations with Orwell’s
anti-Utopia – is a striking show that can
distract one from any problems.
Stanislav Savitsky, “Abstract Manoeuvre”,
Kommersant-Weekend,
23 October 2009
The exhibition turned out to be varied, recalling
a Noah’s Ark of contemporary art. Brutal
installations by the group Littlewhitehead,
hooligan abstraction from Barry Reigate (declared
to be “the new Basquier”), decorative
mannerism from Ryan Mosley, photorealist
battles from Jonathan Wateridge
(à la AES+F), all set out as if on parade. For
is not the Nicholas Hall of the Winter Palace,
in which Newspeak has been set up, used to
ceremonial events?
As a result one cannot bring oneself to
call Newspeak a retrospective. Rather it is
a show, with no attempt to create an objective
picture of the art world, but presenting
the viewer with the very best of the British art
scene: its technicality, its roots in tradition,
its purity and harmony. All is well in the Brit-
Newspeak. British Art Now
ish Kingdom, with its winning cards the same
as they were three hundred years ago.
Ivan Chuvilyaev, “British Ark”,
Vedomosti, 27 October 2009
The Hermitage is exciting! A few years ago
we saw America Today and were amazed that
this kind of art could be shown in the country’s
most classical of museums! And now
we have Newspeak. British Art Now…
Overall there are lots of installations – even
too many – for the Hermitage, which is not
used to this kind of art. Yet they are all interesting,
fresh, drawing the eyes but not in any
way irritating.
And hommage is paid to St. Petersburg
in Goshka Macuga’s Madame Blavatskaya,
in which this esoteric character rests on the
back of two chairs.
One is amazed by the variety of techniques –
classical painting, stencils, stylised Persian
prints. And yet one can see amidst the exhibition
that is Newspeak – a new way of speaking
in art – the traditions of the British artistic
school.
Yekaterina Verzhbitskaya, “Study in Shades
of Orange”, Novosti Peterburga,
24–30 November 2009
150Th anniverSary
of The eSTaBliShmenT of
The imperial archaeological
commiSSion
Russian archaeology was born – as a science
– during the reign of Catherine the Great.
It was then that Russia annexed the territories
of the Northern Black Sea Steppes, the Lower
Dnestr, the Crimea and Kuban Region, and
the first excavations of barrows and ancient
settlements were conducted down south …
The exhibition which opens to the public in
the Hermitage tomorrow relates the history
and the results of the work of the Imperial
Archaeological Commission. In the foyer
of the Hermitage Theatre is a photographic
chronicle of archaeological excavations before
the revolution, while in the Antechamber
of the Winter Palace we can see masterpieces
found during those excavations.
Ludmila Leusskaya, “Most Old and
Unusual…”, Sankt-Peterburgskie vedomosti,
22 November 2009
enamelS of The World 1700 – 2000.
from The Khalili collecTionS
There are many exhibits on display whose
names sound exotic to modern ears. Bon-
bonnieres, for instance, or mouche (patch)
boxes, or vinaigrettes (not for French dressing,
but for smelling salts). There are also,
however, items that are much closer to modern
life: a large decorative platter by a Russian
master, made at the turn of the 19th
and 20th centuries, is adorned not only with
enamel but with sapphires and amethysts,
bearing proudly at its centre an image of St.
George thrusting his spear into the dragon,
with behind St. George the Moscow Kremlin
with its two-headed eagle upon its towers,
and beyond the Kremlin the rays of the rising
sun. Such superpower mumbo-jumbo would
equally well fulfil the functions of an official
gift to some statesman today. Unlike contemporary
life, which has left bonbonnieres and
vinaigrettes in the past, and even – to a large
extent – enamel, the powers-that-be have remained
stuck in their aesthetic tastes. Thus it
is that those artistic technologies which have
sadly gone out of fashion in the real world
will always find a quiet haven amongst the
higher ranks.
Anna Matveeva, “Pretty Enamels”,
Kommersant, 11 December 2009
For the first time we have gathered in one
room works of this kind from different
countries, from all the centres of enamelling
around the world. Here we can see the
most varied items adorned with enamel: from
a nineteenth-century Japanese cupboard
adorned with birds to a huge wine vessel;
from an opaque copper aquarium, its walls
painted with fish, to a decorative copper and
silver ship adorned with gilding and enamel,
with finely embossed sails, oars, sailors,
jesters and musicians on board. The owner
of these marvellous objects, whose collection
contains some 1,200 items, is Professor
Nasser D. Khalili, Honorary Fellow of the
School of Oriental and African Studies at London
University.
Alina Tsiopa, “The State Hermitage Looks
Back at 245 Years”, Nevskoe vremya,
8 December 2009
The echo of The ruSSian SeaSonS.
from The ChRistMas Gift SerieS
When we look at these figures of ballerinas
and dancers it never enters our heads that
the artists who created this porcelain ballet…
worked exclusively from photographs:
Diaghilev never managed to bring his Russian
Seasons to Russia. It is this that explains the
exhibition name – not the “Seasons” them-
Temporary exhIbItIons
selves, but their echo. And the echo seemed
to resound for years: the statuette The Dancer
Mikhail Fokine in the Role of Ivan Tsarevich
in the Ballet “The Firebird” was made in 1951.
The Russian Seasons brought to Europe the
fashionable à la russe style, and to Russia
it brought little porcelain statuettes, somewhat
mannered but none the less beautiful
for all that, even if they are but tinted versions
of photographs from yellowed newspapers.
Tatiana Kirillina, “Flight: Unseen but
Carried Out”, Vecherniy Peterburg,
11 January 2010
Indeed the Christmas list of good news has
proved to be long. In the Arab Hall of the Winter
Palace, for instance, we find another exhibition
in the traditional Hermitage Christmas
Gift series. The Echo of the Russian
Seasons is devoted to the 100th anniversary
of the Russian Seasons in Paris and to Sergei
Diaghilev. The exhibition contains more
than 100 works – sculptures, vases, services,
pipes, perfume bottles and other items
that combine to recreate the theatrical world
of St. Petersburg at the start of the 20th century
and the atmosphere of Diaghilev’s Russian
Seasons in Paris.
Neonilla Yampolskaya, “Christmas Joys in
the Hermitage”, Rosbalt–Peterburg,
25 December 2009
58 59

eSToraTion and conServaTion
In 2009, the Department of Scientific Restoration
and Conservation (headed by T. Baranova)
restored 4,744 cultural and artistic objects
Including:
easel paintings 507
tempera paintings 8
mural paintings 77
Oriental paintings 38
graphic works 858
including the works that were mounted 427
sculptures and gemstone artefacts 159
applied art objects (archaeological metalwork,
“new metal”, stained glass, ceramics) 2,431
applied art objects made of organic materials 192
textiles 146
timepieces and musical mechanisms 67
precious stone items 170
chandeliers 43
pieces of furniture 48
laBoraTory for ScienTific reSToraTion
of eaSel painTing
Headed by V. Korobov
Jean-lÉon gÉrÔme
the Pool in the haReM
France, 1876
Oil on canvas. 73.5 × 62 cm
Head of project T. Alioshina
Restored by M. Shulepova
The first stage of the conservation of Gérôme’s painting The Pool in
the Harem was in detail described in the State Hermitage Museum
Annual Report for 2008, p. 78. Its main aim was to restore the unity
of the original backing (to mend the tears and to attach the original
margins with the painting’s fragments by the edge-to-edge method).
The year 2009 saw further conservation efforts to save the damaged
painting. First and foremost, it was necessary to reinforce the original
backing with a back-up canvas and to choose an elastic adhesive.
Since the original canvas was very sensitive to atmospheric fluctuations,
especially humidity, the use of the traditional water-based
sturgeon and honey glue could have caused an undesired mobility
of the canvas and possible further damage. Penetrating the canvas
structure, it could have proved a very hard adhesive for the thin
and fragile backing.
The conservators needed to find a reduced-impact adhesive which
could be easily removed, would not cause canvas shrinkage and
would not penetrate deep into its structure.
After consultations with other restorers and experiments with models,
it was decided to use the BEVA-371 FILM adhesive. The meth-
Male Portrait. Fragment. During restoration Female Portrait. Fragment. During restoration
pierre-auguSTe renoir
Male PoRtRait
Oil on canvas. 167.3 × 65 cm
female porTraiT
Oil on canvas. 167.3 × 65 cm
Restored by V. Brovkin
The double paintings Man on a Staircase and Woman on a Staircase
are not typical for Renoir. These panels were intended for a staircase
in a mansion. Both were painted in 1876, commissioned by the
Charpentier couple, prominent members of Parisian high society.
When the Charpentier collection was auctioned in 1907, two of Renoir’s
paintings were bought by the German collector Otto Gerstenberg.
They were later inherited by his daughter Margarete Scharf.
In the spring of 1945, the paintings were shipped to Leningrad
along with other objects from the Berlin Nationalgalerie. They
were subsequently kept in the Special Collections of the State
restoratIon and conserVatIon
60 61
Canvas backing
odology and procedure of adding a new back-up on the vacuum
table were also discussed and approved.
The canvas was fixed on the work stretcher, and the paint layer and
foundation consolidated over the whole surface. In view of the danger
of recurring deformation while the canvas was unattached, it was
decided not to remove the painting from the work stretcher while the
back-up canvas was applied. This made the gluing procedure much
more difficult. In order to preserve and use the original strainer, the
backed-up canvas was stretched over it, but the time-weakened joint
nails gave way, resulting in the skewing of the construction. As a result,
the canvas was mounted on a new stretcher reinforced with
a crosspiece. Then, conservation priming was applied and levelled
under the microscope in the areas where the paint layer had been
lost. After the transparency of the varnish had been restored, it became
necessary to level and to remove the more active yellow stains
of the old varnish. The painting was restored exclusively in the areas
where the paint and priming layers had been lost, with the utmost
attention to the artist’s manner.
Hermitage. In 1995, both paintings were displayed at the Hidden
Treasures Revealed exhibition.
In 2007, the Restoration Commission decided to start the restoration
of the two Renoir paintings, Man on a Staircase and Woman on
a Staircase, in order to bring them back to their original state and
to remove later extraneous overpainting, yellowed old varnish and
stains which were distorting the original colour scheme and texture
of the painting. In early 2008, conservation work started following
the required physical and chemical tests. X-rays revealed wide canvas
attachments on both sides of both paintings along their entire
width. They were not visible, since they had been concealed on the
verso by the back-up canvas, and on the recto by later broad overpainting
concealing the original painting and the yellowed varnish.
The tests and investigations showed that these lateral attachments
were not original. As the late yellow varnish and the broad conservation
overpainting were thinned out, it became clear that the colours
and shades had been considerably altered in comparison with the
original painting. The restorers had to clear the original from later

estoratIon and conserVatIon
laBoraTory for ScienTific
reSToraTion of Tempera
painTing
Headed by I. Permiakov
icon of ST. SergiuS of radoneZh
Early 16th century
Tempera, gold on board. 106 × 46 cm
Restored by S. Osipova
This year saw the end of a long-term
project of clearing the icon of St. Sergius
of Radonezh. The icon was covered with
many layers of overpainting and varnish,
and the saint’s halo has been re-gilded
many times. The icon was subjected to
a number of studies: by visible UV light,
reflectographic studies in IR rays, a study
of microscopic priming samples with paint
layers (microslicing), and a study of the
wooden support.
St. Sergius of Radonezh.
During restoration
overlaying and to create a consistent colour
scheme uniting the original painting with
the later additions.
For a whole century, the paintings were coated
in thick layers of yellowed varnish, which
made the white cuffs and collar look yellow,
the dark blue suit look black, and the pearly
dress look brownish-grey. The varnish was
found to contain natural resins, mastic, dammar,
and galipot. The first pilot areas where
the darkened varnish was thinned revealed
that Renoir’s original painting had much
lighter and brighter colours. Besides, the
abundance of late varnish made the original
texture look smooth and glossy, which is
quite untypical of Renoir. The conservators
removed the top layer of varnish, the contaminated
intermediate layer, the restoration
overpainting on top of the original canvas;
the lower varnish layer was significantly
thinned out. The differences in shade and
colour between the attachments and the
original were smoothed over by means of
tinting and dissipation of the paint.
In May 2009, visitors to the Hermitage were
able to see these paintings at a special exhibition.
The conservation has restored
the original look of the Renoir paintings,
which are justly considered to be striking
examples of Post-Impressionist decorative
painting.
Male Portrait. After restoration
Female Portrait. After restoration
St. Sergius of Radonezh.
After restoration
The clearing was done layer by layer. Under
the dark brown overpaint layers the
background turned out to be a light semitransparent
ochre (the background became
a noble bright semi-transparent ochre
rather than the dirty brown it had been).
A delicate and subtle painting of the saint’s
face and garments was revealed. Against the
sixteenth-century image, the late re-gilding
looked like an unpleasantly garish spot. The
studies revealed the presence of the original
gilding under this layer and two other
late ones. The clearing was done extremely
carefully under a high-power microscope.
After the complex restoration and conservation
procedures, it became possible
to identify the icon as a sixteenth-century
painting. The icon, which had not hitherto
been entered in the Hermitage Catalogue
of Early Russian Paintings, has now taken
its proper place in the museum collection.
unKnoWn arTiST
of The veneTian School,
firST half of The 14Th cenTury
the ViRGin MaRy
(from the annunCiation Scene)
Tempera, gold on board. 105 × 61.5 cm
Restored by I. Permiakov
Acquired in 1923 from the State Russian
Museum, formerly in the St. Petersburg collection
of N. Likhachev.
The painting is the right wing of a diptych.
The location of the left panel, which
showed the Archangel Gabriel, is unknown.
The Virgin is depicted with a distaff and
a thread drawn from it – a hint that she
is symbolically spinning the thread of the
Saviour’s fate. There is a sculpted halo over
the Virgin’s head, with an inscription over
it: ECCE ANCILA DNI. IAII M. SECND-
VERBUMII TV.V. (“Behold the handmaid
of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy
word” – Luke 1:38).
The painting was coated in many layers of
late conservation varnish, with conservation
tinting of different times in between
the layers, with fragments of earlier overpainting
over the background, in the areas
where the paint layer had been lost as far as
the priming, over the indentation between
the margins and the central board (tinted
blue) and a layer of overpainted late priming
over the upper, left and right margins.
The conservation was preceded by a major
research project, which included a study in
The Virgin Mary (from The Annunciation scene).
After restoration
visible UV light and studies in IR rays. Microscopic
priming samples with paint layers
(microslices) were also studied, and test
micro-clearings were undertaken.
This was followed by the removal of the earlier
overpainting and late priming on the
margins and indentation, and of the late
repainting and overpainting on the main
board; the varnish coating was removed
and levelled, and new tinting applied.
The complex conservation project allowed
this work to take its proper place in the museum
collection of paintings.
laBoraTory for ScienTific
reSToraTion of mural
painTing
Headed by A. Bliakher
feastinG youths. a mural
Penjikent, 7th – 8th century
The mural (consisting of six fragments) was
uncovered during the 1975 field season on
the western wall of Building 25. The mural
was taken down from the wall (according to
the methodology), packed and shipped to
the Hermitage, where it was kept in its field
package in the Oriental Department storage.
restoratIon and conserVatIon
Feasting Youths. Mural fragment.
Before restoration
Feasting Youths. Mural fragment.
During restoration
62 63

estoratIon and conserVatIon
Feasting Youths. Mural. After restoration
In 1997, several crates containing the
painting were drenched during a leakage
incident. The fragments showing Feasting
Youths were in the most disastrous condition,
so it was decided to take them to the
lab for conservation.
The conservation project was undertaken
by A. Stepanov, who performed a highquality
procedure. After the restoration
work was over, the mural could be viewed
as a single, clear image. All the fragments
have been brought together and mounted
on a single platform made of PS-4 polystyrene
boards. The unique, highly artistic
mural can be included in the permanent
Central Asia exhibition, as well as the exhibition
programmes of the State Hermitage
Museum.
Mural Mourning. During restoration
repeaT conServaTion
of The mural MouRninG
Penjikent, 7th – 8th century
The panel depicting a mourning scene
consists of eight fragments. The mural was
uncovered in 1948 during excavations in
Penjikent; it was taken down from the wall
in 1950 and underwent lab conservation
in 1956. These were the first painted fragments
to be treated in both field and lab
conditions according to the method developed
by P. Kostrov with help from chemists.
The goal at the time was to preserve
the painting, which meant consolidating
the stucco and paint layer inasmuch as that
was possible, with nearly no clearing of the
paint layer.
Following a decision by a special Restoration
Council committee of 25 March 1954,
P. Kostrov added reconstructive overpainting,
which made it possible to trace the
image.
The mural was mounted on wax-and-resin
mastic. For 50 years, it had been kept at the
Oriental Department of the State Hermitage.
The image was nearly impossible to
see, and the painted surface was very dark.
The stucco had peeled off, and there were
cracks over the varnishing. The reconstructive
tinting had changed colour. It was decided
to perform a second conservation
procedure which would make the mural fit
to be displayed.
The conservation project was undertaken
by V. Fominykh, who did a high-quality
job. After the conservation, the mural became
a single whole, clear image. All the
fragments have been brought together and
mounted on two platforms made of PS-4
polystyrene boards. The unique, exquisite
mural was included in the permanent Central
Asia exhibition, and can be displayed
as part of exhibition programmes of the
State Hermitage.
laBoraTory for ScienTific
reSToraTion of orienTal
painTing
Headed by Ye. Shishkova
Kano KoShin
Screen ShoWing minamoTo
no yorimiTZu WiTh hiS vaSSalS
reTurning To The capiTal
afTer a vicTory over demonS
Restored by A. Divletkildeeva
and Ye. Rabomyzaja
June 2009 saw the end of the restoration of
objects which were to become part of the
new permanent exhibition on the art of
Japan. The Laboratory for Scientific Restoration
of Oriental Painting had performed
conservation procedures on ten scrolls and
two screens. The most challenging project
was the restoration of the screen showing
Minamoto no Yorimitsu with his vassals returning
to the capital after the victory over
demons, painted in the 17th century by
Kano Koshin.
This screen is a splendid example of Japanese
painting at its best. The delicate, elegant
painting is combined with golden,
differently-textured backgrounds. The technique
is superb; it showcases the excellent
expertise of Japanese masters. The screen
consists of six separate boards (kari-bari),
made of several layers of Japan paper
stretched over wooden frames. The upper
layer with the painting on it is framed
Mural Mourning. After restoration
in silk and a wooden frame with copper
decorations. The image itself is painted
in distempers with gold leaf gilding. The
total area of the screen image is 5.265 m 2
(10.530 m 2 with the verso).
As a functional household object, the
screen had suffered various types of damage
over three centuries of use. Along the
side edges, the painted paper had been
soiled and darkened by touching hands.
The whole surface was very dusty, soiled,
damaged by insects; there were foxing
spots on the verso; nails had been driven in
along the upper edge; the paper had been
torn or lost in places. Before it arrived in
the Hermitage, the screen had been kept
in a damp environment, which caused serious
damage to its state of preservation:
warping, peeling, lifting of the paint layer,
widespread mottles, scratches, losses, crumbling
and attrition over the whole surface
of the painting. The paper board fastenings
had been badly damaged and pasted with
canvas and fish glue. Some copper decorations
had fallen off. The wooden frame
had been bored by beetles and warped by
damp. It was of paramount importance
to prevent a further disintegration of the
screen, restore its functions, and prepare
it for display.
The difficulty of choosing the right conservation
method was caused by the fact that
in the current condition, it was impossible
to disassemble the screen into its components
(painted paper, silk frame, frames
with inner layers of Japan paper, the outer
restoratIon and conserVatIon
frame with decorations, side fastenings),
restore them separately, and then to reassemble
the screen following the traditional
Japanese method. This would have made
the work much easier. However, it was decided
to perform the conservation without
deconstructing the screen, using Japanese
conservation methods in their prescribed
order.
The work on the screen took two years,
which was preceded by the preparation of
research documents, including a description
of its state of preservation, the conservation
method and photography (by K. Siniavsky),
as well as lab tests (mycologist:
O. Smolianitskaya, chemist: K. Kalinina).
First, the whole surface of the screen was
dusted with soft brushes. Then the paint
layer was consolidated in the damaged
areas. The best consolidation effect was
achieved by using an ultrasonic steam generator.
After the consolidation, it became
possible to go on with the more in-depth
clearing of the image, using polyurethane
sponges and other soft detergents.
It was necessary to remove the old linen
and fish glue pastings on the board fastenings.
These materials are incompatible
with Japan paper and Japanese methods
of screen-making. The removal of earlier
“conservation” pastings was labour-intensive
and time-consuming, since it was necessary
to be extremely careful not to damage the
original.
After the earlier pastings had been removed,
it became evident that the hinges
64 65

estoratIon and conserVatIon
between the first and second, and fifth and
sixth, boards had been largely destroyed
and needed to be replaced. Before new fastenings
could be made, a pilot model was
produced. The new fastenings were made
in several stages, strictly following the procedure
which ensured both the restoration
of the functions and the greatest possible
degree of preservation of the original design
elements.
After the screen had been reassembled, the
conservators faced a huge task of restoring
the images. The tears were pasted, the
backing losses were filled with Japan paper,
the scratches, attrition and repainted areas
were tinted. The tinting of damaged areas
was only applied if there was any mechanical
damage. The silk frame was cleaned
and pasted. The copper decorations were
returned to their proper place. The frame
was cleaned.
The conservation procedure was accompanied
with the training of young conservators,
who had to master the Japanese techniques
and procedures.
At present, the screen has taken a place of
honour at the permanent exhibition of Japanese
art, which reopened on 30 June 2009,
and attracts considerable visitor attention.
Screen showing Minamoto no Yorimitsu with his vassals returning to the capital
after the victory over demons. After restoration
Damaged hinges of the first and second boards of the screen.
Before restoration
laBoraTory for ScienTific
reSToraTion of graphic
WorKS
Headed by T. Sabianina
four colour liThographS
WiTh imageS STyliSed To looK liKe
playing cardS
Restored by O. Mashneva, Ye. Rudakas
and Ye. Tatarnikova
Four colour lithographs (inv. nos. ЭРГ
10271–10274) were sent to the Laboratory
for Scientific Restoration of Graphic Works
in preparation for the exhibition At the Russian
Court.
The lithographs were attached to stretchers,
two of them with glass (10273, 10274),
one of these broken. All four were in brown
paper frames with the same patterns and
a printed metal ribbon along the perimeter.
They were in an extremely untidy and neglected
state: dirty, dusty, with yellow paper
and stains of different origins. The backing
paper had suffered mechanical damage.
The paper frames were dilapidated.
The paint layer had worn out.
The identical frames set these lithographs
apart from other similar graphic works.
Each sheet was interpreted as a part of a series
of four graphic works.
Both the lithograph sheets and their paper
frames have undergone a complete restoration.
The paper frames were removed from
the main sheet, disassembled, cleaned of
glue and dirt, and the tears were pasted
over. It was decided not to glue the paper
frames directly onto the clean, restored
sheets, so after their conservation had been
completed, the paper frame was glued onto
a strong backing made of thin museum
pasteboard. Thus, the frame, like a mask
in a specially made mount, was covering
the margins of the sheet with the drawing
along the same original borders. So the
lithographs preserved their original look,
becoming very elegant in their specially
commissioned new frames, under glass. Despite
the individual characteristics of each
lithograph, it has proved possible to create
a single feel for the whole series, which was
unveiled in all its splendour at the exhibition
At the Russian Court in Amsterdam.
Lithograph, inv. no. ЭРГ 10274. Before restoration
Lithograph, inv. no. ЭРГ 10274. After restoration
restoratIon and conserVatIon
66 67

estoratIon and conserVatIon
draWingS from The deparTmenT
of WeSTern european fine arTS
The Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Graphic Works has
been working on the conservation of drawings from the collection
of Ivan Betskoy for several years.
The drawings are made in different techniques: watercolour, Indian
ink, sanguine, ferro-gallic ink. Most drawings are in the same state
of preservation: dirty, stained, torn and decrepit. Most of them are
glued to the original mount backing. The conservation of three
works has been recently completed: The Parable of the Prodigal Son,
by an unknown artist (quill, brush, watercolour on paper, c. 1700);
Soldiers on Parade, by an unknown artist (quill, brush, watercolour
on paper, 18th century), and Sketch for a Set with the Head of a Sea
Monster and Neptune’s Riding, by an unknown artist (Torelli ?) (watercolour,
ferro-gallic ink on paper doubled on canvas, 18th century).
All the drawings were conserved by means of methods designed for
the appropriate techniques. But each of them presented its own
idiosyncratic challenges.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son by an unknown artist was drawn on
paper which lost its sizing with time, turning into paper pulp.
Parable of the Prodigal Son. Before restoration
Parable of the Prodigal Son. After restoration
In order to prevent further disintegration and to consolidate the
drawing, it was necessary to address a number of problems.
First and foremost, it was necessary to remove the base paper from
the backing and the paper fragments, and clear off the remnants
of old glue on the verso, without damaging the fragile fragments.
It was important to keep the verso labels with inscriptions in ferrogallic
ink.
The drawing was removed from the backing under a steam jet.
Paper labels and a thick layer of glue were removed by applying
methylcellulose compresses. Because of the rigidity of the adhesive,
this was done in several stages, allowing the upper layers of glue
to soften. Next, the sheet was completely freed of glue, the yellow
stains were made less prominent (the paint layer was filled in with
water-borne paint), the paper sizing was restored in its entirety, the
tears glued together, the paper losses and attritions filled in, and
the paper backing consolidated. The final stage was the application
of tinting where it was required.
The drawing Soldiers on Parade from the same collection also underwent
a conservation procedure. It was unusual in that it turned
out to be a double work. Scanning revealed the presence of a second
drawing of two male heads between the backing paper and the
original one. Moreover, the top drawing was glued over the bottom
one along its entire area. The adhesive was applied directly over the
image. It was necessary to separate the two drawings, which were
both done in water-borne paint. After the conservation, it was possible
to perform the separation and to remove the adhesive from
the newly-discovered work, which turned out to be a watercolour.
Thus, the collection acquired another object for research and display
purposes.
The conservation of the eighteenth-century drawing (by Torelli ?)
Sketch for a Set with the Head of a Sea Monster and Neptune’s Riding
(The Olympians) proved no less rewarding. The drawing had already
been backed up because the original backing paper had been in
a dismal state. The paper was falling apart and had torn in many
places along the thin lines of the drawing, with the ferro-gallic ink
acidifying over time and disintegrating at the same time as the
paper. The drawing was backed up on double textile and a thick
layer of vegetable adhesive. The adhesive had become brittle, and
the double backing could no longer protect it from breaking (the
glue started to crack, producing hard cracks which tore the backing
paper). The resulting cracks in the adhesive led to further tears
and damage of the backing paper, which resulted in disintegration
or complete loss of the artefact.
After the backing cloth was separated from the verso of the sheet,
a thick layer of glue was exposed, which was hard to remove from
the old paper and would only yield to repeated moistening. In some
parts of the sheet, the removal of glue led to the disintegration
of the paper into separate small fragments (not more than 0.5 cm
in diameter; it was more difficult to remove the adhesive from such
tiny fragments). After the glue was removed, the drawing looked
like a sieve with many holes. Paper fragments were pieced together
and pasted on thin strips of Japan paper with vegetable glue.
The lost fragments were replaced with paper identical to the original.
After this, the backing paper was glued over the new backing,
made of a thin sheet of Japan paper. The replacements were tinted
over. After the restoration, the drawing looked complete, without
visible traces of damage.
Soldiers on Parade. After restoration
The Olympians. Scanned view of the recto. During restoration The Olympians. After restoration
restoratIon and conserVatIon
Soldiers on Parade. Drawing discovered on the backing paper
68 69

estoratIon and conserVatIon
laBoraTory for ScienTific reSToraTion
of SculpTure and coloured SToneS
Headed by S. Petrova
proSper d’Épinay
SculpTureS of DanCinG baCChantes
2009 saw the end of the restoration of two sculptural groups of Dancing
Bacchantes by Prosper d’Épinay. Both of them are signed – the
marble plinths bear the carved inscriptions: D’EPINAY ROMA
1889 (group inv. no. Н.ск.529) и D’EPINAY 1890 (group inv. no.
Н.ск.530). These works were acquired by the Hermitage before
1910 and are currently in the Department of Western European
Fine Arts (curator Ye. Karcheva).
The sculptural groups of Dancing Bacchantes, which were sent to the
lab for conservation at the end of 2008, are each made of a single
slab of white fine-grained statuary marble. They are little different
in size: one (inv. no. Н.ск.529) is 128.5 cm in height, while
Sculptural group
(inv. no. Н.ск.529).
Before restoration.
The surface is stained
with large-scale dust
deposits. The fingers
of one figure are missing
the other (inv. no. Н.ск.530) is 128.0 cm. One sculpture (inv. no.
Н.ск.530) is distinguished by the fact that the raised right arm
and left foot of one of the figures were sculpted separately and
mounted on pins.
Dust deposits on the surface of both sculptures masked the original
colour and texture of the statuary marble and concealed the artist’s
finishing technique. The large-scale stains and lacking parts made
these statues unfit for display.
During the conservation, the surface of the sculptures was cleaned
from stains, which brought out the colour and texture of the stone
and the original finish. The lacking fingers were supplied on the
basis of surviving ones, which were used for moulds. The lost details
were made of finishing putty on the basis of synthetic resin with
fillers, which was selected to match as closely as possible the colour
and texture of natural marble.
After the restoration, the two sculptural groups of Dancing Bacchantes
were displayed at the exhibition At the Russian Court at the
Hermitage-Amsterdam Centre.
Sculptural group
(inv. no. Н.ск.529).
After restoration.
The surface has been
cleaned, and the missing
fingers restored
STone arTefacTS in The BoSporuS roomS,
deparTmenT of claSSical anTiQuiTy
Restored by K. Blagoveshchensky, V. Medvedkov,
S. Petrova and Ye. Andreeva
The opening of the Bosporus Rooms at the Department of Classical
Antiquity prompted the restoration of a number of artefacts which
belong to the permanent exhibition Art and Culture of the Greek Cities
of the Northern Black Sea Area.
The main task of the conservators was to remove the dust and dirt
deposits from unique sculptures, carvings and sarcophagi made of
marble and limestone and to make them fit for display. Thus, after
dust had been cleared off the marble sarcophagus found in Myrmekeyon
near Kerch, it became easier to appreciate the technique,
state of preservation, and surface qualities of this work by a secondcentury
Greek sculptor. The next stage was the cleaning and varnishing
of the seams between the sarcophagus fragments, and the
repositioning of a small separate piece of the front wall.
The experts from the Department for the Supply of Technical
Equipment to Rooms and Exhibitions (headed by O. Bogdanova)
were of great help during this project.
The removal of stains was only a small part of the challenge.
K. Blagoveshchensky and V. Medvedkov removed the stained
rough fillings made of plaster-of-Paris, and tinted the visible metallic
structural elements. This was a rewarding work which even
brought about some minor discoveries. Thus, when a plaster filling
was taken off, a small original fragment of the right foot belonging
to a statue of a Bosporan king was uncovered.
Carved burial stones made of limestone were cleared by K. Blagoveshchensky,
after which he varnished over the cracks and seams,
and tinted the conservation additions. Ye. Andreeva restored
a Hermes’ herma, removed the surface stains, cleared and tinted
areas of the artefacts which had been filled by earlier restorers.
The work was not limited to the conservation of the artefacts themselves:
K. Blagoveshchensky and V. Medvedkov also cleared and
varnished the plinths of the statues. The whole project aimed to
create a holistic and harmonious look for the stone artefacts in the
restored Bosporus Rooms.
Sarcophagus from Myrmekeyon.
After restoration. Surface stains
have been removed; seams have
been cleared and varnished over;
the fragment of the front wall
has been put back in its place
restoratIon and conserVatIon
Sarcophagus from Myrmekeyon. Before restoration. Test clearings were tried
in different areas to gauge the degree of staining and adjust the required
working methods
Sarcophagus from Myrmekeyon. During restoration. Partly cleared
70 71

estoratIon and conserVatIon
laBoraTory for ScienTific reSToraTion
of applied arT oBJecTS
Headed by A. Bantikov
porcelain iTemS for The exhiBiTion
at the Russian CouRt held in The hermiTageamSTerdam
muSeum complex
Restored by N. Bolshakova and K. Lavinskaya
Ahead of the exhibition At the Russian Court to be held at the
Hermitage-Amsterdam Centre in the Netherlands, the Ceramics
Sector at the Laboratory for Restoration of Applied Art Objects
undertook the conservation of several objects made at the Imperial
Porcelain Factory, previously kept in storage and never displayed.
These are: twin crater-shaped vases Children with a Bird
and Children with a Dog (overglaze polychrome painting, gilding
on porcelain, 1848), amphora Reading a Letter (overglaze polychrome
painting, gilding on porcelain, 1835), amphora Lady’s
Toilet (overglaze polychrome painting, gilding, platinum plating
on porcelain, 1830s), and a statuette of ballerina Anna Pavlova
as Giselle (underglaze polychrome painting on porcelain, model
S. Sudbinina, 1913).
The two vases had not been displayed before because their handles
had been badly damaged; the leg of one of the craters had been
shattered into many fragments, the seams were crumbling, and the
Amphora Lady’s Toilet. During restoration
Statuette of ballerina Anna Pavlova
as Giselle. During restoration
Statuette of ballerina Anna Pavlova
as Giselle. After restoration
old adhesive had lost its hold. The surface of the porcelain was
stained, and the metal fittings were in need of restoration.
The conservators removed the leg of the crater and cleaned away
the old restoration materials. The surface was cleaned too. After
this, the leg was glued together, the losses were replaced and tinted
to blend with the original fragments. The lost details of the handles
were replaced by means of the molding and casting method, using
the other vase as a prototype and keeping in mind the surviving elements.
The next stage of the conservation process was tinting. Different
gilding techniques had been used in the original. These were
imitated with the help of paint and gold foil. The exact shades were
achieved by the addition of watercolours or transparent glazing.
All the restored and newly-made elements were mounted on the
original fittings.
The lost fragment of the amphora handle was made anew copying
the twin vase by means of molding and casting. It was impossible
to make a cast in situ, so the ready-made element was hand-fitted
to the gap. It was very important to retain the continuity of the fluting.
Different gilding techniques were imitated by tinting. The paint
losses were filled in on the basis of the surviving match by means
of molding and casting wherever there were losses. The lost wings
were tinted to blend with the original, imitating gilding over unglazed
porcelain.
The statuette of Anna Pavlova as Giselle had been preserved in
pieces: the arms and legs had been broken off and the body broken
into several fragments; the molded decoration had been destroyed;
a BlacK-figure Kylix for The permanenT exhiBiTion
aRt of bosPoRus
Restored by T. Shlykova
A black-figure Attic kylix from the Department of Classical Antiquity
(inv. no. Ол. 1914.141; 500-490 B.C., from 1914 excavations
at Olbia) was given to the Laboratory for restoration in 2009.
The kylix had already been restored many years before and had
fallen apart along the old pasting lines as the conservation agents
disintegrated with time. There were various glue stains of different
periods on the surface and along the breakage lines, the surface was
covered in layers of chlorine salts insoluble in water, and the seams
had become chipped, sometimes considerably so. The white and
purple dyes used in the painting had been largely lost. The fragments
had been glued unevenly, with major fluctuations; the inside
of the leg had been filled in with mastic; there were traces of redbrown
varnish in the medallion where a large fragment had been
chipped off; there were plaster-of-Paris deposits on the handles and
walls; a large missing fragment on the rim had been filled in with
plaster which preserved traces of tinting.
After it was received by the Restoration Laboratory, the kylix underwent
a number of procedures which amounted to a full repeated
conservation. First of all, the fragile white and purple dyes were
consolidated. After that, old restoration materials had to be cleaned
from the surface, the glued pieces had to be disassembled and
seams cleaned. The plaster and varnish were removed mechanically,
and adhesives were neutralised with matching solvents. Next, the
surface had to be cleared of chlorine crusts and migrating chlorine
salts had to be removed from the pottery (their presence was
revealed by tests).
Since kylixes are a type of open vessel, it is very hard to mask the
unevenness which is inevitable when pieces are glued together, especially
for the second time. This work has to be as precise as possible.
After it was finished, the losses were filled in, the seams filled
with mastic and tinted over, and the whole surface reinforced.
As a result of the procedure, the ceramic artefact has been completely
cleaned of corrosive chlorine salts and consolidated. It can
now be viewed as a single artistic whole; it is fit to be displayed and
will take its place at the permanent exhibition on the art of Bosporus.
Black-figure kylix. During restoration
Black-figure kylix. After restoration
restoratIon and conserVatIon
the surface had been stained with dark glue; porcelain had been
damaged by mechanical treatment; metal fittings had corroded.
The conservators cleaned the statuette, removed the materials
of previous restoration stages, made a copy of the surviving arm
to replace the missing one (by molding and casting), glued the
fragments together and glued the figurine to the base, tinted over
the defects using the colour of the underglaze painting, cleaned the
rust off the metal fittings and coated them in conservation agent.
The restorers’ professionalism has brought back to life the exquisite
works of art which have not been seen outside storage before.
72 73

estoratIon and conserVatIon
a figured veSSel Shaped aS a fiSh
Eastern Mediterannean, 2nd century
Restored by N. Borisova
An exhibition dedicated to the memory
of Nina Kunina, a prominent Classicist
scholar, author of the complete catalogue
of ancient glass in the Hermitage collection,
is due to open at the museum in 2010.
Dozens of ancient glass objects have been
restored ahead of the exhibition. Among
them is a splendid figured vessel made of
multicoloured glass shaped as a fish, found
during the excavations of the Chersonesos
necropolis in 1903 and transferred to the
State Hermitage shortly after that.
The maker of the vessel used two techniques:
free blowing and the core technique
(decoration with coloured glass
threads by means of “carding”). The body
of the fish is made of transparent purple
Vessel shaped as a fish. During restoration. Glass corrosion was discovered
after oil paint had been removed
Vessel shaped as a fish. After restoration
glass; the design of the head, scales, and
tail of white, yellow and dark red opaque
glass; the mouth, backbone and eyes of the
fish are marked with relief plaques of turquoise-coloured
glass.
The vessel had been restored before, but it
is not known when this was done. The object
was glued together from multiple fragments,
and a considerable number of head
fragments have been lost, as well as some
on the tail and one on the body. The glass
surface was obscured by a thick film of glue.
On the inside, the seams were filled in with
plaster-of-Paris, which caused the glass to
lose its light and transparent feel. But the
greatest danger was presented by the fact
that glass had started to crumble in areas of
contact with the moisture-retentive plaster.
This was especially evident in the mouth
area: fragments of turquoise-coloured glass,
reinforced with plaster, were crumbling to
dust. There were also penetrating cracks
and crumbling areas in the glass of the top
fin. On the outer side, the corrosion of yellow
and red glass on the body of the fish
had been masked with oil paints imitating
the original colour scheme.
During the conservation, the vessel was
gradually disassembled. Each fragment was
cleaned of stains, plaster-of-Paris and oil
paint. The glass surface was cleared of corrosion.
The areas of through cracks and the
crumbling edges were consolidated straight
away. Then the fragments were glued back
together. If fragments had no matching
edges or had only tiny contiguous areas,
they were linked with mastic tinted to look
like the original (instead of plaster-of-Paris
used during the previous restoration).
The final stage was the application of the
conservation varnish to protect the ancient
glass from damaging atmospheric impacts.
a SWord from The collecTion
of The claSSical anTiQuiTy
deparTmenT
Restored by M. Popova
When the new display was being prepared
in the Bosporus Rooms, the Laboratory had
to treat an iron sword (inv. no. Ак.Б. 35)
found in 1875 during the excavation of the
Ak-Burun (Pavlovsky) burial mound located
on a promontory in the central part of the
Kerch Strait. It was found with other weapons
and armour (darts, spearheads, armour
plates) as well as gold jewellery (necklaces
and a headband) in a late fourth- or early
third-century B.C. burial.
The sword was sent for conservation in
three separate pieces mounted upon wire
fittings (conditionally known as “hilt”,
“blade” and “tip”). The surface was covered
with a thick and solid layer of corrosion
products and soil, with many coal pieces
and other traces of burning.
The “hilt” was a monolithic piece consisting
of two objects which had become
welded together, with both tips lost. In the
butt part it was possible to see the broken
cup and blade sections typical for darts.
Fragments of a yellow metal (gold?) were
found on the blade of one dart and the
cup of another; their size was ascertained
by test site clearing. A soil bulge saturated
with iron oxides was found near the edge
of the lower flat fragment (possibly an-
“Sword hilt”. During restoration
other object?). The central part (the sword
blade) consisted of four fragments which
had been glued together and consolidated
with varnish. The disintegration of old conservation
materials and the weakening of
the fittings caused this part to crack along
the old seams. The blade has an undulating
bend along its length.
The “tip” of the sword was attached to the
wire fittings some distance from the end
of the blade part. The section of this part
is also similar to that of a dart.
When the artefacts were checked before
the exhibition, even before this object was
laBoraTory for ScienTific
reSToraTion of oBJecTS
made of organic
maTerialS
Headed by Ye. Mankova
conServaTion and reSToraTion
of TWo JapaneSe lacQuered SuiTS
of armour and a SeT of eleven
JapaneSe STeel WeaponS
The complete set comprised of weapons
and suits of armour was sent for restoration
ahead of the opening of the permanent exhibition
Culture and Art of Japan. This was
a joint project undertaken by the Laboratories
for Scientific Restoration of Applied
Art Objects and Objects Made of Organic
Materials.
The restorers had to deal with two suits of
armour, each consisting of multiple pieces:
a cuirass (breastplate and back protection),
a helmet, a half-mask, two shoulder
guards, vambraces, greaves, an armoured
skirt, bearskin shoes, and a pair of cuisses.
One suit had a helmet decoration shaped
as a rod with a tassel.
sent for conservation, it was doubted that
all these parts had belonged to one sword.
This was confirmed by visual investigation.
It was ascertained that the parts mounted
on the fittings were in fact fragments of
different objects – sword and dart blades
(identified by the section type), that the
“hilt” was in fact two caked dart fragments
probably placed one on top of the other,
while the sword “tip” was also a dart fragment.
It is quite likely that the sword had
been broken deliberately, as part of a burial
rite. The nature of breaks testifies that all
the objects were damaged in the ancient
times rather than by the archaeologists.
Conservation procedures were preceded by
testing the depth of the corroded layer (micro
test sites cleared under a microscope),
an analysis of yellow metal fragments by
means of a portable X-ray fluorescent spectrometer
THERMO NITON, and an analysis
of old conservation materials (by L. Gavrilenko).
The spectrometer showed that
the yellow metal was in fact gold, and the
test clearings identified its exact location
and boundaries.
A probe of the corroded layer revealed that
the objects were completely mineralised.
Japanese lacquered armour. After restoration
restoratIon and conserVatIon
The conservation process included disassembling
the objects, removing the fittings
and the old conservation materials, identifying
their shape, clearing and consolidating
the gold fragments, conserving and restoring
the shape of the sword blade.
Work on different parts of the item was
done simultaneously. All the clearings were
done manually under a microscope with
the help of scalpels, needles and drills with
differently sized burs.
The work resulted in the finding and identification
of fragments of six different items,
earlier artificially joined together as one
sword: a broadsword blade; an unidentified
flat object with a carved rim along the edge
(cheek plate?); two dart fragments welded
together; fragments of an arrow shaft and
another dart head. There were gold inclusions
of different size on the cup of one
of the darts and the sword blade.
After the conservation, the objects became
part of the permanent exhibition Art and
Culture of the Greek Cities of the Northern Black
Sea Area and were displayed together with
the other grave objects from the Ak-Burun
mound.
74 75

estoratIon and conserVatIon
Golden armour plate. Before restoration Golden armour plate. After restoration
Japanese armour was made by different craftsmen working together.
Apart from the supervisor who made the main elements
and coordinated the whole process, a tailor, a lacquer master, a
leatherworker, a cord-maker and many others were also involved.
The intricate design of the armour makes it perfect for protecting
the warrior while keeping him mobile.
The armour is a complex artefact, which combines different materials
(textile, leather, fur, metal, Oriental lacquer, paper) and different
techniques (carving, embroidery, gilding, forging, lacing).
The conservation project consisted of several stages: removing the
surface stains from leather, fur, textile, and paper parts; removing
surface stains and traces of repair (including the old disintegrating
glue) from the lacquer surface; consolidating and gluing
together the flaking lacquer, priming and base; removing the
peeling lacquer; choosing the right method for filling in the areas
where lacquer had been lost; filling in lost areas; tinting, removing
opaque lacquer, and polishing the lacquer parts.
A unique set of eleven Japanese weapons was undergoing restoration
at the same time as the suits of armour. The work included:
removing the stains from the surface of the leather, textile, cords,
braids, feathers, wood, bone (dry and wet cleaning); consolidating
the soft, flaking, or loose priming; saturating and pasting together
loose priming and lacquer, priming and leather, priming and
bone; selecting and gluing primed lacquer fragments to the base,
filling in lost areas with composite mixtures; tinting the scratches,
abrasions, small areas of chipped or lost lacquer; polishing the
lacquered surfaces; cleaning the carved painted bone, masticating
the cracks in the bone; consolidating, backing and tinting the
tears in the leather; dry cleaning, straightening, gluing together
the arrow feathers; wet cleaning of bamboo arrow shafts, removing
the cracks on the wooden sheath base in areas of adhesion.
After the restoration, the items were included in the permanent
exhibition of the State Hermitage Oriental Department, Culture and
Art of Japan.
Japanese dagger and sheath. During restoration: lacquer cracks being
consolidated and tinted
JapaneSe applied arT oBJecTS for The permanenT
exhiBiTion CultuRe anD aRt of JaPan
In 2009, the display in the Japanese Rooms of the State Hermitage
underwent an update. The most difficult objects requiring urgent
treatment were restored between 2006 and the middle of 2009.
Most of the artefacts which needed conservation date back to the
18th – 19th centuries, although some of them are as early as the
16th – 17th centuries. They differ in size, technique, and function:
caskets, boxes for writing tools, inkpots, trays, mirror cases, combs,
small ivory sculptures (okimono, altars, theatrical masks).
This wide array of items display a number of materials and techniques:
relief carving on bone, sometimes painted and engraved;
relief carving on wood, decorated with golden lacquer; painting in
coloured lacquer, encrustation with mother-of-pearl, corals, enamel
insets.
Conservation procedures varied from light dusting to a full range
of restoration treatments: studying the objects under a microscope,
identifying their technical and technological characteristics, consolidating
the base and decoration, removing surface layers and late
dark varnish, filling in lost areas, tinting the newly-filled fragments,
making photographic records of all the procedures.
During restoration, it was necessary to identify the type of wood
used as base (whenever possible) and the composition of the
priming, to find out which exact decoration technique was used.
The results of these studies determined the selection of restoration
methods. In some cases, the complex technique used meant that
different methods were applied to the same object.
One of the most interesting objects in terms of the technology of its
making and restoration was a casket encrusted with mother-of-pearl.
Different materials were used for encrustation in the East: metal,
mother-of-pearl, eggshells, ivory. Encrustations vary widely, but
some techniques were more common in some periods or countries.
Thus, precious metals were common in encrustations produced
during the reign of the Chinese Han Dynasty, while mother-of-pearl
encrustations are associated with Korean and Chinese lacquers or
Japanese sixteenth-century lacquer objects. The latter period is the
dating of the casket in question. The mother-of-pearl encrustation
is not encrustation in the strictest sense of the word. Pieces of shell
were cut out following the pattern and then glued to the primed
lacquer surface, after which more layers of lacquer were continuously
applied over the whole surface of the casket, on top of the
encrustation. This produced a level smooth surface, with mother-ofpearl
seemingly “brazed” into the layer of lacquer. The next stage of
treatment was polishing the surface until excess lacquer was ground
down to the level of the inlay.
Mother-of-pearl pieces were usually glued to the surface using animal
glue. This disintegrated with time, and some fragments were
lost: mother-of-pearl is brittle and its polished surface was unprotected.
The lacunae formed by the losses gradually led to more lacquer
crumbling, so it was decided to fill in the missing pieces. Mother-ofpearl
similar in colour to the original was found and cut into shapes
identical to those lost. These pieces were pasted to the surface with
animal glue.
For the first time in their practice, conservators had to deal with
Japanese theatrical masks. The masks are carved out of wood (traces
Wooden casket. Before restoration
Wooden casket. After restoration
restoratIon and conserVatIon
Casket with mother-of-pearl encrustation.
During restoration
76 77

estoratIon and conserVatIon
of treatment and craftsmen’s stamps are clearly visible on the reverse),
then covered with a thin layer of glue and chalk priming,
then with a layer of paint (pigments, animal glue) and a final thin
layer of protective lacquer. The hair was either painted or made
of horse hair. The painting is in most cases multilayered, has an
opaque surface and a semi-transparent finishing layer of paint applied
in a pointillist manner with darkened edges.
Some masks (e.g. a woman’s mask) presented new challenges during
the consolidation process. After animal glue was applied to
the area where the paint layer and priming had come loose, this
layer peeled off and folded. It was difficult to settle everything back
again, as if there was an isolating agent which prevented the glue
from penetrating deeper. This turned out to be the insulating
laBoraTory for ScienTific reSToraTion
of TexTileS
Headed by M. Denisova
Temple TaBle curTain WiTh a dancing crane
China, late 17th century
Restored by M. Denisova
The curtain is sown of silk threads and decorated with embroidery
which uses different thread types and different techniques.
The silk embroidery uses the satin stitch technique and is applied
over a frame of coarse bristles.
The embroidery with gold paper thread and threads made of peacock
feathers and silk uses the couching stitch technique.
Before restoration, both the fabrics and the embroidery were very
soiled and worn. The silk background fabric had been cut and torn,
especially at the centre and in lower part of the curtain. Where
it was most damaged, the fabric had been glued over backing canvas
(later repair). The lower rim of the curtain, which was badly
damaged, had been turned up. The embroidery had lost its shape,
layer of wet lacquer, which was making the wood firmer and more
solid, protecting it from damage. Loose areas were strengthened
with polyvinyl butyral, after which they were carefully fixated with
weights before the glue dried up completely. The lost areas of priming
were filled in with PVB and chalk mastic, and the areas were
then tinted over.
These procedures provided the restorers with priceless experience
of working with Japanese applied art objects, and the techniques
of making these objects were more closely studied. All the exhibits
which underwent restoration are now on display at the permanent
exhibition Culture and Art of Japan, which opened in the summer
of 2009 at the Oriental Department of the State Hermitage
Museum.
Temple table curtain. After restoration
Temple table curtain. Fragment. Before restoration Temple table curtain. Fragment. After restoration
was damaged and lacked some gold threads and feathers. Individual
elements had been lost completely.
During the restoration, the curtain was disassembled: the threads
joining individual details were removed from the seams, and the
lining was taken off. The glue was moistened with alcohol tampons
and removed together with the back-up fabric. Wherever the silk
fabric was damaged, it was strengthened by two methods: by thermal
pressing over a thin polyamide fibre film with an electric spatula,
or by restoration stitching with thin gauze threads over a silk
back-up fabric in a matching colour. The choice of the method de-
laBoraTory for ScienTific reSToraTion
of preciouS meTalS
Headed by I. Malkiel
golden WreaTh
Gold, carnelians, wood, mastic
Length 63.5 cm, width 8 cm. Weight 92.7 g
Restored by I. Malkiel
The golden wreath decorated with leaves and a square plaque with
an image in relief comes from a third-century burial in a necropolis
in ancient Panticapaeum (Kerch), excavated in 1837.
The diadem which used to crown a queen (or a king) is a wreath
made of a thin gold band decorated along the rim with indented
triangles. At the centre is a plaque with an image of a rider before
an altar, shown in relief. He holds a rhyton in his right hand and
carries a quiver of arrows behind his back. The corners of the rectangular
plaque are decorated with carnelian insets. On both sides
of the plaque, celery leaves made of gold foil have been attached to
the band, cut to shape and with indented veins. On the reverse side,
a small piece of wood has survived. It is likely that the thin band was
attached to a base made of wooden plaques.
This type of headband, used in burial rites, became widespread in
the first centuries A.D. and was in use in the Northern Black Sea
Area throughout the Roman period. The Hermitage possesses several
similar wreaths from the necropolis in Panticapaeum.
The rider before an altar shown on the central plaque is quite
a rare touch. Scholars differ on the interpretation of this image.
Some think it is a Bosporan aristocrat making an offering to a god,
and some believe (since this was a funerary wreath) that this is the
deceased portrayed as a hero.
Golden wreath. After restoration
Golden wreath. Before restoration
restoratIon and conserVatIon
pended on the degree of preservation of the original silk. The embroidery
threads (silk and gold) were reattached with silk gauze
thread.
The lost embroidery fragments were reconstructed using gold
thread and peacock feathers and following the needle prick marks
on the fabric. All the elements were joined together, and connecting
seams restored. As a result of the conservation, the fabrics and
embroidery have been consolidated, the deformation of the embroidery
partly rectified, and its original size restored. The lost elements
have been supplied using the same original technique.
The wreath from the tomb of Rescuporides has never been displayed
at either temporary or permanent exhibitions.
When it was received at the Laboratory, the wreath had been pieced
together from several fragments, badly bent and torn. The fragile
metal was covered in cracks and punctures, with loose and separated
leaves. The wreath had never undergone conservation – this
was confirmed by the traces of soil with organic elements found in
the seams, which must have come from the burial. The restorers
made a special tool which allowed them to restore the wreath to
shape and smooth out the golden base and crumpled leaves. A fragment
of thin wooden lining had survived on the reverse, which
meant that stains had to be removed by laser. A method of laser
welding of thin gold foil was developed for welding together the
tears, cracks and fastening elements. Because the metal was so thin,
“delicate” welding was done in an acute angle on minimal power
and pulse frequency settings. Shellac mastic, used to keep the minerals
together, had dried up and flaked. Identical shellac mastic was
made and placed in the sockets. The reverse side of the golden
band was backed on fabric with thermo stencil.
After restoration, the funeral wreath was displayed at the exhibition
The Secret of the Golden Mask.
78 79

estoratIon and conserVatIon
laBoraTory for ScienTific reSToraTion
of TimepieceS and muSical mechaniSmS
Headed by M. Guriev
muSical BracKeT clocK
Great Britain, workshop of James Cox. 1780s
Gilded bronze, agate, glass, steel, brass. 76 × 25 × 22 cm
The bracket clock shaped as a complex, multi-figured and multilayered
structure made of gilded bronze and agate and supplied
with a music and animation mechanism, was made in the workshop
of the English clockmaker James Cox. Cox specialised in richly decorated
automatic clocks, made for the Oriental (primarily Chinese)
market, which is why they are relatively rare in Russia and Europe.
A Cox clock was supposed to stage a mechanical miracle with every
detail sparkling, tinkling and moving (a prime example is the Peacock
Clock by the same maker from the Hermitage collection).
The interior mechanisms of the clock fall into two independent
groups. The first is the lower music and animation mechanism,
which plays six tunes on nine bells and rotates five flower bouquets
and an eight-rayed star. The second group includes the upper
mechanism which strikes the hours and rotates the band with
sequined rosettes around the face of the clock.
An investigation showed that most of the defects and losses must
have been caused by a severe blow which may have been the result
of the clock falling from the table. The upper part had suffered
the most: the bouquets had been torn off and broken, the gazebo
had cracked and sagged, the eight-rayed star, one of the rosettes
surrounding the face, and one small vase had been lost, the body
of the clock and several bull horns had come loose, etc.
The conservators repaired the clock and musical mechanisms, and
the mechanism rotating the bouquets. Case deformities and damage
were repaired, lost fittings and one bronze vase were made
anew; the bouquets were restored; the centre of the eight-rayed star,
the fittings for the star and one side bouquet, winding keys, and the
technological tray and hood were all made anew.
After the restoration was over, the clock was handed over to the
Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Precious Metals where finishing
touches were put to its décor.
This conservation project was sponsored by Samsung Electronics
Co. Ltd.
laBoraTory for ScienTific reSToraTion
of furniTure
Headed by V. Gradov
In 2008, the carpentry workshop which had existed in the Hermitage
for over half a century was transformed into the Laboratory for
Scientific Restoration of Furniture.
In 2009, over fifty complex wooden items were restored at the
Laboratory, including a unique fan of wood and ivory which used
to belong to Princess Zinaida Yusupova, furniture, clocks, musical
instruments.
Musical bracket clock. After restoration
Oval table. 18th century, Russia
the GReateR uRals – the heRMitaGe
RestoRation sChool programme
In November 2009, master classes on restoration of applied art
objects made of fabric were continued on the premises of the Restoration
Workshops of the Sverdlovsk Local History Museum within
the framework of the program The Greater Urals – the Hermitage
Restoration School. An in-depth seminar on Restoration of Women’s
Headdresses and Accessories of the 18th – 19th Centuries was held for
trained conservators. The training was supervised by G. Fedorova,
a highly qualified restorer.
Six conservators took part in the training programme. They had
theory classes on identifying the décor, technique, state of preservation
of the objects in their care. Restoration plans were made for
each of the items. The classes included lab studies of pigment persistency,
talks on the drawing up of conservation documents, photographic
recording of the state of the objects before and during
restoration, selection and preparation of conservation materials.
The procedures were perfected during practical classes. The conservators
presented their video materials on textile restoration.
Twenty-eight objects from different museums of the Urals were restored
during the training session.
As part of the Hermitage Restoration School Programme, the State
Hermitage Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Graphic Works
organised three individual restoration sessions on paper-based
exhibits.
A highly topical and sought-after seminar on Field Conservation
of Archaeological Finds. Theory and Practice is planned for 2010.
restoratIon and conserVatIon
80 81

puBlicaTionS
J puBlicaTionS of 2009
caTalogueS of collecTionS
British Painting. 16th – 19th Centuries. Catalogue
of the collection. By Yelizaveta Renne.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
The State Hermitage Publishers, 2009. –
316 pp., ills.
The catalogue raisonné of the Hermitage
collection of British painting consists of
two parts, part 1 giving descriptions of 135
paintings by British artists of the 16th – 19th
centuries, part 2 devoted to the portraits of
the War Gallery in the Winter Palace created
by John Dawe of London and his assistants.
The catalogue has a large number
of new attributions.
Russian Lacquers. 18th – 20th Centuries.
Catalogue of the collection. By Irina Ukhanova.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
The State Hermitage Publishers, 2009. –
256 pp., ills.
The catalogue raisonné of the Hermitage
collection of lacquers by Russian artists
includes almost 400 works varying in style
and technique. The works are arranged
chronologically, demonstrating the evolution
of the art during the three centuries.
Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum. Attic Black-Figure
Drinking Cups. Part II. Russia. The State Hermitage
Museum, fasc. VIII. By Anna Petrakova.
Rome, 2009.
This volume of the international Corpus Vasorum
Antiquorum [Classical Antiquity Vases]
series is devoted to the Attic black-figure
cups of the Hermitage collection.
Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum. Corinthian
Aryballoi and Alabastra. Russia. The State
Hermitage Museum, fasc. IX. By Anastassia
Bukina. Rome, 2009.
This volume of the international Corpus Vasorum
Antiquorum [Classical Antiquity Vases]
series is devoted to the ariballoi and alabasters
of the Hermitage collection.
caTalcaTalogueS
of Temporary exhiBiTionS
“The Cooperative for Proletarian Art” of
Friedrich Brass: a Collection of German Avant-
Garde Art in Soviet Russia. Exhibition catalogue.
Compilation and introduction by Mikhail
Dedinkin. The State Hermitage Museum,
Research Museum of the Russian Academy
of Arts, Library of the Russian Academy
of Arts. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
Publishers, 2009. – 260 pp., ills.
The catalogue includes works by the German
Expressionists of the short-lived “Cooperative
for Proletarian Art (Genossenschaft
für proletarische Kunst)” founded in 1920
by Friedrich Brass, now almost forgotten.
In the same year, the paintings by the artists
of the Cooperative found their way into
Soviet Russia. The author of the catalogue
has reconstructed both the history of the
Cooperative and the paintings by the Cooperative
artists. The volume contains materials
that characterize the situation in the
realm of arts both in Russia and Germany
during the tragic 1920s, focusing on the
perception of German art in Russia.
Chamber of Book Curiosities in the Hermitage.
Exhibition catalogue. The State Hermitage
Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
Publishers, 2009. – 216 pp., ills.
The catalogue includes books that differ
from traditional manuscripts and printed
editions by their shape, dimensions, binding
and joints, as well as book art objects
and “Blende-paintings” depicting books
and works of applied arts, imitating books.
The catalogue contains descriptions of 128
exhibits from the 14th century to 2008.
The Mystery of the Golden Mask. Exhibition
catalogue. The State Hermitage Museum.
St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
Publishers, 2009. – 204 pp., ills.
For the first time, the materials connected
with the burial with the golden mask discovered
in Kerch in 1837 are published in
their entirety. The introductory articles deal
with various aspects of the burial objects, as
well as their dating, provenance and the
circumstances of the discovery.
Renoir. Compositions with Stairs. By Albert
Kostenevich. The State Hermitage Museum.
St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers,
2009. – 64 pp., ills.
The monograph opens the Revived Masterpieces
series devoted to the most notable
recent achievements of the Hermitage
restorers.
“The Beautiful One Has Come”. Masterpieces
of Portraiture from the Egyptian Museum, Berlin.
Exhibition catalogue. By Andrei Bolshakov.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
The State Hermitage Publishers, 2009. – 56 pp.,
ills.
The catalogue is devoted to several portraiture
masterpieces from the Egyptian museum
of Berlin, primarily of the so-called
Amarna period, the time of Akhenaten.
It contains a brief history of his reign, focusing
on the roots of the religion reform, often
regarded as the first attempt in the history
of mankind to introduce monotheism.
The Azure and Gold of Limoges. Twelfthto
Fourteenth-Century Enamels. Exhibition
catalogue. By Yekaterina Nekrasova.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
The State Hermitage Publishers, 2009. –
184 pp., ills.
The catalogue contains an introduction
devoted to Limoges productions and 66
descriptions of works, some of them published
for the first time in a Russian edition.
The major part of the exhibits is
church plate of the 12th – 14th centuries,
such as liturgical vessels, reliquary boxes,
crosses, staffs and candlesticks. Besides, the
catalogue has several nineteenth-century
works stylized as Limoges productions.
FECIT AD VIVUM. Portraits of Artists in Western
European Engravings (16th – 18th Centuries).
Exhibition catalogue. By Nijole Masiulionite.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
The State Hermitage Publishers, 2009. –
240 pp., ills.
The Hermitage has a rich collection of
Western European engraved portraits.
Shown for the first time are the portraits
of renowned artists, active during the three
centuries which were the acme period in
the history of portraiture. The selection of
works was determined by both the quality
of engravings and the artist’s personality
and talent. Most of the engravings are published
for the first time.
“The Perfect Victory.” 300 Years of the Battle
of Poltava. Exhibition catalogue. The State
Hermitage Museum and the State “Moscow
Kremlin” Museum-Reserve. St. Petersburg:
The State Hermitage Publishers, 2009. –
400 pp., ills.
publIcatIons
82 83

publIcatIons publIcatIons
The catalogue contains descriptions of all
the items of the exhibition under the same
name, viz. paintings, drawings, works of applied
art, weapons, uniforms and personal
belongings of the participants of the battle.
The introductory articles in the catalogue
deal with the history of the battle items in
the collections of the State Hermitage and
Moscow Kremlin Museums.
Satsuma Ceramics of Japan in the State
Hermitage Collection. Exhibition catalogue.
By Tatiana Arapova and Anna Yegorova.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
The State Hermitage Publishers, 2009. –
168 pp., ills.
Published in the catalogue is the collection
of Satsuma ceramics proper and that
of the Satsuma style, from the 18th to the
early 20th centuries, demonstrating various
features typical of the style in different
Satsumoto centres of Japan, both in the
Province of Satsuma, and in Kyoto, Kansai
District and Yokohama.
Georg Kolbe. Blue Ink Drawings. Exhibition
catalogue. By Mikhail Dedinkin. The State
Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State
Hermitage Publishers, 2009. – 52 pp., ills.
The catalogue, devoted to the German
sculptor Georg Kolbe (1877–1947), includes
mostly nudes in movement, in pen
and wash.
Enamels of the World. 1700–2000. From
the Khalili Collection. Exhibition catalogue.
By Haydn Williams. The State Hermitage
Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
Publishers, 2009. – 268 pp., ills.
The catalogue of the exhibition of the
same name includes 318 works distributed
among eleven sections devoted to Europe,
China, Japan, Islamic countries, patrons of
the art of enamelling, the history and distribution
of various enamelling techniques,
the features typical of painted enamels and
Swiss snuff-boxes, enamels of the Historicism
Period and Fabergé and Cartier productions.
Each section has an introduction
with the depictions of the works exhibited,
as well as annotations.
The Hermitage in Photographs – 2009.
Exhibition catalogue. The State Hermitage
Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
Publishers, 2009. – 176 pp., ills.
The Echo of the Russian Seasons. Exhibition
catalogue. The State Hermitage Museum.
St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers,
2009. – 176 pp., ills. (Christmas Gift
series)
The catalogue shows productions of the
oldest Russian Porcelain Factory, created
with the participation of the World of Art
painters and their followers. Common to
all the exhibits are the motifs of the performances
of the Russian Seasons and the
theatrical atmosphere of the Silver Age.
The hermiTage loanS
To oTher muSeumS
Precious Filigree of the East from the 17th –
19th Centuries from the Collection of the State
Hermitage Museum. Exhibition catalogue.
By Maria Menshikova. Yekaterinburg:
Autograph, 2009.
The catalogue of the exhibition held in
the Museum of the History of Stone Carving
and Jewellery, Yekaterinburg (1 June –
28 September 2009) includes Chinese and
Japanese productions of gold and silver
thread. Many of the exhibits are of special
historical value, because they belonged to
Russian tsars’ personal collections.
Gods’ Children. Exhibition catalogue.
St. Petersburg: Slavia, 2009.
The catalogue of the exhibition held at
the Hermitage-Kazan Exhibition Centre
(22 September 2009 – 28 March 2010)
shows works of art, from the 7th century
B.C. to our day, representing heroes as
reflected in Classical mythology, epic and
cults.
Sea and Navigation in the Culture of Classical
Antiquity. Exhibition catalogue. St. Petersburg:
Slavia, 2009.
The catalogue of the exhibition held at the
Museum of the World Ocean, Kaliningrad
(23 October 2009 – 9 March 2010), deals
with the development of navigation in Classical
Antiquity and man’s attitude to sea as
it is reflected in art.
The Hermitage and Famous Russian Collectors.
Western European Art of the 18th – 19th Centuries
from the Collections of Pyotr Semyonov-
Tian-Shansky, Prince Alexander Gorchakov
and Baron Alexander Stieglitz. Exhibition
catalogue. St. Petersburg: Slavia, 2009.
The catalogue of the exhibition held at
the Picture Gallery of Lipetsk (13 October
2009 – 28 February 2010) includes
25 paintings of the 17th – 19th centuries
and about 60 works of applied arts from
the collections of Prince Alexander Gorchakov
(1798–1883), Baron Alexander Stieglitz
(1814–1884) and the outstanding traveller
Pyotr Semyonov-Tian-Shansky (1827–1914)
who was born in today’s Province of Lipetsk.
Four Great Banquet Tables of Catherine
the Great from the State Hermitage Museum.
Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Iwaki
City Art Museum, Daimaru Museum Shinsaibashi
Osaka and Umi-Mori Art Museum.
2009.
The catalogue of the exhibition shown in
several Japanese cities (16 April 2009 –
7 March 2010) is devoted to the decor of
the banquet table from the point of view
of its ceremonial significance. The four
ceremonial sets of the time of Catherine
the Great reflect Russian cultural traditions
and her political ties in the 18th
century.
At the Russian Court. Palace and Protocol
in the 19th Century. Hermitage-Amsterdam.
2009.
The catalogue of the exhibition held at
the Hermitage-Amsterdam Exhibition
Centre, The Netherlands (19 June 2009 –
31 January 2010) deals with the traditions,
ceremonies and courtiers of the Russian
Imperial Court in the 19th century, during
six emperors, from Catherine the Great’s
son Paul I to the last in the dynasty, Nicholas
II.
Gold der Steppe. Sensationsfunde aus
Fūrstengräbern der Skythen und Sarmaten.
Kunsthistorisches museum, Kunsthalle
Leoben. 2009.
The catalogue of the exhibition held at the
Kunsthalle of Leoben, Austria ((25 April –
26 October 2009) is devoted to the archaeological
finds discovered in the burials of
the Lower Don area.
Lo stile dello zar. Arte e Moda tra Italia
e Russia dal XIV al XVIII secolo. Milano:
SKIRA Editore, 2009.
The catalogue of the exhibition held at the
Textile Museum (Museo del Tessuto), Prato,
Italy (18 September 2009 – 10 January
2010) is devoted to the history of Russo-
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publIcatIons
Italian relations during 500 years, illustrated
by textiles, costumes, paintings, jewellery
and archival documents.
Da Velázques a Murillo. Il Secolo d’oro della
pittura spagnola nelle collezioni dell’Ermitage
a cura di Ludmila Kagané, Susanna Zatti.
Milano: SKIRA Editore, 2009.
The catalogue of the exhibition held at
the Castello Visconteo Museum, Pavia, Italy
(9 October 2009 – 17 January 2010), shows
the Hermitage paintings of the Golden Age
of Spanish art.
Porcellane imperiali dalle collezioni
dell`Ermitage. Milano: Silviana Editoriale, 2009.
The catalogue of the exhibition held at the
Palazzo Madama, Turin, Italy (30 November
2009 – 14 February 2010) demonstrates
table-setting designs at the Court in the 18th
and 19th centuries.
reporTS
of The STaTe hermiTage muSeum
Reports of the State Hermitage Museum.
[Vol.] 67. The State Hermitage Museum.
St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers,
2009. – 192 pp., ills.
An annual edition devoted to the latest
achievements in the sphere of research,
curature, restoration and exhibitions. The
materials consist mostly of the results of the
study of individual works of art and entire
collections of the Hermitage Museum, as
well as improvement of traditional attributions,
dates and interpretations in the light
of today’s scholarship. Special sections are
devoted to the most important recent acquisitions,
newly-opened and reconstructed
premises and studies on the history of the
Hermitage. In Memoriam section is devoted
to renowned Hermitage workers’ life and
career. Since 2008, published bilingually, in
Russian and English.
TranSacTionS
of The STaTe hermiTage muSeum
Transactions of the State Hermitage Museum.
[Vol.] 44: Man and Animal. Ancient Art of
Eurasia: Conference proceedings. The State
Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State
Hermitage Publishers, 2009. – 388 pp., ills.
The volume includes materials for the Man
and Animal exhibition shown at the Hermitage
in 2002, as well as articles on ancient
Eurasian art from the Neolith to the Mid-
dle Ages. A special section is the catalogue
of the exhibition.
Transactions of the State Hermitage Museum.
[Vol.] 45: St. Petersburg Egyptological Readings
2007–2008. In Commemoration of Oleg
Dmitrievich Berlev. On the Occasion of His
75th Birthday. Papers of the conference.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
The State Hermitage Publishers, 2009. –
360 pp., ills.
The conference volume includes papers on
the key problems of Egyptology, viz. political
history of law, archaeology, epigraphy,
lexicology and writing, and studies devoted
to groups of monuments. The materials
cover the period from the pre-Dynasty to
the Greco-Roman period.
Transactions of the State Hermitage Museum.
[Vol.] 46: Architecture and Archaeology
of Ancient Rus. Archaeological-Architectural
Seminar. Proceedings of the conference
marking the 100th anniversary of the birthday
of Mikhail Karger (1903–1976), held on
26–28 November 2003, and the meeting dedicated
to his 90th anniversary on 27 May 1993.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
The State Hermitage Publishers, 2009. –
422 pp., ills.
The fourth issue of the Seminar on Architecture
and Archaeology includes materials of
two conferences devoted to the memory of
the archaeologist and art historian Mikhail
Karger (1903–1976). The memoirs of his
younger colleagues and students duly reflect
his vivid personality, fairly complicated.
His greatest achievements are in the realm
of Russian pre-Mongol architecture. Many
of the authors in the present volume refer
to Karger’s excavations and the themes that
are close to his interests (historical topography
of Kiev, architecture of ancient Polotsk
and murals, etc.).
Transactions of the State Hermitage Museum.
[Vol.] 47: Personalities from Peter the Great’s
Time – 2009. Conference Proceedings.
To Mark 300 Years of the Battle of Poltava
(1709–2009). The State Hermitage Museum.
St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers,
2009. – 268 pp., ills.
The volume includes papers, many of them
based on new materials, given at the annual
State Hermitage conference devoted
to various aspects of Russian history of the
first half of the 18th century. A number of
papers deal with Peter the Great and outstanding
personalities of his time.
Transactions of the State Hermitage Museum.
[Vol.] 48: Materials and Studies of the Department
of Numismatics: In Memoriam Anna
Alexeyevna Markova (1895–1975). The State
Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State
Hermitage Publishers, 2009. – 300 pp., ills.
The volume in the memory of the outstanding
expert on Western European numismatics
Anna Markova of the Department of
Numismatics of the State Hermitage consists
of papers covering the entire cycle of
auxiliary historical disciplines, viz. numismatics,
medallurgy, faleristics, sigillography
and the history of collections. The volume
also includes biographical materials.
monographS
Irina Kalinina. Essays on Historical Semantics.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
St. Petersburg State University Publishers,
2009.
The book deals with the development of
historical semantics, a new interdisciplinary
approach to the study of traditions and traditional
Weltanschauung. The methods of
historical semantics are discussed using archaeological
and ethnographical materials.
Tamara Malinina. Imperial Glass Factory.
18th – Early 20th Centuries. The State Hermitage
Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
Publishers, 2009. – 456 pp., ills.
The book deals with the history of the Imperial
Glass Factory from the 18th to the
early 20th centuries and its productions
in the style of Rococo, Classicism, Empire,
Historicism and Art Nouveau. The materials
discussed are arranged according to the
reigns of Russian emperors.
Irina Sokolova. The Picture Gallery of Pyotr
Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky and Dutch Paintings
on the St. Petersburg Antiquarian Market.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
The State Hermitage Publishers, 2009. –
464 pp., ills.
The book is concerned with the history of
one of the most important private collections
of Dutch and Flemish painting of the
19th – early 20th centuries. The documents
published reflect the cultural atmosphere,
in which the noble plan of the outstanding
Russian scholar and statesman Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky
(1827–1914), to expand
the Dutch collection of the Imperial Hermitage,
materialised.
publIcatIons
86 87

publIcatIons publIcatIons
Vladimir Sokolovsky. Monumental Painting
in the Palace Complex of Bunjikat, the
Capital of Medieval Ustrushana. 8th – Early
9th Centuries. The State Hermitage Museum.
St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers,
2009. – 232 pp., ills.
The monograph is devoted to the murals
discovered during the excavation of the palace
of the rulers of medieval Ustrashana on
the territory of today’s Tajikistan, destroyed
by Arab invaders in the 9th century. The
four sections of the book are concerned
with the restoration and reconstruction of
the murals, technical and technological
study of the paintings and their stylistic features.
Valentin Shkoda. The Temples of Penjikent
and the Problems of Sogdian Religion (5th to
8th Centuries). The State Hermitage Museum,
Ahmad Donish Institute of History, Archaeology
and Ethnography, Tajik Republic Academy of
Sciences, Institute of Material Culture, Russian
Academy of Sciences. St. Petersburg: The State
Hermitage Publishers, 2009. – 280 pp., ills.
Cults and rituals of medieval Sogd are discussed
on the basis of archaeological materials
of Penjikent.
puBlicaTion
of archival documenTS
Minutes of the Hermitage Council. Part II:
1920–1926. The State Hermitage Museum.
St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers,
2009. – 880 pp., ills. (Pages of the History
of the Hermitage. Vol. III).
The book in the Pages of the History of the
Hermitage series is a sequel to the Minutes of
the Hermitage Council for1917–19, published
earlier (Minutes of the Hermitage Council.
Part I: 1917–1919. St. Petersburg, 2001).
The CuRatoR SerieS
Antonina Nikolayevna Izergina. 2 vols. Vol. 1:
Selected Writings. Vol. 2: Memoirs. Letters.
Talks. The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
The State Hermitage Publishers,
2009. (Curator)
The memoirs about Antonina Izergina, who
worked in the Hermitage for forty years, include
those of her colleagues, relatives and
friends, among them art scholars, actors,
authors and mountain-climbers. The book
would be incomplete without memoirs
about Izergina’s sister, Maria, and her last
husband Academician Iosif Orbeli, Director
of the Hermitage Museum. The book also
includes archival materials, such as minutes
of meetings and Izergina’s talks. The book
has numerous pictures of Izergina.
encyclopaedia
Decorative and Applied Arts in St. Petersburg
for 300 Years: illustrated encyclopaedia.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
The State Hermitage Publishers, 2009.
Vol. 3. – 304 pp., ills.
The 3rd volume of the illustrated encyclopaedia
deals with the history of silversmithing
and works of bone, lacquer, tortoise
shell and porcelain. The encyclopaedia
articles are devoted to the key moments in
the history of each of the art and the style
of various artists.
pedagogical and
educaTional ediTiTionS
Andrei Bolshakov. The Hermitage Museum.
Ancient Egypt. St. Petersburg: Alpha-Colour,
2009.
A popular edition about the Hermitage
permanent exhibition devoted to Ancient
Egypt.
“It was the Battle of Poltava.” Drawings of Russian
Uniforms and Weapons. Colouring book.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
The State Hermitage Publishers, 2009.
Art of Sogd. By Boris Marshak. The State
Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State
Hermitage Publishers, 2009. – 64 pp., ills.
(In brevi)
The booklet by the outstanding Russian
Orientalist Boris Marshak is devoted to
Sogdian art at the period of its flourishing
(5th – 8th centuries).
The Victory at Poltava in the Monuments
of Art from the Hermitage Collection. The State
Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State
Hermitage Publishers, 2009. – 76 pp. ills
(In brevi)
An addition to the book published in 1968,
devoted to works of art, relics and memorial
objects in the Hermitage collection
connected with the battle of Poltava. The
text written over forty years ago by a group
of the Hermitage researchers has retained
its significance.
The Arab Room of the Winter Palace: Life
of the Arabs of the Court. By Nina Tarasova.
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg:
The State Hermitage Publishers, 2009. –
64 pp., ills. (The Hermitage Rooms
and Buildings)
A book in the Hermitage Rooms and Buildings
series devoted to the history of the Arab
Room. The name of the room is connected
with the court servants of African extraction.
Irina Ukhanova. Smoking Pipes of the 18th –
Early 20th Centuries: Fantasy and Curiosity
in Small Sculpture. The State Hermitage
Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
Publishers, 2009. – 160 pp., ills. (The Hermitage
Collections)
The book deals with the Hermitage collection
of pipes, which has not been published
in its entirety before. The collection
includes pipes of different types and materials
(ceramics, wood, meerschaum and
amber). The collection demonstrates the
artistic quality of the works of small sculpture,
each of these reflecting the fashion of
the period and, in this way, explains why
the artists were used to depicting pipes in
their paintings and drawings.
Grand Church of the Winter Palace. By Svetlana
Yanchenko. The State Hermitage Museum.
St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers,
2009. – 80 pp., ills. (The Hermitage Rooms
and Buildings)
A booklet in the Hermitage Rooms and Buildings
series devoted to the Grand Church
of the Winter Palace, one of the most important
ceremonial rooms the former main
Imperial residence in Russia. The book
deals with the history of the Court Church
and the events that took place in it.
alBumS
St. Petersburg in Watercolours, Engravings and
Lithographs of the 18th and 19th Centuries from
the Collection of the State Hermitage Museum.
By Galina Miroliubova, Galina Printseva and
Victor Looga. St. Petersburg: Arka, 2009.
reSearch and
meThodological ediTionS
The Art of Jewellery and Material Culture:
abstracts of papers of the 17th Colloquium
(14–18 April 2009). The State Hermitage
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publIcatIons
Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
Publishers, 2009. – 188 pp.
Abstracts of papers given at the 17th Art of
Jewellery and Material Culture seminar-colloquium
by experts in various spheres, viz.
archaeologists, gemmologists, historians,
art scholars, anthropologists, specialists in
archival science, designers, artists and jewellers.
In combination, they give an overall
picture of the state of the art.
The Museum and Problems of Cultural Tourism.
Materials of the 8th Round Table. The State
Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg: The State
Hermitage Publishers, 2009. – 82 pp.
The materials of the Round Table devoted
to the exchange of experiences in the
sphere of cultural tourism and specialized
museum programmes.
The Museum and the Media. Pressing Problems.
International Symposium Proceedings.
24–25 October 2007. The State Hermitage
Museum. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
Publishers, 2009. – 224 pp., ills.
The symposium held in October 2007 was
devoted to the contacts between museums
and the media and the role of museums
in this process. The symposium belongs
to a series of meetings of the leading representatives
of artistic circles of Russia and
the West held in the State Hermitage Museum
since 2000.
TexTBooKS
Dmitry Lyubin. Art and Artistic Life in Germany
in the Late 19th – Early 20th Centuries:
Painting, Drawings, Sculpture. A textbook.
St. Petersburg: Asterion, 2009.
conferenceS
in memoriam: vladimir lukonin
21–22 January
Traditional annual meeting devoted to the
study of ancient and medieval East.
in memoriam: Boris piotrovsky
13 February
Traditional annual meeting devoted to a wide
range of problems of archaeology and ancient
history, and new discoveries in various
spheres of research carried out in the Hermitage
Museum.
methodological, organizational
and legal problems of protective
and archaeological measures
in the city environment
12 March
This round table based on the permanent Architectural
and Archaeological Seminar was
devoted to organizational and legal problems
which arise in connection with archaeological
excavations in modern cities, and conservation
and preservation of the monuments of
architecture revealed by excavations.
The museum and problems
of cultural Tourism
9 April
Annual seminar, devoted to the exchange
of experiences in the sphere of tourism and
cultural programmes, of the Hermitage and
other museums in Russia and abroad.
The art of Jewellery and material
culture
14–18 April
The seminar was devoted to jewellery of different
periods, from ancient times to the productions
of modern artists.
The mystery of the golden mask
24 April
The round table in connection with an exhibition
under the same name was devoted to
the interpretation of the burial with a golden
mask discovered in Kerch in 1837. The problems
discussed included the function of the
mask in the burial and the dating of it.
The heritage. dedicated to the 140th
anniversary of yakov Smirnov’s Birth
20–21 May
The conference was devoted to the art and
archaeology of ancient times and the Middle
Ages.
31st cervantes conference
With the Institute of Russian Literature
of the Russian Academy of Sciences
(Pushkinsky Dom)
26 May
The conference was devoted to Spanish art
and culture.
conference dedicated to the 80th
anniversary of yevgenia Shchukina’s
Birth
18 June
The conference was devoted to a wide range
of numismatic problems.
St. petersburg egyptology readings –
2009
With the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts
of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the
Faculty of Oriental Studies of St. Petersburg
State University
23–25 June
Annual conference devoted to key problems
of Egyptology.
international round Table devoted
to the newspeak. british art now
exhibition
25 October
The seminar was devoted to the vital problems
and perspectives of modern art and the study
of it.
in memoriam:
vladimir levinson-lessing
28 October
Traditional annual conference on the history
and attribution of museum collections.
far eastern ceramics and porcelain.
problems of Style and influence
11–12 November
The conference was held in connection with
the Satsuma Ceramics of Japan in the State Hermitage
Collection exhibition.
The Time of peter the great
represented by its personalities
17–18 November
Traditional annual conference devoted to the
time Peter the Great.
The architecture of Byzantium
and old rus’: 9th – 12th centuries
17–21 November
The international seminar was devoted to
problems of research into the mid-Byzantine
architecture of the Byzantine world.
The Science of archaeology
in russia: yesterday and Today.
on the occasion of the 150th
anniversary of the establishment
of the imperial archaeological
commission
With the Institute of the History of Material
Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
Institute of Archaeology of the Russian
Academy of Sciences, Federal Department
of Legal Supervision in the Sphere of
Cultural Heritage Preservation and State
Photography Centre
21 November
The conference was devoted to the history
of the Imperial Archaeological Commission
in Russia.
The phenomenon of Bosporus.
art at the periphery of classical
antiquity
With the Institute of the History of Material
Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
Russian Institute of the History of Arts
and Institute of Linguistic Studies
2 December
Traditional conference dealing with the art
and culture of Bosporus.
in memoriam: valentin ryabtsevich
2–3 December
Conference on the research of numismatics.
archaeological expeditions’ report
22–23 December
Archeological session: Final Report for the
2009 field season.
heraldry, as an auxiliary historical
discipline
Traditional monthly seminar on the problems
of heraldry.
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conferences
The archiTecTure of ByZanTium
and old ruS’: 9Th – 12Th cenTurieS.
inTernaTional Seminar
On 17–21 November 2009, The Architecture of Byzantium
and Old Rus’: 9th – 12th Centuries International Seminar
was held in the State Hermitage Museum. It was devoted
to the study of monumental architecture of the mid-
Byzantine period. The seminar included 39 papers by
archaeologists, restorers of architecture, historians of
architecture and art scholars from Russia, Ukraine, USA,
Austria, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria and Serbia. The themes
discussed covered almost the entire geographical spectrum
of architectural types of Byzantium and her cultural
successors, from Asia Minor to Novgorod and from the
Northern Caucasus to the Adriatic. The papers were devoted
to archaeologists’ and restorers’ new discoveries,
The heriTage. conference dedicaTed
To The 140Th anniverSary of yaKov
Smirnov’S BirTh (1869–1918)
On 20–21 May 2009, a conference dedicated to the memory
of the outstanding Russian Orientalist, archaeologist and
historian of ancient arts Yakov Ivanovich Smirnov was held
in the State Hermitage Museum, where he had worked
for over 20 years. The circle of Smirnov’s interests was extremely
broad; his legacy is hard to overestimate. Until the
very last days of his life, he remained faithful to his duty
of a museum curator, playing a noticeable role in the life
of the Hermitage as a member of the Council.
The programme of the conference included 23 papers
concerned with Smirnov’s biography and the topics that
had been in the sphere of his interests. The papers by
members of the Department of Archaeology of Eastern
Europe and Siberia, Oriental Department, Classical Antiquity
Department, Department of Numismatics, Department
of Western European Applied Arts and Education
Department covered topics from the culture of Classical
Antiquity to that of Sarmatia and Medieval Europe. Leading
experts in the history of culture took part in the conference.
Yelena Korolkova, Igor Tikhonov and Anna Ierusalimskaya
presented new facts of Smirnov’s biography.
Yuri Piotrovsky’s paper was devoted to cultural attribu-
92
as well as the result of the study of architectural forms,
typology of the monuments, iconography and stylistics of
monumental painting, construction methods and materials,
historiography and methodology of the study of Byzantine
architecture.
The meetings took place in the Hermitage Theatre, and
the seminar programme included guided tours to architectural
monuments of the 11th – 13th centuries in Novgorod
and Staraya Ladoga. It is the organizers’ idea to conduct
such Hermitage-based seminars on a regular basis in order
to create an international scholarly community, which will
lead to new achievements in the study of Byzantine architecture,
a traditional domain of Russian scholarship.
By Denis Yolshin
tion of the Maikop Barrow. Leonid Marsadolov discussed
a possibility of ancient contacts of the Sayan-Altai with
the Near East and China. Various aspects of Classical Antiquity
culture were touched upon by Dmitry Machinsky
and Victoria Musbakhova, Dmitry Alexinsky, Anastasia
Bukina, Anna Petrakova, Oleg Neverov and Yelena Vlasova.
Papers by Irina Zasetskaya, Alexander Nikitin, Vyacheslav
Kuleshov, Mark Kramarovsky and Yuri Piatnitsky
were devoted to toreutics, from the Sarmatian period
to the Middle Ages. Natalia Fonyakova’s paper was on the
historiography of early medieval applied arts. Olga Osharina
discussed depictions on Coptic textiles. Alexander
Kakovkin, Marina Kryzhanovskaya and Vera Zalesskaya
devoted their papers to works of applied art by Armenian,
Byzantine and Western European artists. Yuri Piatnitsky’s
Putative Portrait of Princess Olga was concerned with the
attribution and history of one painting in the Hermitage
collection.
The conference was not only a tribute to the memory of
the outstanding scholar, but also a testimony to the fact
that his research interests are still an important component
of the Hermitage and Russian scholarship.
By Yelena Korolkova
diSSerTaTionS
deryabina, yekaterina vadimovna
huBerT roBerT: painTingS
in ruSSian collecTionS
of The 18Th – early 20Th
cenTurieS
For the degree of Kandidat (Candidate)
of Art Theory and History
Some less-studied problems connected
with Hubert Robert’s painting
have been investigated using his
works in the museum collections of
Russia. The results obtained have
made up for serious lacunae in our
knowledge of the later period of Robert’s
career, practically neglected by
Western historians of art. The problems
discussed include dating of Robert’s
paintings, the relationship of
painting and drawing, and the reflection
of Robert’s landscape-gardening
experience in his work.
osharina, olga vladimirovna
reSurrecTion iconography
and SymBoliSm in The arT
of chriSTian egypT
(4Th – 7Th cenTurieS)
For the degree of Kandidat (Candidate)
of Art Theory and History
The dissertation is devoted to some important
but insufficiently studied topics
in the sphere of the iconography
and symbolism of a number of scenes
and images in the Christian art of
Egypt. The study is based on rich materials
from the 3rd to 7th centuries,
such as murals, mosaics, miniatures,
icons, textiles, sculpture, and works of
bone, glass and metal, including those
from the collection of the State Hermitage.
Comparative and artistic study
of various materials in combination
with the Old and New Testament and
hagiographic evidence have revealed
the specific features of the iconography
and symbolism of the Resurrection
in Byzantine-Egyptian art, as well
as the reason of the popularity of the
subject in question.
pomigalov, alexei alexandrovich
ST. peTerBurg police
in The 19Th cenTury:
STrucTure, organiZaTion
and acTiviTy
For the degree of Kandidat (Candidate)
of History
The dissertation deals with the development
and functioning of the institute
of police in the capital of Russia
in the 19th century. In the situation of
the authoritarian political regime in
the Russian Empire, different police
structures occupied a special place
among governmental institutions,
controlling very many (probably all
of the) spheres of life.
Among other things, the study has
determined several periods in the
reformation of St. Petersburg police
between 1804 and 1825, viz. establishment
of the ministerial system, subordination
of St. Petersburg police to the
Ministry of Interior, establishment of
the Ministry of Police and its abolition
and numerous, though unsuccessful,
attempts of police reformation; several
revisions of St. Petersburg Deanery
Department in the 1830s, leading to
several projects of establishing a new
St. Petersburg police, partially materialized
(the period connected with
Mikhail Speransky); the period of serious
basic police reforms of the metropolitan
police in the 1860s – 70s,
connected directly with the reforms
in the country generally (abolition of
serfdom and military reform). It was
during the latter period that the police
of St. Petersburg acquired the
organizational structure and legal
basis which existed, without serious
modifications, until the Revolution
of February 1917.
rebrova, roxana viktorovna
The monaSTerieS
and convenTS of The
ST. peTerSBurg dioceSe
during The Synod period:
archiTecTural SpecificiTy
For the degree of Kandidat (Candidate)
of Art Theory and History
The dissertation deals with the monasteries
and convents of the St. Petersburg
Diocese during the Synod period,
focusing on the architectural
specificity of monastery ensembles.
The complex of Peter the Great’s reforms
resulted in significant changes
in the nation’s ideology, among other
things, in the organization of monasteries.
The main goal of the dissertation
was to find out how political,
social and cultural changes affected
monasterial life, in particular the
building of monasteries. The materials
used include eight monastic complexes,
four of them renewed (Dormition
Convent and St. Nicholas’
Monastery of Staraya Ladoga, Konevets
Monastery of the Nativity of the
Virgin, Transfiguration Monastery of
the Island of Valaam) and four new
ones (St. Alexander Nevsky Monastery
(Lavra), Coastal Monastery of St. Sergius,
Smolny Convent and Novodevichy
Resurrection Nunnery).
93

dIssertatIons
Trofimova, anna alexeyevna
iMitatio aleXanDRi:
porTraiTS of alexander
The greaT and
myThological imagery
in helleniSTic arT
For the degree of Kandidat (Candidate)
of Art Theory and History
For the first time in Russian and world
scholarship, the impact of Alexander
the Great’s portraits on the depiction
of heroes in Hellenistic art was discussed.
As a result, the notion of the
“Alexander type” has been defined in
the context of the stylistic evolution
of the Hellenic period. It has been
concluded that the Imitatio Alexandri
was a necessary stage in the formation
of a universal idiom of Hellenistic art.
In the imitation of Alexander the
Great’s appearance, several key notions
were materialized, which were
part of the mythological imagery
structure after the era of Alexander
the Great, viz. the indomitable one,
defender of the Greeks, king of the
East, conqueror of Asia, liberator,
founder of cities and the King, or
the best of the Greeks. The “Alexander
type” was a new eidetic myth
that arose at the end of the Classical
Period. During the Hellenic period,
a form of expression of this type in
mythological images was created,
concurrent with the establishment
of new values and ideas.
94
Trusova, polina alexandrovna
proBlemS of claSical
TradiTion in The arT and
arTiSTic life of france
in The laTe 19th and early
20th cenTurieS
For the degree of Kandidat (Candidate)
of Art Theory and History
The dissertation deals with the controversy
about the classical tradition
in French art that arose in the cultural
and political circles of France in
the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It was concerned with both the notion
of the “classical tradition” per se and
its role in public life. In the dissertation,
several models of the concept
of French classical legacy have been
analyzed, as well as their influence on
art and art studies during the period
under review. The study of the controversy
about the classical tradition
of the turn of the 19th century in the
right-wing circles of France represents
a new approach to the study of
the retrospective tendencies in early
twentieth-century art.
Khimin, mikhail nikolayevich
iconography of achilleS
and The Theme of The
hero’S deSTiny in greeK
vaSe painTing of The 6Th –
4Th cenTurieS B.c.
For the degree of Kandidat (Candidate)
of Art Theory and History
The dissertation is devoted to those
subjects in painting that contain the
motif of Achilles’ death. The analysis
of both artistic materials and narrative
sources suggests that the interest
of Athenian vase-painters to this character
was determined by the doctrine
of the polis, which was to establish the
ideal based on heroism as one of the
highest values.
chistov, dmitry efimovich
myrmeKeyon during
The laTe claSSical
and early hellenic Time
(mid-5th – early 3rd
cenTurieS B.c.)
For the degree of Kandidat (Candidate)
of History
The dissertation deals with material
debris and archaeological strata in
the Bosporan city of Myrmekeyon,
datable to between the mid-5th and
early 3rd centuries B.C. The aim of
the work is to systematise the knowledge
about Myrmekeyon of the late
Classical and the early Hellenic period,
and to reveal the tendencies in
the development of the city and the
connection between archaeological
materials and written sources on the
history of the kingdom of Bosporus.
The study is based on a complex analysis
of the sources and a combination
of research methods, such as stratigraphy,
typology, topography and synchronisation.
Within the framework
of the period under study, chronological
stages in the history of the city
have been determined, with verified
dating of fires, destructions and fortification
constructions, and with the
correlating of the archaeological data
with historical events. Besides, several
versions of reconstruction of some individual
buildings and the structure
and dynamics of the city development
have been suggested.
archaeological expediTionS
comprehenSive anTiQue archaeological
expediTion
Head of Expedition: S. Solovyov
In 2009 excavation works continued on the ancient settlement
of Zavetnoye-5 in the vicinity of the ancient Greek city
of Acra (Zavetnoye Village, Crimean Autonomous Republic,
Ukraine) and on the Aphrodite shrine in Milet (Balat, Turkey).
Archaeological excavations in the environs of Acra, conducted
jointly with the Expedition of Donetsk National
University (Head of Expedition: Associate Professor
L. Shepko) formed the next stage of the research project
“Acra: Ancient City and Its Environs” scheduled for 2002–
2010 and focusing on the archaeological sites in the rural
area around this Ionic colony located on the European
coast of the Cimmerian Bosporus. Excavations were conducted
to the north-east of the ancient city, on the plateau
where a large manor house (dating from the last quarter
of the 4th century B.C. – first third of the 3rd century
B.C.) with basement facilities, a courtyard, living rooms
and household pits was uncovered in 2005–2007. The key
achievements of the 2009 field season included the exploration
of 300 m 2 of the settlement, with the occupation
layer thickness reaching 1.0 m in places; uncovering of the
southern part of a monumental public or religious building
dating back to the second half of the 4th century B.C.
and an eastern part of an above-ground residential building
dating from the 4th century B.C.; and the discovery of
numerous fragments of Greek and local pottery, including
tare, table- and cooking ware, as well as bone, stone and
metal articles.
Further archaeological excavations in Milet were conducted
on the sacred ground and Aphrodite shrine on Zeityn-
archiTecTural and archaeological
expediTion
Head of Expedition: О. Ioannisyan
In 2009 exploratory works continued on the Tithes Church
of the Virgin in Kiev on five sites with a gross area of 133 m 2 .
Remains of a tenth-century underground wooden structure
occupying 14 m 2 near the southern apse and built
well before the construction of the church were inspected
(Burial Chamber 109). It was found out that the structure
remained operational for a very limited period of time
(possibly for less than ten years). It had been dismantled
before its roof collapsed at the time when the foundations
of the church were being constructed. New excavation was
started on a 78 m 2 area in the north-western corner of the
Tithes Church to get a clearer picture of the foundation
structures. The foundations of the outer western wall have
survived nearly to the basement level; the wooden substructures
of the northern wall have resolved into dust. A careful
analysis of these traces enabled the archaeologists to reveal
tepe jointly with Ruhr University, Bochum (Head: Professor
W. von Graeve). Milet was among the most powerful
cities in Ancient Greece and the founder of most Greek
colonies on the Black Sea coast, including the North Black
Sea Region. The nearly human-height artificial recesses cut
in the rock, with vaulted ceilings and inner partitions, were
found to contain offerings to the goddess, including votive
bronze shields, terracotta and stone figurines and pottery.
Two botroses (6 and 11 m deep), or pits for collecting
matter remaining from sacrifices or religious ceremonies,
were explored in the eastern part of the hill; the pits were
filled with ash and contained fragments of votive ceramic,
stone and faience vessels and figurines. Works are under
way on the archaeological findings retrieved in 2004–2009;
the Russian–German collaboration is preparing the materials
for publication.
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archaeoloGIcal expedItIons
the complicated sequence of activities aimed at reinforcing
the part of the foundation nearest to the backfilled
moat of the ancient town (10th century). A new 13 m 2 excavation
site was started to inspect the strong square pylon
in front of the western façade of the church. The surviving
parts of the pylon include the 2.80 × 2.80 m foundation
and four layers of plinth masonry above the basement. The
foundation brickwork and the quality of the plinth suggest
that the pylon was built in the first third of the 12th century
when the church underwent serious refurbishment. Other
exploratory works focused on the surviving fragments of
the foundation ditches of the church and tenth-century
burials. Expedition members also performed measurements
of another monumental tenth-century building, the
Western Palace on Starokiyevskaya Mountain.
BereZan (loWer Bug) archaeological
expediTion
Head of Expedition: D. Chistov
In 2009 exploratory works were continued on Excavation
Site O located in the north-western part of Berezan Island.
A 370 m 2 extension was started to the south and west of the
original site. The extension was found to contain a thick
wall (the base of the fence uncovered 2008); the structure
dating from the late 6th – first third of the 5th century
B.C. located inside the wall was fully explored. This is an
almost square building measuring 11.40 × 11.20 m in size
which consists of three rooms (one of them had no outer
wall on the south). The quality of the orthostat masonry,
the foundation made up of volcanic boulders and the
general layout suggest that the building may have been
used for public or religious purposes. The extension also
accommodated two round half-dugouts and a household
pit dating from a later period (middle to the third quarter
of the 5th century B.C.). Another unearthed facility
could be identified as an iron forge dating from the last
quarter of the 6th century B.C. Further exploratory activities
were undertaken on structures dating from the earlier
period in Berezan’s history and located on the 2008 excavation
site. Two round half-dugouts and four household
pits dating to the first half of the 6th century B.C. were
unearthed.
Large dolphin-shaped coin
(copper) from the layer
of the mid-5th century B.C.
0 1 2 cm
BuKhara archaeological expediTion
Head of Expedition: А. Torgoyev
excavaTion WorKS in paiKend
Team Leader: А. Omelchenko
In 2008 excavation works were performed on the Citadel,
Shahrestan I and Shahrestan II of the ancient town of
Paikend.
The findings made during the 2009 season confirmed the
suggestion that the Paikend Citadel had an entrance in the
middle of the outer southern wall. Remains of a fourth-
to fifth-century corner tower with arrow-slits arranged in
a fan-like manner were uncovered. Excavation works on
the large public building located behind the tower have
been ongoing since 2006. In 2009 seven rooms opening
into a corridor were unearthed next to the southern defensive
wall of the citadel, with Room 9 located in the corner
and Rooms 10 and 11 adjacent to the western outer
wall, which leaves the whole of the south-western corner
of the Citadel uncovered. The rooms were linked with
a corridor along the perimeter via arched passages and
had raftered ceilings partly made of reeds. The second
storey was probably roofless and may have served as a wallgang.
More rooms were found on the other side of the
corridor; exploratory works were completed on Room 12.
Sufas were present in all the rooms as well as the corridor.
The archaeological findings retrieved from the floors
display some likeness to the Kushan-Sassanid artefacts of
Bactria and Tocharistan and are partly influenced by the
Middle and Lower Syr-Darya cultures. The coins imitating
the Vasudeva mint suggest that the area fell into disuse in
the 4th century.
Street A in Shahrestan II was uncovered layer after layer to
obtain a clearer picture of later superimpositions. A large
amount of unglazed tenth-century pottery was retrieved;
one of the most interesting findings was the bottom
of a glazed cup with an image of a female face.
excavaTion WorKS on The KraSnaya rechKa
gorodiShche
Team Leader: А. Torgoyev
In 2009 excavations continued on the Krasnaya Rechka
Gorodishche in the Chuiskaya Valley. The key objective of the
season was to explore the stratigraphy of the ruins in the
centre of the site. Further works were conducted at Excavation
Pit 15 located near the western wall of Shahrestan II;
the surface level was inspected and stratigraphic section
performed. The buildings of the upper period had been
mostly ruined by fire and are in a poor state of preservation.
Remains of several facilities were unearthed together
with an unbuilt area, possibly a courtyard. Judging by the
findings, which included numerous items of pottery as well
as some iron and bronze articles, the fire had occurred
in the 12th century
The stratigraphic section revealed layers rich in ceramic
material which can be confidently dated by the 11th century.
Underneath, the earliest building horizon was uncovered,
with structures adjacent to the fortress wall. Remains
of two structures with adobe walls and a large pit with
steps (cellar?) dug in the natural soil were found. The prefloor
layer contained a lyre-shaped iron pendant, a large
amount of ceramic objects and coins (Tyurgesh, Chinese
and Tukhus). The unique finds included two anthropomorphic
censer legs. The available evidence suggests that
these buildings date back to the second half of the 9th century
at the earliest.
During this season, Excavation Pit 16 was started at the
southern wall of Shahrestan I, in the western part of the
Gorodishche, on the site of the old pits. A leaf-clay fortress
wall was inspected, just over 8 m in thickness at the base.
Buildings were present both inside and outside the fortress
wall. The houses overlooked the street running along the
fortress wall and unearthed on the latest surface. On the
opposite side of the street, two buildings from another
town block were found. The only early structure uncovered
was a cellar cut in the natural soil, with a three-step
spiral stairway. The early horizon dates from c. 9th – 10th
centuries; the late horizon can be dated by the 11th century
judging by the pottery and coins retrieved. The fortress
walls of Shahrestan I in the western part of the city and
the walls of the Shahrestan II quadrangle appeared to be
out of keeping with the Sogdian fortification traditions.
The available data suggest that these structures cannot be
dated by earlier than the 9th century and, most definitely,
they cannot have been built in the 6th or 7th century.
archaeoloGIcal expedItIons
ancienT ruSSian archaeological
expediTion
Head of Expedition: S. Tomsinsky
The 2009 expedition continued works on the medieval
sites in the Vladimir Region.
The archaeological team performed survey on the former
trading quarters (posad) of the ancient Russian city Mstislavl
(Gorodishche Village, Yuryev-Podolsky District,
Vladimir Region).
Convincing archaeological evidence was obtained that
Novgorodians first settled on the site of the city as early
as in the 10th century; the twelfth- and thirteenth-century
layers may reach 1.0 m in thickness and contain objects
typical of the period.
The architectural division of the expedition inspected the
remains of Vasily III’s and Ivan IV’s palaces in Aleksandrova
Sloboda (Aleksandrov, Vladimir Region). The most
important achievement of the 2010 season is the localization
of the surviving basement facilities in one part of Vasily
III’s palace.
TranSKuBan archaeological expediTion
Head of Expedition: Yu. Piotrovsky
In 2009 the expedition conducted works on the Aeneolithic
village of Meshoko located 40 km south of Maikop, on
the fringe of Kamennomostsky Village, Adygei Republic.
The village dates from the late 5th – early 4th millennium
B.C.
Excavation Pit 7 (2009) was cut back to the western part
of Shaft 1 (2007). The 16 m 2 pit is located in the northwestern
part of the site, near A. Stolyar’s Pit 1 (1958–1960).
The key goal of the expedition was to examine the stratification
of superimpositions on the slope, obtain new data
on the occupation level structure and explore any changes
in material culture on the basis of the stratigraphic evidence.
Researcher A. Borisov, Institute for Chemical and
Biological Problems of Soil Studies, Russian Academy of
Sciences, collected samples for chemical, microelement
and palynological tests.
The excavations yielded a large amount of archaeological
materials spanning across the history of the village: ceramic
fragments, tools and decorations made of stone and
bone, flint tools.
A copper disk bead was found in the rubble layer; this type
of decoration has never been retrieved from Aeneolithic
sites before. Three fragments of masonry were identified
in the lowest level of the village which will be examined in
more detail in the course of further research.
The Kostromskoy unit of the Transkuban Archaeological
Expedition worked in the Mostovsky District, Krasnodar
Region, near Severny Village. In 2008, fragments of
96 97

archaeoloGIcal expedItIons
1
3
0 1 2 cm
moulded pottery were retrieved from the talus of the sandstone
quarry located on the second above-flood terrace
of the Chokhrak River, 2 km south-west of the Razmenny
(Division) Kurgans (Mounds), providing archaeological
evidence for a settlement on this site (the settlement was
given the name Severny-5). During this season, the expedition
conducted instrumental survey, drew up a topographic
plan of the area, removed the talus and cut exploratory
shafts on the site of the village. It was discovered that the
Kostromskoy unit of the Transkuban Archaeological Expedition.
Sandstone quarry near Severny Village
4
5
2
6
Findings from Meshoko Village.
1 – fragment of a shale bracelet;
2, 6 – flint heads; 3 – copper ring;
4 – pear-shaped pendant;
5 – sew-on plate made from
a boar’s tusk
quarry had destroyed a settlement with an occupation layer
reaching 30–40 cm in thickness. Most of the ceramic material
dates from the Early-Meot Period (6th – 5th centuries
B.C.). The shafts were found to contain isolated fragments
of vessels dating back to later periods.
Instrumental survey and topographic planning was also
conducted for the Severny-3 group of kurgans (mounds)
consisting of six mounds and located 1 km north of the
Razmenny Kurgans.
gold horde expediTion
Head of Expedition: M. Kramarovsky
Field explorations continued in the foothill zone on the
north-eastern fringe of medieval Solkhat (Stary Krim)
in July–September 2009. The researchers sought to obtain
reliable information about the medieval city’s defence system.
The project was conducted in collaboration with the
Crimean Department of the Institute for Oriental Studies,
National Academy of Sciences, Ukraine.
Excavations were conducted on the ridge of the southeastern
branch of the Maly Agarmysh. The expedition relied
on the aerial survey data obtained in the early 1970s
(Archive of the Archaeology Institute, Russian Academy
of Sciences); the wall and foundations of five rectangular
towers (c. 10 × 10 m) were clearly observable in the photo.
The towers stand 75 to 100 m apart, which is consistent
with a plan drawn up by a Russian military topographer
in c. 1783 (Central State Archive of Military History, fund
ВУА, inv. 22608). According to the plan, the wall perimeter
measures 6,734 m. At present, the Solkhat defence belt
registered on the eighteenth-century topographic plan
is no longer visible.
Two excavation pits were dug, with a gross area above of
200 m 2 . The walls were found to have been at least 2.5 m
thick at the base; one of the towers discovered measures
10.0 × 10.0 m. The walls and towers were built of local
marmorized limestone using a veneer masonry technique.
The space between facing stonework walls was filled with
rubble bound together with limestone mortar. The veneer,
laid on a pre-prepared bed, was composed of large stone
blocks with uneven edges. The front surface was clad with
square pieces of marly limestone.
The hypothesis that the stone walls of Solkhat were built
between 1375 and 1380 by the order of Beklyaribek
Mamay, who controlled the city as part of his feudal land,
is supported by historical evidence.
myrmeKeyon expediTion
Head of Expedition: А. Butyagin
The 2009 expedition continued exploratory works on two
sites of the ancient town of Myrmekeyon. The key activities
at Pit И consisted in further inspection of Ash Pit 2 started
in the previous year. The ash pit layer, made up of brown
loam soil saturated with mussel shells and ash with admixtures
of yellow loam soil, is located in the northern, northwestern
and partly southern part of the excavation area.
The retrieved pottery includes amphorae dating from
3rd – 2nd centuries B.C. The layer also contained a large
number of weaving weights, lamps, copper coins, terracotta
and archaeologically intact pottery.
archaeoloGIcal expedItIons
Further excavation works were conducted on Pit ТС.
In 2009, archaeologists explored the layers and structures
of the Roman, Archaic and Late Medieval period. Late Medieval
Half-dugout 1 dating from the 14th century was completely
inspected and dismantled. Most of the excavation
area is occupied by a Roman manor house, first explored
in 2007–2008. Three of the manor house facilities were
uncovered (Building 4). The Roman buildings practically
deleted all earlier structures. The layer dating from the archaic
period was present in a small area where remains of
at least three archaic stoves were found. The stoves consisted
of adobe vaults; their floors were lined with well-baked
stove clay and inlaid with fragments of amphora walls. One
of the most interesting findings was the Bronze Age burial
surrounded by stone slabs set on edge. The skeleton was
lying on the side, in a crouched position, with the head at
the west end of the grave. A little moulded flat-bottomed
pot was found above the right hand of the dead body;
above the pot, bones of a large water bird.
nymphaeum expediTion
Head of Expedition: О. Sokolova
In 2009 further excavations were undertaken on the Bosporan
town of Nymphaeum, located 17 km south of Kerch.
Exploratory works on Site M (c. 450 m 2 ) were focused on
the levee bounding the territory to the south of the Propylaeum
uncovered in 1996. In the north-western part of the
site, a structure with ascending steps was uncovered, most
of which is hidden inside the wall of the excavation pit.
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archaeoloGIcal expedItIons
Four rows of steps made up of carefully dressed stone slabs
were unearthed. The lowest step is about 60 cm tall; the
others measure about 40 cm in height; their breadth ranges
from 50 to 75 cm. In total, the uncovered segment measures
c. 7 m 2 . Two slabs in the second and third row of steps
carry letters АГΩ on their side ribs. This type of structure
is common for theatres and bouleuteria.
Preservation works in the necropolis were conducted on
the area located south-west of the alley with burial vaults.
After the pit had been cleared of the soil resulting from
ground collapse, Catacomb K-28 was uncovered, which
consisted of a dromos with seven steps leading to it and
chambers linked with the covering slab by means of a door.
The catacomb had been robbed several times; no remains
of the burial were retrieved. While the flooring was
cleared, fragments of alabaster decorations for sarcophagi,
glassware, paste beads, bronze and iron fragments, a pair
of gold trimmings and leaves from the burial wreath were
retrieved suggesting that the catacomb may date from the
latter half of the 1st or former part of the 2nd century. Another
four ground burials were uncovered in the dromos
area, possibly dating from the first centuries A.D.
penJiKenT archaeological expediTion
Head of Expedition: I. Malkiel
The following works were conducted during the reporting
period: 1) excavations continued in the north-eastern part
of the city at Sites XXVI and XXVI-с (north) to explore the
houses dating from the final period of the city’s existence
(8th century); 2) restoration of previously excavated and
dilapidated buildings was performed.
Site XXVI was extended south of the excavated area adjacent
to the inside of the fortress wall and now reaches the
Eastern Street of the city. The unearthed area displayed
some highly interesting stratigraphic features. The upper
layer, dating back to the period when life in the city was virtually
dying down, was found to contain Building 32, partly
cut into the city wall, with an underlying lane or footpath
leading to the top of the city wall. Underneath, layers of
debris were discovered on top of adobe backfill. The latter
formed a flat area (about 140 m 2 of which have been uncovered
so far) and, as excavations showed, closed off the
lane (11 × 1.35 m) leading to the city wall, and three adjacent
buildings (34–36). Their walls were levelled to the
height of about 1 m; empty spaces were filled with bricks.
The buildings are linked with passages; Building 36 had an
exit to the Eastern Street, the adjoining part of which was
also unearthed on the top horizon. The layers described
above accumulated over the 8th century. A new household
was explored in the south-western part of the XXVI-с Site,
together with the adjacent stretch of the Eastern Street
(Building 9), 10 m of which were unearthed, with layers
up to 2 m thick. A vaulted Building 43 measuring 9 × 2.8 m
and aligned with the north-south axis, with an L-shaped
sufa and a passage in the southern part of the western wall
adjoined to it on the west. The excavation pit is over 3 m
deep; the building may have been operational in the mid-
8th century. Building 42 (3 × 4 m), located to the west of
Building 43, used to serve as a grain storage, judging by the
grain bunkers faced with burnt bricks and coated with alabaster.
The important findings include 58 coins, fragments
of a leather artefact (bucket?), an iron hoe, a Sogdian inscription
on a piece of rubble and a number of others.
The expedition also conducted restoration works on the
previously excavated facilities at Sites I, XVI, XXVI-c under
the Contract of Archaeological Heritage Preservation.
Sogdian inscription on a piece of rubble. Penjikent, 2009,
Site XXVI-c, Building 42
norTh-WeSTern archaeological
expediTion
Head of Expedition: A. Mazurkevich
Our knowledge of the pre-literate period, accounting for
99.9% of human history, is inevitably based on comprehensive
inspection of archaeological sources. One cannot
imagine the development of modern archaeology without
field investigations, new methods of materials analysis or
new excavation techniques. The unique lacustrine and
peat environments in the south of the Pskov Region and
north of the Smolensk Region with their numerous ancient
sites help to recreate the history of these lands over
the past 12,000 years.
In July–August 2009 exploratory works continued on the
multi-layer settlement Serteya II. The cultural horizons
were tested for magnetic susceptibility with a magnetometer.
This method is used to identify structures if the occupation
level is homogeneous and the building remains
are not visible. As a result of the excavations, conducted
jointly with the Bavarian Department for Heritage Preservation,
building remains dating to the Late Neolith and
the Bronze Age were found. By using spatial modelling
and typological analysis techniques for the findings in the
occupation layer, the archaeologists succeeded in identifying
Early Bronze Age materials and artefacts dating from
the “lace pottery” and ball-shaped amphorae cultures,
as well as modelled the migration patterns of ancient
humans.
Slavic-SarmaTian expediTion
Head of Expedition: S. Voronyatov
The 2009 field season was spent in search of Roman sites
suitable for further excavations. Several areas were explored
in three districts of the Bryansk Region (Starodubsky,
Pochepskoy and Trubchevsky).
In the Pochepskoy District (located on the Sudost River),
monitoring of the current state and topographic exploration
were performed on post-Zarubinets sites of the Roman
period (1st – 3rd centuries) identified in the 1950s.
In the Starodubsky District, three new sites were identified
on the left bank of the Rassukha River, near Shershevichi
Village. Topographic plans of the sites were drawn up and
tentative cultural attribution performed. Two of them,
Shershevichi-I and III, contained ceramic material dating
to the Late Bronze Epoch (Sosnitskaya Culture, second
half of the 2nd millennium B.C.). The findings retrieved
from Shershevichi-III also included fragments of twelfth-
and thirteenth-century Russian pottery. Judging by the
type of ceramics recovered, the third site, Shershevichi-II,
dates back to the post-Zarubinets period (1st – 2nd centuries)
and is considered as a promising area for further
studies.
archaeoloGIcal expedItIons
In the Trubchevsky District, the third- to seventh-century
Usokh settlement located in the mouth of the Posor
River was explored. As no retrievable material was obtained,
the prospect of further site investigation remains
questionable.
cenTral aSian archaeological expediTion
Head of Expedition: N. Nikolayev
In 2009 excavations were performed in the Shirinsky District
(Khakassian Republic) and the Dzhidin District (Republic
of Buryatia).
The expedition, jointly with the Institute of Material Culture
History, Russian Academy of Sciences, inspected an
Okunev Culture kurgan (mound) on Itkol-1 Gravesite in
the Chulymo-Yenisey Hollow, Khakassia, 2 km east of Shira
Village, with a total of eleven burials inside the fence measuring
14 × 14 m. The findings include bronze knives, temple
rings, a needle case with needles and richly decorated
ceramic vessels. The explored structures date back from
the first quarter of the 2nd millennium B.C.
Excavations were started on the Orgoyton Gravesite located
on the left bank of the Selenga River, 4 km south-west of
Zarubino Village, Dzhidin District, Republic of Buryatia.
In the previous season, exploratory activities were started
on the largest princely kurgan. Another small kurgan was
excavated in the south-eastern part of the site. Although
the kurgan had been robbed, a fragment of a bronze Chinese
mirror allows to date the burial by the 1st century B.C.
The excavations in Khakassia and Buryatia are of great
importance in terms of exploring the cultural transformations
which took place in the vast geographical area over
several centuries.
cenTral caucaSian expediTion
Head of Expedition: Ye. Vasilyeva
In 2009, the expedition continued exploration of the
Koban gravesite Kichmalka II on the environs of Kichmalka,
Kabardino-Balkaria. After a series of grave robberies,
two excavation pits were started on the gravesite in this
year. The first excavation site was located c. 1200 m away
from the edge of the cape with numerous illicit excavation
pits and cut back to the excavation areas of the previous
few years. The second excavation site lay at the edge of
the cape, in the part of the gravesite which remained untouched
by the robbers. The gross area of excavations was
126 m 2 .
On the first site, a total of twelve burials were excavated,
ten of which were made in Koban stone boxes dating from
the 7th – early 5th centuries B.C., one in the ground (probably
dating to the Bronze Age) and one Alan catacomb.
100 101

archaeoloGIcal expedItIons
Kichmalka II Gravesite, Burials 6 (7th – 6th centuries B.C.) Kichmalka II Gravesite. 2009 findings.
The second site comprised two burials (apart from Koban
stone boxes) containing a horse head with front and hind
legs (“skins”).
The burials were composed of rectangular stone boxes
along the east–west or south-west–north-east axis, made up
of vertical stone plates, with one or several cover slabs on
top. The graves contained individual bodies (male, female
and children’s), lying crouched on the right side, with the
head oriented to the west or south-west. Findings retrieved
from the burials included an iron axe, a spear head,
knives, bronze arrowheads, bracelets, pins, chains, spirals
(for decorating plaited hair), clay spindle whorls. The burials
contained many multi-coloured beads, amber beads
and spreaders. Headdress decorations consisted of bronze
tubes, cowry shells, ornamented bronze and antimony (?)
plaques. The clothes and headdress were covered with
small light and dark paste beads. Almost each of the stone
boxes contained a large black lacquer amphora (korchaga)
with a ceramic mug inside, placed in the south-east corner
of the box at the feet of the deceased. A bowl would normally
be found next to the korchaga or the skull.
The 2009 excavations confirmed the suggestion that the
Kichmalka II gravesite was started at the edge of the cape
because this part of the site was found to contain burials
dating from an earlier period (7th – 6th centuries B.C.)
than the burials located on the plateau, about 1,200 m
of the edge of the cape (6th – early 5th centuries B.C.).
It also turned out that the area at the edge of the cape was
used as a gravesite during the Alan period.
SouTh crimean expediTion
Head of Expedition: S. Adaksina
In June–August 2009 the South Crimean Archaeological
Expedition of the State Hermitage and the Crimean Department
of the Archaeology Institute, Ukrainian National
Academy of Sciences, continued exploratory works on the
Cembalo Fortress (14th – 15th centuries) in Balaclava.
Excavation undertaken during the 2009 season was a logical
follow-up to the activities initiated in 2004–2005 and
2008; the works were conducted along the eastern defence
line of the fortress between the Barnabo Grillo Tower and
the Portal Tower.
The newly uncovered area, measuring about 150 m 2 , is located
inside the eastern curtain, beneath the road to the
Barnabo Grillo. Buildings on this slope were arranged in
terraces.
Additional exploratory activities were conducted on the
space inside Building 2a and completed on Building 3;
archaeologists found and explored a temple located on
the next terrace beyond Building 3, along the path to the
Barnabo Grillo. This is the third temple uncovered in the
fortress.
On the whole, the 2009 expedition obtained some fascinating
new stratification material illustrating the principles of
residential construction and infrastructural arrangements
of the medieval Cembalo Fortress.
SouTh SiBerian expediTion
Head of Expedition: K. Chugunov
In the 2009 season excavations continued on the Bugry
Gravesite, Altai Krai, and the Chinge-Tey funerary complex
in the Tyva (Tuva) Republic.
Exploratory works were completed on Grave 2, Kurgan 1,
Bugry Gravesite; some structural elements of the burial
chamber were discovered including wooden fragments and
large stones. The burial had been robbed twice; however,
archaeoloGIcal expedItIons
the soil inside the deep grave was found to contain numerous
decorations, among them, gold plaques of different
shapes, silver and stone trimmings. The most remarkable
findings were three plaques representing human heads and
a belt plate decorated with griffin heads. Other objects of
interest included an insert head of a feline predator carved
of wood. Further exploratory works were performed on
the overground structure and the peripheral parts of the
kurgan; another two sections of the mound were strengthened
and a ditch in the area of the passage was excavated.
The excavations in Tuva were performed west of Arzhan
Village, on the northern fringe of the Chinge-Tey I funerary
complex; a pit with human and horse bones, part
of a ditch and two plots of the cromlech were explored.
A grave was discovered inside the cromlech; above it,
a bronze mouthpiece for a horse was found. The burial
chamber contained the body of an adolescent and a large
amount of accompanying inventory. A pectoral made of
thin gold leaves was lying on the breast; five embossed gold
plates representing standing tigers, and turquoise beads
were found in the area of the neck, shoulder plates and
lower sternum; underneath the skull, there was an earring
with a soldered-on cone and beads attached to it. Two severely
corroded iron knives and a grinder made of green
stone were lying under the pelvic bones; behind the back,
a quiver with arrows and fragments of a bow. A bronze mirror
with a handle in the shape of a standing ram was retrieved
from the corner of the burial chamber, with an attached
comb with wooden teeth and overlying bone plates.
upper dvina archaeological expediTion
Head of Expedition: B. Korotkevich
During the recording period excavations were performed
in the Kunyinsky, Bezhanitsky and Palkinsky districts, Pskov
Region. Works in the Kunyinsky District concentrated on
the site of an ancient town dating from the Late Bronze –
Early Iron Age and located near Anashkino Village. Three
defensive moats, possibly dating from the first half of the
1st millennium B.C. were found as a result of geophysical
works. An exploratory ditch was cut; the evidence obtained
supported the conclusions of geophysical studies. Excavations
also proceeded on the lower occupation layers dating
from the Late Bronze Age.
Excavations in the Bezhanitsky District were conducted on
the foundation of an anthropomorphic stone statue which
may have been part of an ancient town dating back to the
end of the 1st millennium A.D. near Podorzhevka Village.
The works were performed in conjunction with the transportation
of the statue to the Pskov Art, Historical and
Architectural Museum-Reserve jointly with the Geosard
Expedition. In the Palkinsky District, archaeologists were
attempting to find Early Iron Age buildings and artefacts
for further exploration.
102 103

maJor conSTrucTion and reSToraTion
reSToraTion of The eaSTern Wing
of The general STaff Building
The year 2009 saw the most important phase in the implementation
of the first stage of the restoration project for
the eastern wing of the General Staff Building.
On 18 February 2009 the Hermitage Museum was visited
by the Control Committee of the World Bank, whose
members inspected the process of restoration work, the
first stage of which was due to be completed by the middle
of 2010. The World Bank representatives reaffirmed the
financing of the first stage.
A regular meeting of the working group presided over by
the RF Deputy Minister of Culture A. Busygin and including
representatives of the Hermitage, Rosokhrankultura (Federal
Service for the Protection of Cultural Heritage), KGIOP
(Committee for State Control over the Use of Monuments
and Their Protection), Intarsia, FISP (Investment Fund for
Construction Projects), Studio 44, and Engineering Consultant
Company took place on 28 April 2009; the group is convened
once a month. The participants in the meeting were
informed that Alexander Avdeyev, Minister of Culture of the
Russian Federation, and Valentina Matviyenko, Governor
of St. Petersburg, had signed a plan of further work until
30 August 2010 on the first stage of the restoration and major
repairs to the eastern wing of the General Staff Building.
On 27 May 2009 a memorandum was signed about the
World Bank’s continuing to finance the first stage of the
restoration of the eastern wing. The Bank’s experts carried
out an inspection within the framework of the planned
mission of the World Bank in connection with the completion
of the first phase of the first stage of the project
on 20 May. After familiarising themselves with the process
and organization of the work scheduled, the experts called
it “the most closely conforming to the conditions agreed
upon of all the projects financed by the World Bank
in St. Petersburg”.
According to the results for 2009, the bulk of work stipulated
by the plan had been done. The most important
and complex part of the work, which necessitated some
extra efforts, was the reinforcement of the foundations,
strengthening of the wall brickwork and the installation
of floors/ceilings.
The basements were deepened and made damp-proof,
the foundations were consolidated, ferro-concrete floors
and ceilings were made, the mounting of metal structures
was completed, and translucent shields to cover the yards
where the enfilade is to be situated were installed. The laying
of the engineering networks inside was practically completed.
The making of monolithic staircases and elevator
shafts is under way. The construction of the transformer
substation and the boiler room was completed and they
were fitted with all the requisite equipment. Interior decoration
of the utility rooms was completed in rough. Doors,
fireplaces and other decorative elements are restored in
a special workshop located outside the construction site.
The work force employed for the restoration of the eastern
wing of the General Staff Building was 600 to 700 at any
one time.
In the process of work technological solutions were adjusted
to the actual state of the elements and structures of the
building after analysing the results of the monitoring and
additional research.
Within the framework of the restoration of the eastern
wing of the General Staff Building, the staff of the Sector
of Architecture and Archaeology carried out their studies
of the cultural layer; in 2009 they did it jointly with the staff
of the Institute of the History of Material Culture of the
Russian Academy of Sciences.
major constructIon and restoratIon
repair of The founTian in The greaT
courTyard of The WinTer palace
In May 2009, after repairs to its basin, change of its water
pattern and the reconstruction of the pumping station
of circulating water supply, the fountain in the Great
Courtyard of the Winter Palace was put into operation.
The work on the repair of the fountain was performed by
the LAGGAR Construction & Restoration Company. After
the completion of the engineering work, the granite rim
of the basin was restored and furbished, accompanied by
appropriate water-sealing. For evacuating water from the
earth surface around the fountain basin, a drainage system
was laid there. A special system of constant natural ventilation
of the space under the fountain was designed and
installed. Appropriate pumping equipment was selected
and mounted, as well as a special fountain attachment for
a new water pattern. An automated system was designed
and installed to control the operation of the fountain.
Each of the three contours of sprouting is regulated separately,
making it possible to adjust the intensity of flow
and thus modify the fountain water pattern. The new jet
pattern prevents water from sprinkling outside the basin.
In the summer season of 2009 the work of the fountain
proceeded in accordance with a special (variable) programme
targeted to save electric power and increase the
equipment longevity (on regular working days the fountain
turns on at 10 a.m. and turns off at 6 p.m.).
In the repair of the fountain the Hermitage used pumping
equipment from Grundfos, power plant equipment from
Mitsubishi Electric and water pattern attachments from
IML.
The organization of the work and supervision over the repair
was carried out by the staff of the Hermitage Chief
Mechanic and Chief Power Engineer.
104 105

major constructIon and restoratIon
running repairS To The drain WaTer pump
STaTion in The courTyard of The hermiTage
TheaTre Building
When the Hermitage Theatre was under construction,
a system of drainage channels was created, with a self-flow
of water into the River Neva. Later on the system got ruined.
During the reconstruction of the Hermitage Theatre
in 1987 through 1990 a decision was taken to reconstruct
the drainage system and build a pumping station to drive
the drain water into the municipal sewerage system. As a result
of that work a new drainage system was laid and a drain
water pumping station was built.
The pumping station had worked for 20 years, requiring,
however, considerable effort for controlling its operation,
as well as funds to pay for repairs to the equipment installed
in it. In 2008 the staff of the department of the Chief Power
Engineer, jointly with external experts, inspected the
condition of the station itself and the equipment installed
therein, as well as the conduits and networks connected
with it, as a result of which a decision was adopted to carry
out major repairs to the station in 2009.
The main technological solutions adopted during the repair
to the station were as follows:
1. The body of the station was to remain the same, but was
to be cleaned and subsequently treated with special materials
for longevity.
2. Pressure pipelines leading from the pump were to be
replaced with stainless steel ones.
3. New fittings were to be mounted, including check valves
and inverted valves with ball stoppers.
4. Grundfos-made immersion pumps were to be installed,
thus enabling their mounting and dismounting with no
bolt-nut fastening, right from the pavement level.
5. A new system of automatic control was to be installed,
which was to include:
- alternate switching on the pumps,
- control over the lower, upper and emergency levels,
- parallel operation of the pumps,
- indication of any equipment failing,
- display on the central panel for power control of “normal
function” symbols and emergency signals in order
to enable the engineer on duty to watch over the work
of the equipment and take appropriate action should
alarming situations emerge.
6. New pipes were to be laid to hold inside power supply
lines and control lines from the basement of the Hermitage
Theatre to the pump station.
7. New power supply and control cables were to be laid.
The project contractor was the PMF Company, which performed
the running repairs to the drain water pumping
station, as well as all the installation and tuning jobs.
The project was supervised by the Chief Power Engineer
V. Smirnov and Deputy Chief Power Engineer
O. Targonsky.
reconSTrucTion of lighTing SySTemS
in The STorage roomS of The deparTmenT
of archaeology of eaSTern europe
and SiBeria and in The laBoraTory for
reconSTrucTion of SculpTure and
coloured SToneS in The WinTer palace
Prior to commencing the work on the lighting system reconstruction,
the PMF Company worked out plans for the
power network and lighting system reconstruction, which
had taken into consideration the wishes of the staff because
the storage and restoration of art monuments needs
special lighting arrangements for each work place; at the
same time the rooms should strictly conform to the fire
safety requirements and regulations regarding electric appliances
suitable for this particular type of premises.
After getting approval by the KGIOP (Committee for State
Control over the Use of Monuments and Their Protection)
and inviting appropriate bids, the MegaEnergoStroyInvest
Company was contracted to perform the dismantling of the
old power lines and lamps and the installation of the new
lighting systems. The implementation of the project made
it possible not only to increase considerably the degree of
illumination at work places, but enabled the restorers and
research workers engaged there to adjust by themselves the
illumination level in the room or work place if necessary.
The organization of the work and control over it were
performed by the expertly staff of the Department of the
Chief Power Engineer.
running repairS To The lighTing SySTem
of The inner facadeS of The WinTer palace
Repairs to the illumination system of the inner facades of
the Winter Palace were carried out because of the physical
wear and decay of the insulation, which could have resulted
in the failure of the lighting system; besides, some of
the accent lamps and light sources were replaced and the
night lighting of the Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace
was put back into operation. While carrying out this work,
they replaced all the electric lines and networks on the
roof of the Winter Palace, as well as over 100 lamps of facade
illumination; they also restored the mast supports of
floodlights and restored some floodlights; light sources in
all the floodlights were also replaced. Repairs to the lighting
systems were performed by the MegaEnergoStroyInvest
Company. The organization and supervision was carried
out by the staff of the Department of Chief Power Engineer
of the Hermitage Museum.
major constructIon and restoratIon
improvemenTS To The lighTing SySTemS
in The exhiBiTion area of The menShiKov
palace Branch of The hermiTage
The project was aimed at improving the existing lighting system
for exhibition areas in the Menshikov Palace, which is
a Department of the State Hermitage Museum. In October
2009 the maintenance sector of the Department replaced
all the electric bulbs in the palace with energy-saving ones.
The total number of the electric bulbs replaced was: 90 filament
bulbs with E27 caps (an average power of 75 W)
and 250 filament bulbs with E14 caps (an average power of
40 W), out of which 190 were in the Grand Hall.
In November 2009 the power consumption in the Menshikov
Palace decreased by 35% compared to November
2008 and by 45% compared to the average power consumption
in November over the last nine years.
reporT of The mainTenance deparTmenT
of The STaraya derevnya cenTre for
reSToraTion, conServaTion and STorage
In 2009 the main objectives of the Department were the
building of the second stage of the storage facility and
maintaining the engineering systems in their top operational
condition. In the implementation of the first objective,
the Department studied the designs for the second
stage construction, making suggestions for their improvement,
and performed control over the construction work
under way and over the installation and adjustment of the
appropriate equipment.
For the implementation of the second objective the Hermitage
Department carried out scheduled servicing and
updating of the equipment installed and repairs to it.
As before, great attention was paid to the functioning
of the systems providing for the safe storage of exhibits.
The system of burglar alarm has been constantly perfected.
Work has been in progress all the time on the designing,
installation and tuning of third level loops; work has
been completed on the introduction of controllable alarm
objects (alarm system loops) in the graphics editor of the
software.
For the reception (mandate) desk of the Staraya Derevnya
Centre for Restoration, Conservation and Storage, the
Hermitage Museum purchased, installed and connected
to the burglar alarm system an automated key safe box
(SfK-64) with users’ access and identification. The Department
is actively testing and using the Broadway Checkpoint
biometric access control system for identifying employees
by means of their three-dimensional pictures; the system
issues magnetic pass cards only to those employed by the
Hermitage Museum.
The Department oversees the installation and connection
of the new fire alarm equipment, its personnel taking active
part in the strength and water-tightness trials of the
106 107

major constructIon and restoratIon
pipelines in the system for automated gas fire suppression
for the second stage of the Restoration, Conservation and
Storage Centre.
The Centre’s video surveillance system is one of its “attractions”,
which is always shown to visiting specialists. In the
existing system of video surveillance the Department had
analogue monitors for video signals replaced by new high
resolution LCD screens.
In the restoration and storage building (B) the installation
and tuning of 160 networked cameras was performed with
direct participation of the employees of the Maintenance
Department. A server room was created, with IP video surveillance
equipment installed in it, which makes it possible
to conduct full monitoring, recording, prolonged storage
and playback of video images; the innovation was implemented
in the process of introducing the second stage of
the video surveillance system. They also moved into this
new room the server of the burglar alarm network and
the pass/access office; a new telephone exchange was installed
there too. To maintain the required temperature,
the server room was equipped with air conditioning with
guaranteed power supply.
For the normal functioning of the systems of air conditioning
and ventilation, of the control and measuring instruments
and automated devices, work was done to purchase
components and spares for the repair of the refrigeration
units in the Restoration, Conservation and Storage Centre
and its cafeteria. A plan for the reconstruction of the existing
refrigeration system was prepared in order to replace
the refrigeration equipment before its recommended “life
expectancy” expires. Humidifiers were purchased to replace
outdated ones and those that had outlived their resource.
The Department purchased spare parts for “stand-by reserve”
for the systems of air conditioning and ventilation,
of the control and measuring instruments and automated
devices. In the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of
Timepieces and Musical Mechanisms considerable work
was done to check and endorse the ventilation equipment
purchased. To normalise the climatic conditions and provide
comfort in the smoking rooms of the administrative
and technical sector, electrode air-cleaners were installed.
To provide communication for the new blocks of the Centre,
a new telephone exchange was purchased and installed.
In the first half of 2010 it is planned to put the new exchange
into operation with new telephone numbers activated.
A new project has been worked out, providing for the networking
of the microcellular base stations to cover the entire
territory of the Restoration, Conservation and Storage
Centre with DECT-standard communication. The required
points for the inclusion of the base stations were determined
for all the locations within the Centre. Negotiations are under
way with telephone companies for obtaining new telephone
numbers, for changeover from analogue to digital
protocols and for provision of an extra access to E1 stream.
Talks are held also regarding an additional channel of communication
between the Hermitage Museum and the Cen-
tre and using 4-digit telephone lines between the buildings.
A considerable volume of altitude work for the replacement
of lamps and bulbs was performed in some of the
Centre’s rooms for open-access storage.
The Department evolved a schedule of admissible discharges
into the municipal sewerage system, which resulted
in a considerable reduction of fines for excessive waste
disposal in accordance with the State Unitary Enterprise
“St. Petersburg’s Waterworks” tariffs as applied to the Restoration,
Conservation and Storage Centre. Repairs to the
boiler heat circuit resulted in the smooth normal functioning
of all the heat-consuming units.
Proper repairs to the administrative, utilities, locker and
other ancillary rooms were done in view of their redirected
conversion. Running repairs were rendered to the
warehouse premises of the Department of State Purchases
and the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Timepieces
and Musical Mechanisms. Throughout the year the
Department attended to the running repairs to the soft
roofing over all the buildings of the Centre. Major repair
of the crane on the waste water treatment plant was duly
performed. Suspended ceilings in the rooms of the Centre
were replaced. The facades and windows were washed. Fifty
door units were replaced with metal ones and included
in the Centre’s access control system.
The timely performance of the above operations made
it possible for the Maintenance Department of the Restoration,
Conservation and Storage Centre to achieve
a smooth, uninterrupted breakdown-free functioning
of all the technological systems of the Centre in 2009.
meTal STrucTureS in The BuildingS
of The hermiTage muSeum. examinaTion,
analySiS and perSpecTiveS of uSe
new russo-german Scientific and practical project
From 2003 through 2008 the Hermitage Museum Department
of the History and Restoration of Architectural
Monuments (Chief Architect V. Lukin), jointly with the
Department of Construction History and Structural Preservation,
Brandenburg Technical University, aka TU Cottbus
(Professor Werner Lorenz and Engineer Bernhard
Heres) and the Research Group for Architectural Heritage
Preservation, Karslruhe University (Dr. S. Fedorov), conducted
a preliminary study of the metallic structures of the
Hermitage Museum complex of buildings. The work was
financed by the German Society for Academic Exchanges
(DAAD) in the form of separate survey campaigns and was
focused on the roof of the New Hermitage building.
In September 2008 the German Research Society (DGF)
approved a new project: Metal Structures of the Hermitage
Museum Buildings (“Die Eisenkonstruktionen in den
Gebäuden der Staatlichen Eremitage St. Petersburg – Erfassung,
Analyse und Bewertung im Kontext des fruehen
Using a laser scanner to measure the truss frame of the ceiling
of the St. George Hall of the Hermitage Museum
europaeischen Stahlbaus”), which made it possible to conduct
a comprehensive systematic survey and analysis of the
building structures (dating from 1838 to 1852) of the entire
complex of the Hermitage buildings, which were completely
reconstructed after the fire of 17 December 1837.
The present project commenced in January 2009, being
the first Russo-German scientific venture of this standard
in the field of monument protection. Work for the project
proceeds in close coordination with the top administration
of the Hermitage Museum and its Department of
History and Restoration of Architectural Monuments with
research staff and senior students from a number of German
universities participating – those who specialize in the
field of architectural monuments’ protection or historical
studies of metal structures.
Methodologically, the project presupposes performing
a combined research encompassing such spheres as the
history of construction technology, architecture and monument
protection. The ultimate objective of the work is
a tangible practical contribution to the preservation and
reconstruction of the architectural treasures of the Hermitage
Museum’s complex of buildings and a beneficial
assimilation of Germany’s experience in the study, analysis
and preservation of monuments of early metal-structure
major constructIon and restoratIon
building generously shared with the Hermitage. Scientifically,
the project primarily embraces the fol lowing:
– documenting in great detail the extant construction elements
through the use of appropriate up-to-date methods
(manual measuring, tachymetric measuring, threedimensional
laser scanning, etc.)
– bringing to light, systematising and analysing archival
sources and reconstructing the history of the design and
erection of the main types of structures;
– reconstructing the processes of designing, manufacturing
and assembling, as well as analysing the Hermitage
structures in the context of Russian and European construction
practice;
– statistically analysing the historical load-bearing structures
with their deformed state taken into consideration
and assessing their design specifics.
The above work presupposes the evolvement and application
of measures to strengthen and restore the historical
structures and their further integration (as a functional
element or as an exhibit, etc.), into the present-day set-up
of the museum.
In 2009 during two campaigns lasting six weeks each, the
rafter systems, as well loft floor frames over the St. George
and partly over Field Marshals and Peter I Memorial halls
were surveyed and measured – with a trial of tachymetric
and laser scanning techniques as applied to the beam
structures used in the St. George Hall. The rafter frame
of the room before the Grand Church became an object of
particular attention because the massive crescent-shaped
cast iron beams that support the belfry (1838–1839, pulled
down in 1939) is totally different in its design manner from
the light iron structures of the other covers.
Surveys in the lofts were made by Stefan Wiener and Bernd
Kieferle from the Laser Scanner Group (Raumbezogene Informations
– und Messtechnik) of the Graduate Technical
School of Mainz under the supervision of the engineer
Bernhard Heres (Brandenburg Technical University).
All the subsequent processing of the measurement results
and the aggregate tabling of the measurement documentation
were carried out in the respective institute and laboratories
of the above universities throughout 2009.
Simultaneously work commenced in the main archives
of St. Petersburg and in a number of Western European
archives to identify those sources that recorded the process
of preparation, designing and erecting the post-fire
structures of the Winter Palace (Dr. S. Fedorov, Karlsruhe
University). The very first sources uncovered convincingly
attest to the fact that the large-scale work for “the preparation
of metal objects for the renovation of the Winter Palace”
(Russian State Historical Archive, 37-9-873, p. 11 rev.)
was an official government programme, in which advanced
technological centres were invited to participate, particularly
the Alexander Foundry (headed by M. Clark) as the
general manufacturing contractor, as well as specialists
from the Railway Authority as a controlling body.
108 109

STrucTure of viSiTS To The hermiTage in 2009 educaTional evenTS
Total number of visitors 2,426,203
Including:
Free admissions * 845,484
Russian nationals 757,503
Foreign visitors 726,172
Internet ticket holders 10,750
Over 1,500,000 people visited the Hermitage
exhibitions outside the museum.
There were over 3,240,000 hits of the Hermitage
website.
* 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.
The number of guided tours to the Hermitage
organized in 2009 was 31,969
110 111
Including:
General tours round the museum 14,544
Tours to the Treasure Gallery-1 5,599
Tours to the Treasure Gallery-2 3,406
Tours to the Winter Palace of Peter I 482
School thematic tours 4,073
Thematic tours and series of tours
for adults 3,573
Tours to the General Staff Building 76
Tours to the Imperial Porcelain Factory
Museum 216
Classes for school children 680 hours
Classes at student clubs 626 hours
Number of lectures delivered 328
Including:
at the Hermitage 228
in Vyborg and Kazan 100

educatIonal eVents
chronology of evenTS
aT The youTh educaTion
cenTre
The programmes offered by the Youth
Education Centre are organised in
nearly the same way as the academic
year at higher educational institutions
and coincide with it chronologically.
They are two-semester programmes:
the first semester runs from October
to late December; the second starts
in February and ends in late May.
The additional Art Semester educational
programme in the Hermitage
designed for university-level students
both from Russia and abroad is offered
in the summer months. In 2009
the Youth Education Centre held the
following events.
Recycling
19 February – 8 March 2009
The exhibition was held as part of the Actual
Art programme in association with the
St.Petersburg branch of the Russian National
Centre for Contemporary Art headed by
M. Koldobskaya. It brought together works by
well-known representatives of St. Petersburg
Actual Art.
masterclass by artist yuri Shtapakov,
project participant
22 February 2009
...the weapons Glittering
in the sun...
18 March 2009
A meeting with G. Vilinbakhov, Deputy Director
of the Hermitage, and A. Dydykin, Head
of the General Staff Department, was held in
the Pink Room of the General Staff Building
within the framework of the programme The
Hermitage and Its People: an Unexpected Aspect.
boris smelov: a Retrospective
round Table discussion
21 March 2009
The round table discussion was arranged as
part of the Hermitage 20/21 programme. The
famous art photographer’s friends, like-minded
people and those closely associated with
him artistically and professionally as well as
experts in the art of photography took part in
the discussion held in the Pink Room in the
General Staff Building.
Day of the March Cat – 2009
28 March 2009
This special project is dedicated to the cats living
in the museum. On 28 March the museum
visitors who came to the Great Courtyard of the
Winter Palace had a unique chance to meet the
Hermitage cats, the main heroes of the event.
In the museum rooms the visitors played an
interactive game called Journey with a Hermitage
Cat. The Winter Palace attic floor was the venue
for an exhibition of works by professional artists
and by students from art studios run by the
Hermitage Student Club. Reflecting its theme,
the exhibition’s slogan was “Only she-cats may
be better than he-cats”.
an unknown smelov
Pink Room in the General Staff Building
4 April 2009
The event was held within the framework of
the Hermitage 20/21 programme. A meeting
with Nal Podolsky, St. Petersburg writer and
Smelov’s friend, was arranged as part of the
educational programme in conjunction with
the exhibition of photographic art entitled
Boris Smelov: a Retrospective.
aron Zinshtein. life in its true
Colours (painting, graphic arts
and Sculpture)
11 April 2009
The exhibition was held within the framework
of the Actual Art programme. A lecture entitled
The Possibilities of Prints was delivered.
12 April 2009
A class entitled The Possibilities of Prints was
taught.
traditions of st. Petersburg
Photography
11 April 2009
The event was held within the framework of
the Hermitage 20/21 programme. A meeting
with the art photographer Alexander Kitaev
was held as part of the Youth Education Centre
programme in conjunction with the exhibition
entitled Boris Smelov: a Retrospective.
eternity. Watercolors by nina
verzhbinskaya-rabinovich (austria)
Small Lecture Room
of the Youth Education Centre
19 April 2009
Artist Nina Verzhbinskaya-Rabinovich presented
a masterclass, On the Variety of Watercolour
Technique.
outstanding Photographers:
Joseph sudek (smelov’s Choice)
25 April 2009
This was another event of the Hermitage 20/21
programme. A lecture was delivered as part of
the educational programme, accompanying
the photographic art exhibition entitled Boris
Smelov: a Retrospective.
concert of the young american
composers matt van Brink
and ramon castello (department
of music, Boston university, the
uSa). courtesy of the uS consulate
general
Big Lecture Room
of the Youth Education Centre
15 May 2009
history of the Photographic
Vision of st. Petersburg: from
Daguerreotype to boris smelov
Lecture Room
of the Youth Education Centre
16 May 2009
The event was held within the framework of
the Hermitage 20/21 programme. A meeting
with the art photographer Alexander Kitaev
was organised as part of the educational programme
in combination with the photographic
art exhibition entitled Boris Smelov: a Retrospective.
Students’ final conference
Big Lecture Room
of the Youth Education Centre
17 May 2009
Members of the 19 study groups run by the
Student Club delivered various presentations.
exhibition featuring Works
by the art studio
Small Lecture Room
of the Youth Education Centre
17 May 2009
display by the moscow video art
group escape of its projects of 1999
to 2009, including the new video
called 100 Prohibitions
Big Lecture Room
of the Youth Education Centre
22 May 2009
The artists of Escape, a well-known Moscow art
group, delivered a lecture at the State Hermitage
Youth Centre. The lecture was followed by
the screening of their major projects produced
Student Day – 2009. The Hermitage Theatre: From the 18th to the 21st Centuries
in 1999 to 2009 and of their new project entitled
100 Prohibitions.
outstanding Photographers: henry
Cartier bresson (smelov’s Choice)
Big Lecture Room
of the Youth Education Centre
23 May 2009
The event was held within the framework of
the Hermitage20/21 programme. A lecture
was delivered as part of the educational programme
accompanying the photographic art
exhibition entitled Boris Smelov: a Retrospective.
antiquity in the Middle east.
performance by lo studio italiano,
Student club group
30 May 2009
General staff building:
age of Change. exhibition
by the photographic art group
of the Student club, division
of the hermitage youth centre
Stairway of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
in the General Staff Building
5–7 June 2009
The students exhibited a selection of unique
photographs of the General Staff Building
premises in the process of their restoration.
meeting with the architect oleg
yavein
5 June 2009
A meeting with Oleg Yavein, one of the architects
of the General Staff Building renovation
project, was organised within the framework
of the Guests of Honour in the Youth Centre programme.
He briefed the students on the project
particulars and described how the work on the
building reconstruction proceeded.
interaction and space
This joint programme was presented by the
Photographic Art Group of the Hermitage
Student Club led by Igor Lebedev and the students
of Parsons New School for Design (New
York) led by Thomas Verner. The programme
was organised in collaboration with the US
Consulate General in St. Petersburg.
11 and 14 June 2009
Masterclasses were presented by the photographers
Thomas Verner and Igor Lebedev.
educatIonal eVents
art semester in the hermitage.
annual Summer educational
programme designed for Students
of uSa art colleges
6 June – 22 July 2009
This programme was developed by the Youth
Centre to meet the interests of art college students.
It combines excursions, lectures at the
Hermitage and other St.Petersburg museums,
sightseeing tours of other cities and classes in
the workshop, the Hermitage rooms and in
the open air.
Student day – 2009.
the hermitage theatre:
from the 18th to the 21st Centuries
4 October 2009
The young people of St. Petersburg assembled
in one of the world’s largest museums to celebrate
the Student Day. It is traditionally held
in the Hermitage Theatre on the first Sunday
in October. Dedicated this time to the Hermitage
Theatre history, it brought together nearly
400 students.
112 113

educatIonal eVents
Students’ meeting with the project
curator dmitry ozerkov at the
opening of the exhibition newspeak.
british art now. masterclass
by the exhibition participants
24 October 2009
The event was organised within the framework
of the Hermitage 20/21 programme.
round Table discussion: newspeak.
british art now
25 October 2009
The event was an interesting part of the Hermitage
20/21 programme.
rikhard vasmi
5 November 2009
The artist’s paintings, illustrating the connection
between the classic avant-garde of the
20th century and the Actual Art of the first
decade of the 21st century, were exhibited
within the framework of the Actual Art programme.
lecture on rikhard vasmi’s Work
by a. mitin, Senior research member
of the department of Western
european fine arts
6 November 2009
recital of literary Works and
presentation of a group of paintings
under the Title Crimea studies
by Several hermitage Student club
groups
Small Lecture Room
of the Youth Education Centre
11 November 2009
Cyberfest
114
Students’ meeting with the project curator Dmitry Ozerkov at the opening of the exhibition
Newspeak. British Art Now
Cyberfest
20–29 November 2009
Within the framework of the Actual Art programme
the young people of the city were
shown performances by artists from different
countries, who try to combine art with latest
technologies and gain an understanding of
the role played by technologies in modern
culture.
meeting with dJ Spookie
as part of the Cyberfest programme
organised Jointly with the centre
for modern art
21 November 2009
concert by the popular British art
rock Band these new Puritans –
part of the educational programme
accompanying the exhibition
newspeak. british art now
“Tantsy” Club
25 November 2009
st. Petersburg: the Museum City
and City of Museums, a Joint
programme with the department of
museum Studies, St. petersburg State
university
1–3 December 2009
The projects Museum Quarter (St.Petersburg
State University) and Family Album, with
their displays of photos, documents and fam-
ily heirloom were presented. Students from
St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Kazan, as well as
St. Petersburg architects and students from
architectural institutions of higher education
participated in the round table discussion
Modern Architectural Designs in the Old City Space.
Pressing Issues.
meeting with Sheila gwaltney,
u.S.consul general
4 December 2009
The meeting was organised as part of the Guests
of Honour in the Youth Centre programme.
angel orensanz (Spain). sculpture
Cleaved by time
11 December 2009
Angel Orensanz, a frequent participant in the
Venice Biennale and other prestigious international
exhibitions in Beijing, New York and
Basel, presented a masterclass for the Actual
Art programme. The event was made possible
owing to the support by the Spanish Embassy
in Russia and the Spanish Consulate General
in St. Petersburg.
polina Zaytseva’s presentation of
the photography display Girls-Dolls
(photographic art group led by
i. lebedev)
12 December 2009
Dome
19 December 2009
Special programmeS for Schoolchildren
· The Days of Classics at the Hermitage programme is an annual project
for children of different age groups that includes theatrical performances,
masterclasses, an exhibition of children’s drawings and
quizzes on antique art and culture.
· Cooperation between the Hermitage and the Yamalo-Nenetsk
Auto nomous Area led to the creation of an educational programme
which included lectures delivered to 160 children who
spent their summer holidays at the Yamal summer camp.
· The event called The Beautiful Holds Eternal Fascination was organised
for disabled children and their parents jointly with the Anima
Centre for Development. Thematic guided tours of the exhibitions
of seventeenth-century Western European art were organised.
A total of ten groups of children visited the exhibitions. The
event was crowned by a concert held in the Hermitage Theatre.
· A special event was arranged for schoolchildren from four municipal
schools to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Russia’s
victory in the Battle of Poltava. It included lectures devoted to this
historic landmark, as well as guided tours of the exhibition called
The Perfect Victory. 300 Years of the Battle of Poltava, as well as a quiz
and test for the pupils.
The photographic art group presented a largescale
photography show attended by St. Petersburg
students and professional photographers.
The show presented the photographic image
of the St. Isaac’s Cathedral created by different
generations of artists.
christmas performance: Poetic italy
26 December 2009
The student club group Lo Studio Italiano arranged
an evening party including an artistic
performance of poetry and music accompanied
by the presentation of photographs of
Italy’s views (the group head is M. Villanova).
Traditional christmas event
of the “hermitage” Student club.
The art studio group’s Summarising
exhibition. directed by
v. Snegovskaya and n. Kruglova
27 December 2009
announcement of results of St. petersburg
young artists’ competition:
newspeak. st. Petersburg Version
The event was arranged as part of the educational
programme in combination with an
exhibition entitled Newspeak. British Art Now.
educatIonal eVents
From October 2009 to January 2010 the Youth
Education Centre held a competition among
St. Petersburg artistic youth aged 20 to 35. The
contestants were students or graduates of art institutions
of higher education. Over 50 participants
had submitted photographs, paintings,
works of graphic art, as well as installations in
the form of models and sketches The best works
selected by the staff of the Youth Education
Centre and Modern Art Studio were displayed
in the Pink Room of the General Staff Building.
Thematic lectures on modern art
delivered to Students round the year
Big Lecture Room
of the Youth Education Centre
October – December 2009
Thematic lectures: “Sensation! The Best-Known
Exhibition Projects” were delivered as part of the
Hermitage 20/21 programme. Twelve lectures
were read by researchers from the Education
Centre and the Department of Western European
Fine Arts.
Big Lecture Room
of the Youth Education Centre
February – May 2009
Twelve thematic lectures Art of the 21st Century:
Museums, Private Collections, Projects were given
by researchers from the Education Centre and
the Department of Western European Fine Arts.
· A two-week interactive game was organised and conducted within
the framework of the Sixth City Festival of Children’s Museum
Programmes. The game called About Fame and Slava simulated
a sea-voyage.
· Guided tours of the museum’s different displays were arranged
for ten groups of children as part of the Greater Bear regional
public charity programme called The Hermitage Gathers Its Friends.
A concert was held in conclusion of the programme.
· An educational programme of lectures for children with oncological
diseases was implemented in two medical centres of St. Petersburg.
· A special programme was designed to include a series of lessons
taught to children from the St. Petersburg orphan asylum Hope for
socially insecure children.
· A total of ten thematic conducted tours of the museum were developed
and organised for disabled children and their parents as
part of the programme of events carried out by the Greater Bear
regional public charity and the Umka Centre for Development.
· Arrangements were made for the celebration entitled The New Year
in the Hermitage for sick children from schools 3, 34, 36, 370 and
627. A total of 300 schoolchildren took part in the New Year party.
115

Special developmenT programmeS
cooperaTion agreemenT Signed
BeTWeen The STaTe hermiTage and philipS
On 12 March 2009, a Cooperation Agreement between the
State Hermitage and the Russian branch of Royal Philips
Electronics was signed in the Hermitage Theatre. Within
the framework of a joint project, Philips will replace and
upgrade the lighting in the Menshikov Palace and the Carriage
Yard (part of the Staraya Derevnya Restoration, Conservation
and Storage Centre).
Economically efficient innovations are extremely important
for most Russian companies financed from the state
budget, especially in the current climate. State museums
are no exception.
New energy-efficient lighting systems can considerably reduce
the costs of running a museum. Philips, a global leader
of innovative lighting technology, offers solutions which will
allow the Hermitage to cut its energy spending. The joint
project by the State Hermitage and Philips will be an example
of cost-cutting by introducing energy-saving technologies.
Signing of the Cooperation Agreement
between the State Hermitage and Philips
The technologies which will be used to modernise the
lighting in the Menshikov Palace and the Carriage Yard of
the Staraya Derevnya Centre will make it possible to reduce
energy costs by 55% while showcasing the exhibits at their
best. The company’s experts have undertaken an energy
audit of the lighting systems currently in place in these locations.
In light of the results of the audit, state-of-the-art
energy-saving lamps and various other lighting units have
been selected for installation.
The cooperation between the Hermitage and Philips dates
back 110 years, to 1898, when one of the Philips brothers
signed a contract to supply 50,000 carbon-filament bulbs
to light up the Winter Palace. Eventually, the entire residence
of Russian Emperors was lit by Philips lamps. This
was a turning point in the company’s history, the dawn
of its international fame.
The partnership between the State Hermitage and Philips
will be one of the most important projects in today’s Russia,
which will bring technological innovations to help preserve
the masterpieces of the world’s cultural heritage.
general agreemenT Signed BeTWeen
The STaTe hermiTage and The roSaTom
STaTe aTomic energy corporaTion
On 29 July 2009, Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State
Hermitage, and Sergei Kiriyenko, Director General of RO-
SATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation, signed a General
Agreement in Moscow on the terms of preparation
and implementation of joint programmes.
The Agreement implies a joint development and implementation
of cultural and educational programmes
in Russian regions, including exhibitions, academic, educational,
and other cultural events, and projects targeting
adults, children and youth.
Along with exhibitions from the collections of the State
Hermitage and other possible exhibition projects, these
programmes may include lectures, seminars, conferences,
round-table discussions, creative meetings, festivals, concerts
and performances by musical bands and theatre companies,
special projects for journalists and students, popular
and academic publications (in paper and electronic
format). These projects will be based on both traditional
and innovative methodologies.
The parties shall promote cultural education among the employees
of nuclear industry enterprises, who will also be the
audience of special dedicated projects. They shall foster
a creative cooperation between the employees of the State
Hermitage and their colleagues in cultural establishments
located near such nuclear energy enterprises.
The Agreement stresses the parties’ desire to make society
as a whole aware of the programmes prepared and run as
part of the project. An active cooperation with the media
is also planned.
As part of the programme of cooperation between the State
Hermitage and the ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation,
they launched a pilot cultural and educational
programme, WHY – World Heritage & Youth, intended
for ROSATOM volunteers and the State Hermitage Volunteer
Service. The participants were selected by ROSATOM
in the regions of Russia where the Corporation has affiliated
companies.
The programme involved an introduction to the work
of the Hermitage volunteers, round-table discussions, master
classes, meetings with museum leaders and conservators,
as well as visits to the cultural heritage sites and museums
of St. Petersburg.
agreemenT Signed BeTWeen
The STaTe hermiTage and ST. peTerSBurg
STaTe univerSiTy of informaTion
TechnologieS, mechanicS and opTicS
On 27 April 2009, the State Hermitage and St. Petersburg
State University of Information Technologies, Mechanics
and Optics signed a Cooperation Agreement on the basis
of mutual interest in joint research.
In accordance with the Agreement, the State Hermitage
and the University have pledged to cooperate in the following
areas:
specIal deVelopment proGrammes
– research into topical issues;
– exchange of information and experience arising from
current research;
– using the University’s technological facilities and academic
resources to aid the preservation of cultural
heritage;
– developing and introducing innovative materials and
methods of marking museum exhibits;
– other joint activities and projects, including academic
conferences.
St. Petersburg State University of Information Technologies,
Mechanics and Optics has the lab facilities and IT
resources which can be used for the conservation, research
and other projects carried out by the State Hermitage.
In particular, the use of facilities and IT resources
of the University labs would enable non-contact scanning
of museum exhibits, which would produce digital
three-dimensional models which can help to restore lost
fragments.
It is possible that a joint engineering and technology centre
will be established to discuss and tackle a wide range
of technical issues. This may set a precedent of cooperation
between museums and technical universities. Other
Russian and overseas technical universities may join the
project, along with a number of Russian and foreign companies
which generate modern optical and information
technologies.
Signing of the Agreement between the State Hermitage
and St. Petersburg State University of Information Technologies,
Mechanics and Optics.
V. Vasiliev and M. Piotrovsky
116 117

specIal deVelopment proGrammes
memorandum of underSTanding
for five yearS Signed
BeTWeen The STaTe hermiTage
and Korean air
On 29 June 2009, the State Hermitage and Korean Air
signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation
in the next five years. It was signed by Mikhail Piotrovsky,
Director of the State Hermitage, and Yang-Ho Cho, Chairman
of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer
of the Korean Air airline.
In accordance with the agreement, the company will help
the Hermitage to publish information materials and posters
for temporary exhibitions to be held in the museum
over the next five years.
Thanks to Korean Air sponsorship, a Korean-language audio
guide was developed for the Hermitage (by LLS Delia)
to provide services in Korean for the first time in the museum’s
history. This is the first Asian language to be included
in the Hermitage multimedia guide.
The Korean airline timed a number of events to coincide
with the signing of the Memorandum. For one year, Korean
Air will be issuing a special series of luggage labels
with the image of the world-famous Gauguin painting
Woman Holding a Fruit to first- and prestige-class passengers
on the Seoul–Moscow and Seoul–St. Petersburg flights.
Furthermore, Flying Art Ambassadors will start working
on the St. Petersburg–Seoul route. Employees of the new
Signing
of the Memorandum
of Understanding
for five years between
the State Hermitage
and Korean Air.
Mikhail Piotrovsky
and Yang-Ho Cho
service, who will have undergone a stringent professional
selection process, will tell the passengers flying to St. Petersburg
about the city’s museums, tourist programmes
and places of interest. Passengers flying from St. Petersburg
to Korea will learn about Korean cultural and historic
sites and attractions.
agreemenT Signed BeTWeen
The STaTe hermiTage and noBel Biocare
On 17 December 2009, Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the
State Hermitage, and Alexander Smirnov, Director of
Nobel Biocare, a global leader in implant solutions and
aesthetic dental care, signed a Cooperation Agreement to
launch a joint social awareness project “The Hermitage
Smile”.
The museum and the company had been preparing this
project for several months. The participants of the project
are the people who work for the Hermitage, holders of
classical museum jobs: curators, conservators, tour guides,
and other museum employees. They shared their thoughts
on the importance of a smile in their work on the special
website (www.4culture.ru).
First of all, a list was made of museum employees in urgent
need of dental care. Specific goals, objectives, format
and target audience of the project were then determined.
This project was pronounced the winner of the Health
Idea National Award in the category “Creative Combination
of Social Initiative and Commercial Objectives”.
The project was accepted as a practical example by Russian
medical schools and included in the curriculum for fifthyear
students and doctors in postgraduate training.
The parties expressed the hope that the signing
of the Agreement would be the beginning of further
friendly cooperation and that such partnership would promote
social responsibility in Russian business and a healthy
lifestyle for its employees.
formal celeBraTion of The 175Th
anniverSary of The alexander column
On 10 September 2009, a ceremony in celebration of
the 175th anniversary of the Alexander Column took place
in Palace Square.
The monument was designed by Auguste de Montferrand
to mark the victory over Napoleon and erected in 1834
by order of Emperor Nicholas I. The monument completed
the ensemble of the Arch of the General Staff Building,
also dedicated to the victory in the War of 1812, and became
the central element of the Palace Square complex.
The unveiling of the Alexander Column was marked by
a celebratory prayer and a military parade.
The anniversary ceremony was organised by the State Hermitage
and the Leningrad Military Command. The programme
of the festivities included a military parade, which
replicated the parade which had marked the unveiling of
the Column on 30 September (10 September New Style)
1834, and a bearing forth of historic banners of the regiments,
which had taken part in the War of 1812 and the
1813–1814 European campaign of the Russian army, from
the collection of the State Hermitage.
Celebrations of the 175th anniversary
of the Alexander Column
specIal deVelopment proGrammes
The ceremony was attended by a company of Guards
of Honour of the Leningrad Military Command, as well
as command crews, cadets and students of St. Petersburg
Garrison military academies.
The attendees were addressed by Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director
of the State Hermitage, and Lieutenant General
Nikolai Bogdanovsky, Commander of the Leningrad Military
Command.
dialogue of culTureS:
The fourTh inTernaTional media forum
for young JournaliSTS
The forum was organised by the State Hermitage, the
Eurasia Media Centre, the Moscow State University Television
College, the International Academy of Television
and Radio, the International TV and Radio Academy, and
supported by the St. Petersburg Government, the Intergovernmental
Foundation for Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Cooperation of CIS states, and the UNESCO office
in Moscow.
118 119

specIal deVelopment proGrammes
The Forum was attended by media representatives from
Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Germany,
Kazakhstan, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Ukraine, United
Kingdom, Uzbekistan, and different Russian regions.
The agenda of the meetings held in the Hermitage Theatre
and optional workshops held in museum rooms displaying
permanent and temporary exhibitions, included
important topical issues, such as Stereotypes in CIS and EU
Media and a New Generation of Journalists; Cross-Border Projects
and Development of Professional Dialogue between Journalists
from Different Countries; Innovations and Creativity in the Media;
New Technologies and New Media, New Formats and New
Forms of Dialogue.
Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage, and
Ashot Dzhazoyan, Director General of the Eurasia Media
Centre, greeted the participants of the Forum. The sessions
were launched by Philippe Cayla, President of the
Euronews TV Channel, who presented a paper on Media in
a Changing World: Global Challenges and Perspectives.
Prominent journalists who took part in the Forum included:
Vasily Tretyakov, Dean of the Moscow State University
Television College and Editor-in-chief of the Politichesky
Class Magazine; Margarita Simonyan, Editor-in-chief of
the Russia Today TV Channel; Alexander Plyshev, Director
of the Directorate General of RIA Novosti in the CIS
and the Baltic Region and presenter of the Vesti-24 (RTR)
TV Channel and the Ekho Moskvy Radio Station; Anthony
Halpin, chief of the Times Moscow Bureau, and others.
During the Forum, winners of the international TV competition
I Live Here received their awards, and a new, very
unconventional, competition The Hermitage on Your Mobile
was held.
a mega-SiZed collage made By Korean
STudenTS preSenTed To The hermiTage
On 12 August 2009, the State Hermitage was formally
presented with a large collage made by South Korean students.
The ceremony took place in the Staraya Derevnya
Restoration, Conservation and Storage Centre.
The large-scale collage (15.6 × 9.6 m) features views of
the museum and highlights of its collection: Woman Holding
a Fruit by Paul Gauguin, Bronze Age by Auguste Rodin,
Judith by Giorgione. Given the impressive size of the collage,
Large-scale collage made by Korean students presented
to the Hermitage
a special hall in Building E was given over to the students
to assemble it and glue it together.
This work started on 4 June and went on for ten days.
Sixty-seven students of Dankuk University helped to put
the collage together. The whole process was recorded on
video. The video clip, which caused a sensation on the Internet,
was also presented at the ceremony. The collage
was presented by ten students who played a key part in its
making.
The ceremony was attended by Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director
of the State Hermitage, Vladimir Matveyev, Deputy
Director of the museum, and Sung-moo Kim, General
Manager of the St. Petersburg Office of Korean Air.
The company supported the students by arranging their
trip to St. Petersburg.
announcing The reSulTS of The creaTive
compeTiTion the state heRMitaGe –
GeneRal staff: a MuseuM foR
the 21st CentuRy
The results of the creative competition for high school students
The State Hermitage – General Staff: a Museum for the
21st Century, organised by the State Hermitage and Coca-
Cola HBC Eurasia, were announced in the Hermitage on
27 March 2009.
The competition, launched in October 2008, turned out
to be a memorable event in the long history of cooperation
between the State Hermitage and the Moscow Representative
Office of Coca-Cola Export Corporation and Coca-Cola
HBC Eurasia. The works selected during the first
stage of the competition were handed over for consideration
to an all-Russian panel chaired by Mikhail Piotrovsky,
Director of the State Hermitage. The panel nominated
the finalists who got the chance to come to St. Petersburg
during the spring vacation and visit the Hermitage and its
storage centre in Staraya Derevnya, the Menshikov Palace,
the Museum of Communications, the Catherine Palace in
Tsarskoe Selo, and see the ballet Swan Lake.
The finalists were formally presented with their certificates
during the ceremony, and the winner, a fourteen-year old
high school student Irena Knyazeva from the town of Konstantinovsk,
received her Grand Prix, established by the
Moscow Representative Office of Coca-Cola Export Corporation.
The winner’s prize was a trip to one of world’s
greatest galleries of modern art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim
Museum in New York, where she went together with
Mikhail Piotrovsky.
The visit to the Hermitage and the Guggenheim Museum was
Irena’s first chance to see great artwork in the original. She
had never left her town or been to a large art gallery before.
BirThday of maecenaS
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On 13 April 2009, the traditional celebration of the birthday
of Gaius Cilnius Maecenas, the famous Roman arts patron,
was held by the State Hermitage Museum, the St. Petersburg
Government Committee for Culture, and the
Russky Metsenat Social Partnership Almanac with the help
of the Interjournalist Centre. A reception in the Hermitage
Theatre brought together representatives of the city
administration, heads of cultural and healthcare establishments,
companies, banks, charity foundations, along with
prominent cultural figures and journalists.
To mark the occasion, the painting by the leading Venetian
artist Giovanni Batista Tiepolo, Maecenas Presenting the
Liberal Arts to Emperor Augustus, was brought to the Hermitage
Theatre. Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State
Hermitage, greeted the attendees.
A colourful slide show introduced the participants to social
and charitable projects. They include the restoration
of the Catherine Park pavilions in the Tsarskoe Selo Museum
and Nature Reserve sponsored by the North-West Bank
(a branch of Russian Federation Sberbank); the erection
of a monument to General Bagration, hero of the War of
1812, in St. Petersburg, advocated and sponsored by the
arts patron A. Yebralidze; the gift of unique medical equipment
to children’s healthcare centres by the Spread Your
Wings! Charity Foundation, the VTB bank, and V. Levin,
one of the bank’s senior executives; a joint programme
put together by the AdVita Charity Foundation and the
Yantarny Dom Company; The Theatre Emergency Aid, The
Museum Oscar, and other projects run by the Committee
for Culture; a professional adaptation programme at the
Grand Hotel Europe for young people living in state social
care.
For the first time, results of test clearings of unique eighteenth-century
panels from the Glass Cabinet in the Chinese
Palace, Oranienbaum, were presented to the public.
The restoration of the panels was started as part of a joint
project by the State Hermitage, the State Museum and Park
Reserve of Peterhof, sponsored by the Gazprom Transgaz
St. Petersburg company.
The art studio students cared for by the Psycho-Neurological
Boarding School no. 3 in Peterhof came to take part
in the festivities. A Peacock Clock display was arranged especially
for them.
A surprise for the assembled guests was a recital by young
musicians Sophia Kiprskaya and Ilya Kozlov, winners of the
Maestro Temirkanov International Foundation for Cultural
Initiatives Award.
A number of Dutch paintings restored with the help of the
Hermitage Friends Club were displayed in the Foyer of the
Hermitage Theatre.
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day of The march caT
aT The hermiTage
On 28 March, the Hermitage held the traditional Day of the
March Cat, a special project dedicated to the cats that live
there.
Visitors could meet the heroes of the day right in the Great
Courtyard of the Winter Palace. Dmitry Shagin, a wellknown
St. Petersburg artist who has a former Hermitage
cat at home, was inviting any volunteers to paint a picture
of a cat themselves.
In the museum rooms, the visitors were invited to take part
in the interactive game Journey with a Hermitage Cat, which
required them to find cats in the paintings displayed in the
museum.
An exhibition of graphic works, paintings and photographs
“Only she-cats can be better than he-cats” was staged in the
Winter Palace attic. It included the interpretations of this
theme by professional St. Petersburg artists (Konstantin
Kuzema, Sergei Temerev, Vladimir Rumiantsev, Yelena
Bazanova, Victor Tatarenko), photographers (Yuri Molodkovets,
Yevgeniy Sinyaver, Tatiana Braslavskaya, Dmitry
Lovetsky, Sergei Taranov) as well as students of the Artistic
Photography Studio run by the Hermitage Youth Education
Centre.
Ahead of the Day of the March Cat, the State Hermitage
organised a number of art competitions for the young
pupils of arts schools and studios from St. Petersburg and
Leningrad Region, who were invited to portray their favourite
pets. The projects were supposed to choose and
imitate one style of pictorial art. The best entries in the
competition The Cat as a Hermitage Exhibit were displayed
in the Jordan Gallery of the Winter Palace.
The same day also saw the presentation of the book by
Nikolai Gol and Maria Haltunen The Cat’s House in the Hermitage
(St. Petersburg: Arka, 2009).
ouTdoor adverTiSing
Ten temporary exhibitions opened in 2009 were supported
by outdoor advertising. The News Outdoor Co. made and
placed over 150 free posters ahead of one of the most ambitious
exhibitions of the year, The Perfect Victory: 300 Years
of the Battle of Poltava.
LLS Pladis, a long-term partner of the Hermitage, broadcast
slide shows and announcements on its screens, placed
in the city’s most popular restaurants and cafes equipped
with acoustic systems and wide plasma screens.
A collection of low-cost museum souvenirs was designed
ahead of the exhibition. It featured annotated reproductions
of its highlights placed on pen-and-notebook sets,
magnetic bookmarks, and four different postcard sets in
a slipcover (10 postcards in each set). These souvenirs
could be purchased in the museum gift shops.
A comprehensive programme of information support
accompanied the exhibition The Beautiful One Has Come:
Masterpieces of Portraiture from the Egyptian Museum, Berlin.
The Ministry of Design Co. designed the poster for the
exhibition free of charge. Advertisements were placed in
the Pulkovo Airport (with support from LLS Aero-Advertising),
in business centres (with support from RPA Sfera)
and in other popular areas of the city. Apart from outdoor
advertising, LLS Moi Otkrytki issued four types of postcards
ahead of the exhibition. 50,000 copies were printed
and sold via the company’s chain in the city. Ahead of the
exhibition Enamels of the World 1700–2000. From the Khalili
Collections, 100,000 postcards of two types were also printed
free of charge.
In 2009, the image support of the museum was considerably
expanded. The joint cultural and social project by the
Hermitage and the News Outdoor Co. Masterpieces of World
Painting in the Streets was expanded by the addition of masterpieces
of jewellery and sculpture from the Hermitage
collection. This project received a lot of positive feedback
from the citizens of St. Petersburg, as well as from visitors
and journalists.
The image advertisements for the State Hermitage were
also placed in the VIP lounge of the Pulkovo Airport (with
support from LLS Aero-Advertising).
LLS Pladis, the museum’s information partner, has expanded
the range of its activities. It now introduces the citizens
and guests of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region
to temporary exhibitions as well as other types of events
which take place in the Hermitage.
graduaTion nighT for STudenTS of Boarding SchoolS for Blind
and viSually impaired children from ST. peTerBSurg
and leningrad region afTer a Three-year courSe
the Past at ouR finGeRtiPs
On 24 April 2009, the Staraya Derevnya Restoration,
Conservation and Storage Centre became the venue for
the graduation ceremony for blind and visually impaired
children who have completed a three-year course entitled
The Past at Our Fingertips.
The programme developers have taken into consideration
the perception of the surrounding world by blind and visually
impaired children. During the classes, the children
have an opportunity to act as researchers discovering the
ancient history of humanity. The programme is based
on the use of archaeological materials which make it possible
to reconstruct an “image” of a certain age. Such use
of archaeology is not accidental. It is in archaeology that
information is conveyed by the objects, and any artefact
can be “seen” by the touching hands.
One-time introductory classes are intended for the students
of the 2nd and the 3rd forms, while the full three-year
cycle targets the 4th, 5th and 6th forms. This age group
was determined after six-month pilot projects which involved
pupils from the 2nd to 11th form. The students
of the 4th form possess sufficient knowledge and life experience
required for active participation in the class
and are ready to absorb quite difficult and diverse information.
The topics of the classes are partially synchronised
with the school curriculum, but they complete rather
than replace it. The first year of the studies is dedicated
to the Stone Age, the second year to the Bronze Epoch,
and the third year to the Iron Age and the Middle Ages.
Each class is divided into three parts: the “excavations”,
the theoretical part and the creative assignment. The rotation
of the types of activities helps to maintain a certain
rhythm of the class and to avoid exhausting the children
too quickly.
The excavations are conducted in special sandboxes filled
with quartz sand that is silky to the touch. The “archaeological
finds” are replicas of the items from the Hermitage
archaeological collections made specially for the class
and differing from the originals only in age. All of the replicas
are created from authentic materials, following ancient
technologies. Each of the ages presented during
the course is represented not only by a set of labour tools,
crockery and decorations, but also by miniature models
of archaeological artefacts within the historical landscape,
designed for tactile sensing (for example, a model of a hut
built of mammoth bones found in Kostenki or a model
of the Staraya Ladoga Fortress).
The findings are examined during the theoretical part
of the class. Active participation in this part develops
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the skills of absorbing difficult information aurally, logically
stating and arguing one’s point of view, and working
as a team. This part of the class can be supplemented
with a slide film with its content, brightness and contrast
specially tailored to be perceived by visually impaired children.
When needed, the slides are simultaneously duplicated
by relief contour images.
The creative assignment which completes the class is formulated
depending on the topic studied and includes
an element of roleplay. The children are supposed to act
as ancient craftsmen – potters, jewellers and hunters.
The rules of the game depend on the technical opportunities
available in the age in question. So when making
“Neolithic” ceramics the children have to stick to certain
methods of moulding which were introduced to them during
the class. Some creative assignments are accompanied
with relevant music.
The programme curriculum involves one class per year
taught outside the familiar environment of the study class,
in the permanent exhibition rooms of the Hermitage Museum.
Such an immersion into a real museum space, different
in size, brings with it new sensation: a different sound
to your own voice, strange steps and voices of the visitors
etc. The classes taught in the halls use replicas brought
from the everyday classroom to remind the children
(especially the blind and those with residual eyesight)
of the things they studied before.
The development of the Past at Our Fingertips programme
began in 2005. Scheduled classes started in January
2006. The programme became possible due to the longstanding
collaboration between the State Hermitage
Museum and St. Petersburg boarding schools for blind
and visually impaired children (K.K. Grot Boarding
school no.1 and Boarding School no.2).
Over 340 classes involving 442 pupils have been held since
the beginning of the project. Depending on the audience,
the Past at Our Fingertips programme can be adjusted
for different age groups or for different periods of study.
The programme is supported by the Hermitage Museum
Foundation (USA), Kennedy Centre International Committee
on the Arts (USA), Imperial Porcelain Factory JSC,
Novy Metsenat Magazine and OMS-St. Petersburg LLC.
The title sponsor of the programme is Heineken United
Breweries LLC. The event sponsors are Khlebny Dom JSC,
the FAZER group, Russia, and CafeMax St. Petersburg
CJSC.
The partner of the project is The World-Wide Club
of Petersburgers.
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ninTh inTernaTional feSTival
MusiC of the GReat heRMitaGe
The State Hermitage, the Hermitage Academy of Music with
the support of the St. Petersburg, Government Committee for Culture,
Chairman of the Festival Arts Council: Mikhail Piotrovsky,
Director of the State Hermitage,
Art Director, Festival Director: Sergei Yevtushenko (composer)
Continuing its tradition of open-air concerts, the 2009 Festival
opened in the courtyard of the New Hermitage. Contemporary
jazz legends Andrei Kondakov and Igor Butman
took part in the international project Blues for Four,
which also involved Dmitry Kolesnik, a native of St. Petersburg
who is now a prominent member of the New York jazz
scene, the Finnish percussionist Andre Sumelius, guitarist
Andrei Ryabov and trumpeter Alexander Berenson.
The unique Swedish jazz band Mynta, which brings together
musicians from Sweden, India, and Cuba, played
in the Academic Capella. Scandinavian music in their
inter pretation had a tinge of Oriental spice, and their jazz
improvisations were in perfect harmony with energetic
Latin American rhythms.
Jazz concert in the Hermitage courtyard.
Igor Butman. 9 July 2009
The finale of the Festival was provided by Vasily Gorello,
a star of Russian opera and soloist of the Mariinsky company.
His new programme consisted of Neapolitan songs,
Russian romances and Ukrainian melodies. He was accompanied
by the Orchestrino Armonia (art director Alexander
Chebotarev).
SixTh inTernaTional feSTival
MusiCal heRMitaGe
The State Hermitage, the Hermitage Academy of Music
with the support of:
the St. Petersburg Government Committee for Culture,
the Consulate General of Italy in St. Petersburg,
the Italian Institute of Culture in St. Petersburg,
the Consulate General of Norway in St. Petersburg,
the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
in St. Petersburg
Chairman of the Festival Arts Council: Mikhail Piotrovsky,
Director of the State Hermitage,
Art Director, Festival Director: Sergei Yevtushenko (composer)
Following the development principles of one of the largest
museums of the world, the 2009 Festival once again
brought together very different musical genres and trends
in its programmes. According to the established tradition,
the last week of winter is the time when the leading musicians
from all over the world demonstrate their professional
skills on the stage of the Hermitage Theatre and in the hall
of the Academic Capella. The programmes of the Festival
concerts are a kind of tour of different countries and periods,
an insight into various areas of the world’s musical
heritage.
The programme was opened by the famous Italian choir
Il Convitto Armonico conducted by Maestro Stefano Buschini.
Playing in the Great Italian Skylight Hall of the New
Hermitage, it performed the masterpieces by the Italian
composers Palestrina, Monteverdi and Vivaldi.
The concert by the Norwegian chamber orchestra Bodo
Sinfonietta featured famous pieces of classical music ranging
from Vivaldi to Edward Grieg, as well as music by contemporary
Norwegian composers. The orchestra was conducted
by the talented German conductor Oleg Snetkov.
The Swedish cello player Franz Helmersson performed
the solo part.
For the first time in Russia, the prestigious Dutch Grachtenfestival
presented its new winner, the talented violinist
Lisa Jacobs. She performed works by Robert Schumann
and Johannes Brahms together with the pianist Xenia
Kuzmenko.
The contemporary jazz music introduced fiery Latin American
rhythms to the programme. The famous St. Petersburg
pianist and composer Andrei Kondakov, the Grammy
winning tenor saxophonist David Sanchez, and a Brazilian
band featuring Sergio Brandau (bass), Edson da Silva
The Sixth International Festival Musical Hermitage.
14 February 2009
(percussion) and Selso Alberti (drums) all took part in the
concert called Brazil All Stars.
The popular music by Astor Piazzola was this time performed
by Lothar Hensel, one of the leading European
interpreters of the works by the Argentinean composer.
The German musician, accompanied by the State Hermitage
Orchestra, presented the most popular works by Piazzola,
as well as his own concert for bandoneón and string
orchestra.
An interesting surprise was offered by the ethnic jazz
project Proshche Prostogo by Sergei Starostin, a key figure
in the world of Russian ethnic music, and the Moldovan
drummer Mario Kaldararu.
It has become a tradition to finish the Festival with debut
performances by young Italian singers, winners of the Spoleto
Festival. This year, popular arias and duets from operas
by Donizetti, Bellini, Verdi, Rossini, and Puccini were performed
by Desiree Migliaccio (soprano), Giuseppe Talamo
(tenor) and Giulio Boschetti (baritone), accompanied
by the Academic Symphonic Orchestra of the St. Petersburg
Philharmonic Society under the conduction of Mats
Liljefors (Sweden).
The General Partner of the Festival was Heineken
Brewery.
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Third inTernaTional feSTival
DeDiCation to MaestRo
State Hermitage, Domus Producer Centre,
Chairman of the Festival Arts Council: Mikhail Piotrovsky,
Director of the State Hermitage
The festival, conceived as a tribute to the great composers
and musicians, offered seven exclusive concerts featuring
stars of classical music and timed to anniversary dates.
The Festival opened with the concert Dedication to Mendelssohn.
Sergei Stadler, Russian People’s Artist, played the
parts of both soloist and conductor.
Soloists of the Mariinsky Opera Dmitry Voropaev and Olga
Pudova, accompanied by the State Hermitage Museum Orchestra,
performed great Italian classical pieces by G. Sarti,
D. Cimarosa, G. Puccini and O. Respighi in the concert entitled
Dedication to Opera.
The Dedication to Jazz paid tribute to the great jazzman and
Russian People’s Artist David Goloshchekin, who turned
65 this year.
The Honoured Russian Cultural Figure, State Prize winner
Vladimir Ziva celebrated twenty-five years since the
start of his career. The concert Dedication to Operetta con-
sisted of popular tunes from operettas by J. Strauss, F. von
Suppe and J. Offenbach (whose anniversaries were celebrated
this year), as well as of the great conductor’s favourite
pieces.
For the first time, one of the Festival evenings was dedicated
to ballet – namely to one of the greatest dancers
and choreographers of the 20th century, Vaslav Nijinsky.
Fragments of ballets in which he starred or which he
staged were performed by Igor Kolb, leading dancer of
the Mariinsky Ballet. Other prominent ballet dancers Irma
Nioradze, Yulia Makhalina, Zhanna Ayupova also took part
in the Dedication to Ballet.
The concert by the string orchestra Divertisment directed
by Ilya Ioffe was dedicated to the Hermitage. It featured
music by Mendelssohn, Puccini and Sarasate.
The final gala concert of the Festival was a performance
by the State Hermitage Orchestra conducted by the People’s
Artist of the USSR Saulius Sondeckis which included
pieces by Mendelssohn, Haydn and Sarasate. The soloist
was a young but famous violinist Sergei Dogadin.
The traditional General Partner of the Festival was
Promsvyazbank JSC.
eighTh inTernaTional feSTival
GRanD waltz
The State Hermitage,
Union of Museum Workers of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region,
St. Petersburg Government Committee for Culture,
Chairman of the Honorary Festival Committee:
Mikhail. Piotrovsky,
Concept author and art director: Yuri Kantor
The annual music festival traditionally consisted of eleven
concerts, equal to the number of seasons Johann Strauss
spent in St. Petersburg. It was held in the Hermitage, the
Grand Palace of Peterhof, the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe
Selo, and the Rose Pavilion in Pavlovsk.
The programme included symphonic and chamber music
along with vocal performances.
Among the performers were soloists of the Vienna Opera
Marcella Cerno (soprano) and Herwig Pecoraro (tenor),
the celebrated Austrian conductor Peter Guth, famous
Russian conductors Vladimir Ziva, Alexander Kantorov,
Alexei Karabanov and Dmitry Khokhlov, soloists of the
Mariinsky Company Sergei Roldugin (cello) and Elena
Mirtova (soprano), pianists Peter Laul and Vladimir Mish-
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Eighth International Festival Grand Waltz. 20 July 2009
chenko, as well as the orchestras of the State Hermitage,
the Klassika State Symphonic Orchestra, the Admiralty Orchestra
of the Leningrad Naval Base and the Andreev State
Academic Russian Folk Orchestra.
The Festival was supported by Bank Moskvy JSC.
The official partner of the Festival was the Domus Producer
Centre.
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inTerneT chaT WiTh miKhail pioTrovSKy
30 november 2009
Mikhail Borisovich, in September the Hermitage held a wonderful
ceremony to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Alexander
Column. Will these ceremonies be permanent, who prepared
it and do you expect to introduce any changes?
The ceremony (and it was a very complex project to organise) was
prepared by my deputy, Master of State Ceremonies Georgy Vilinbakhov,
my adviser General Alexander Galkin, who used to be
the Commandant of the city of St. Petersburg, and the Leningrad
Military Command. We hope that the ceremony becomes a permanent
fixture, especially since one of its purposes is to show what
is appropriate to do in Palace Square. One of our website visitors,
who is interested in the Hermitage, asks the following question:
“What kind of events do you consider appropriate for Palace
Square?”. It is possible to put together a plan of events to be held
in Palace Square, leaving no place for anything untoward.
We’ve heard that the Alexander Column has been given over
to the Hermitage. How would that change its life?
The Alexander Column is a great monument and it will stand
forever. Today the column is indeed an exhibit of the Hermitage
and, naturally, we are responsible for it. We will restore it, and
if necessary, we will protect and guard it. What will change? First
of all, there is a protective zone several metres around the column;
and nobody can do anything in there without our permission
(although even now any activities that take place in the Square
have to gain the approval of the Hermitage). Secondly, we’ve put
up a green Hermitage fence instead of the dreadful yellow militia
fence. Unfortunately, we are obliged to have a fence. As for that illfated
lattice fence with eagles (I should remind you once again that
it is a modern replica and not a museum exhibit), well, we’ve tried
a new vandal-proof version where all the eagles are attached securely.
Now all our strongmen are trying to break them off. If they don’t
manage to do so then we can replace ordinary eagles with vandalproof
ones – gradually, since it costs a lot.
Why was it the Hermitage that hosted the conference to mark
the 150th anniversary of the Imperial Archaeological Society?
It is a perfectly remarkable date! The Imperial Archaeological Society
was a centre which carried out excavations, controlled all kinds
of treasure hunting and “black” archaeology that was rife at the
time. The Hermitage is also a major archaeological centre; moreover,
the Imperial Archaeological Committee was located in the Hermitage
during most of its existence before the revolution. At one
time, the Director of the Hermitage Alexander Vasilchikov was
Chairman of the Imperial Archaeological Committee. So the Hermitage
is a perfectly natural place to hold such a conference. Furthermore,
the artefacts uncovered by the Imperial Archaeological
Committee are stored at the Hermitage; and now we are exhibiting
famous masterpieces (the Solokha comb and many others) which
were given to the Hermitage by the Imperial Archaeological Committee.
Not everyone is aware of this.
Is the Hermitage continuing with its archaeological excavations,
and, if so, were there any especially notable discoveries?
Our archaeological field trips are still going ahead, of course.
We have seventeen archaeological groups working in different parts
of Russia and abroad – in Central Asia and in the Ukraine. There
have been a lot of discoveries. The most extraordinary ones come
from Tuva, where burial mounds are being excavated one by one.
The Arzhan-2 burial mound was excavated there and the finds from
there underwent conservation treatment at the museum and were
then returned to Tuva. Other burial mounds of the Scythian type
are being studied.
Which projects do you plan to complete by the 250th anniversary
of the Hermitage?
We have a great number of plans for the 250th anniversary of the Hermitage.
Unlike normal people who are always waiting for birthday
presents, we are not expecting any presents and are not going to ask
for them. We intend to complete another stage of the work at the Museum
Storage Centre and start the next one because this is the most
important thing that we have been doing in recent years. The Storage
Centre solves the problem of making the Hermitage collections
accessible. We are going to complete the renovation of the General
Staff Building, its Eastern Wing, and we are going to finish restoration
projects and open new exhibitions of ancient art, numismatics,
etc. We will try to do our best to convert all the rooms which
are currently used for storage into exhibition space. We are going
to publish the Hermitage Encyclopaedia, and new photo albums
about the Hermitage that will be more about art than information.
Do you know what gifts the Hermitage will receive for its
250th anniversary?
I know what gifts we are going to give to people. We give presents,
but few presents are given to us. This year for the Hermitage
Days we are going to get a remarkable historical artefact – the sabre
of Grand Duke Nikolai (Nicholas) Nikolaevich Romanov the
Senior, it is presented to us by his descendants the Dukes Dmitry
Romanovich and Nikolai Romanovich Romanov. Also our sponsors
have bought Velten’s drawings for us. These are his designs
for the Small Hermitage Building, the dressing room of Catherine
the Great, including even the design of that same table which used
to be lifted in the very place where the Pavilion Hall is now.
When will the restoration work in the General Staff Building
be completed?
The restoration of the Eastern Wing of the General Staff Building
is set to be completed by 2014 when we turn 250. Now we are living
with the motto: “We have five years left until the 250th anniversary
of the Hermitage”. Everything should be finished by that date.
The first stage will be over by 2010. A lot has been done already,
the first large doors are in place; they are working on strengthening
and monitoring the foundation of the building.
Lately new exhibitions have been opened at the Oriental Department
and the Department of Classical Antiquity, will there be any novelties
in the Department of Western Art?
Everything started for us with the Department of Classical Antiquity.
Most exhibitions at the Department of Western European Fine Arts
have already been renewed. The Gallery of German Painting is being
renovated as we speak, it will be designed in a new way. Furthermore,
we are going to decide how to use the second floor rooms
when the new art moves to the General Staff Building. At present,
the most important task in our plans is to renovate the rooms
of the Oriental Department since they have been somewhat neglected
for a long time. We have opened the Japanese exhibition,
and there is going to be one for China, too. During the Hermitage
Days we are opening the Dagestan exhibition. New Classical rooms
are going to be opened at the same time.
We were wondering if you had plans for any major changes
in the exhibition rooms of the Hermitage? There has been a need
for that for a while since one gets the impression that time has
stopped in the museum and it is not pleasant to look
at faded plates.
We have very few faded plates and if there are any then they would
be on the second floor. Time really stops in museums, but this
is what museums exist for, so that people can find themselves in the
past while they are in the museum. The great merit of the Hermitage
is that it is a museum in the manner of the 19th century,
a palace museum, a museum with windows. All this will definitely
be preserved. The 20th century has demonstrated that the attempt
to modernise everything does not end too well. Moreover, some
of the display cases which were made in the modern style have
been now replaced with those stylised to look like the 19th century,
in the style of Leo von Klenze. There are hardly any museums
left which preserve that nineteenth-century atmosphere. In fact,
the Hermitage is a treasure in itself; it’s not just the things that
hang on the walls, but the Hermitage as a whole. At the same
time lighting is being changed, exhibitions are being changed.
But the changes that are happening should be treated with extreme
care and this is exactly what we are doing.
Are you carrying on with your programme for visually impaired
children in Staraya Derevnya?
This programme is going ahead and we are very proud of it, everybody
is happy with it, both the children and the teachers. In future
we are going to expand our programmes of similar activities –
thankfully, our new Storage Centre in Staraya Derevnya allows us
to do this.
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What other new things will appear at the newly opened Centre
in Staraya Derevnya?
When the next building is finished, it will house an exhibition
of Egyptian sarcophagi, antique sculptures and the so-called stone
babas (women) – the monuments from the steppe. African art
will also be represented there.
Will the Hermitage Academy be developing on the Internet?
The Hermitage Academy will be developing on the Internet, but
we are rethinking our Internet policies a bit. The design and general
concept will change. When we were developing the Hermitage
website we were targeting those who wanted to see and learn something
about the Hermitage from afar, and now our website relates
more to those who would like to come to the Hermitage, learn
the latest news, see what is happening at the Hermitage at the moment.
Quite a number of sub-sections for the main projects, such
as the General Staff Building, will be introduced. And we shall also
have some discussions, for example, about the colour of the Winter
Palace or about what can be done in Palace Square. We are
trying to make our website more interactive, introduce more video
clips.
Is it true that the Hermitage has opened its largest exhibition
in Amsterdam?
The largest exhibitions of the Hermitage are in the Hermitage itself.
What we have in Amsterdam is a Hermitage Exhibition Centre.
Its area is vast (two large halls and forty rooms) and this is why
we could open one of the most ambitious exhibitions there that
we have ever done outside the Hermitage. This is a large-scale display
dedicated to the Russian Imperial Court. It is designed in the
modern style, with a great number of exhibits.
Mikhail Borisovich, how often do kings and presidents open
the exhibitions together with you?
Not very often, let’s put it this way. I understand that this question
is related to the fact that Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
and the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev
opened the Hermitage Centre in Amsterdam. In general, from time
to time, once in several years it happens that the heads of state
open the exhibitions organised by the Hermitage. This is how it was
in Sweden, in France.
How many visitors did the Amsterdam exhibition attract? Were there
many Russians among them?
Approximately 600,000 people have attended the exhibition in Amsterdam
since June. This is an absolutely record-breaking number
both for our exhibitions and for Dutch museums. By the way, there
are always queues there and nobody is indignant at having to stand
in a queue, sometimes for quite a long time, too.
Indeed, it is a great success and more than just a success. It is interpreted
as a national event – a great museum with a huge exhibition
and the subject is fascinating. The way Dutch people love art
and the Hermitage deserves to be spoken about. As for our fellow
countrymen, well, we haven’t yet counted specifically, but in general
it is mostly the Dutch and the other Europeans who are coming
specially to see the exhibition.
128 129

specIal deVelopment proGrammes
To what extent does the interest towards the Hermitage exhibitions
still exist in Kazan?
The interest towards the Hermitage is still extremely strong. We have
exhibitions, lectures, seminars and other events related to the Hermitage
going on there. The Kazan Exhibition Centre organises its
own events in many areas, just like the Hermitage itself. They have
their own project on contemporary art, their own photography exhibitions,
they support their own artists and artistic life in general.
They have exhibitions of art from the Hermitage – the exhibition
of Islamic art was a huge success, and the Heroes – Gods’ Children
exhibition is on at the moment. So everything is going the way
it should.
How do you choose the themes for lectures and exhibitions to be held
in Kazan?
We discuss it together and we meet often. We have special representatives
who are dealing with this communication. In general,
we do whatever our Kazan colleagues at the Centre, the University
and other museums consider necessary and interesting.
We have read several times in your interviews that the Centre in Italy
is a different matter. What kind of events take place there?
The Centre in Ferrara in Italy represents another type of the Hermitage
activities abroad. Here the exhibitions take place once in two
years. We are preparing a large Islamic exhibition, there was a Garofalo
exhibition. The Centre is meant for our Russian and Italian
colleagues who study the Italian collections of the Hermitage, the
Italian collections in Russian museums, Russian-Italian relations. Research
topics are being worked on, catalogues are being published;
we are expecting a new catalogue of Italian art from the Hermitage
to be published shortly. Our activities in various areas of Italy
are coordinated from our Hermitage-Italy Centre. Just now our colleagues
have returned from Naples, where they reached an agreement
with the Stabiae Centre that will allow our archaeologists to
work there. Just now the exhibition of Spanish art from the Hermitage
collection has opened in the city of Pavia, and in a few days
the exhibition of porcelain from the Hermitage shall be opened
in Turin. A wonderful exhibition of Italian textiles was organised
in Prato together with the Kremlin Museums.
Does the existence of the Centre in Italy help to exhibit works of Italian
artists more often at the Hermitage?
Yes, of course, it helps to exhibit Italian art, but the main purpose
of this Centre is academic, so that we are able to use Italian materials
and do our work with the help of everything what we can obtain
in Italy. And there have been exhibitions, for example, the Art
of Afro Basaldella, and new exhibitions are being prepared.
The opening of the Hermitage Centre in Vyborg was planned for 2009.
Why has it been postponed?
It has not been postponed, but you see, we are not building canals
or factories, we don’t have to rush to meet deadlines. Renovation
work is still under way in Vyborg. I have to emphasise that we are
dealing with a very comprehensive renovation, this building would
have been waiting for an overhaul for a long time if it were not for
the idea of the Hermitage in Vyborg. We should not be in any spe-
cial hurry because the Hermitage in Vyborg is already working, our
lectures are held there on a regular basis.
How is Finnish art represented at the Hermitage? Do you plan
to have an exhibition in Vyborg?
Finnish art is represented rather well at the Hermitage. We have
several works by prominent artists. We are going to exhibit Finnish
art in the Eastern Wing of the General Staff Building. We shall see
about Vyborg. For the time being we shall start with usual Hermitage
exhibitions. Everything should start with Catherine the Great,
I think it will also be connected with general history – the Swedish
Vyborg, Russia and Sweden (I will remind you that Vyborg
is a Swedish name). I think that one day we will exhibit Finnish
paintings that used to be in the building where the Hermitage Centre
is going to be located, as there used to be an art gallery there,
and its paintings are now in different Finnish museums.
Dear Mikhail Borisovich! Don’t you think that the need for
a Hermitage branch in the Far East of Russia is far greater than,
for example, for one in Vyborg? It is not so hard for the people
who live in Vyborg to get to St. Petersburg, while some people who
live in the Far East would never be able to come to St. Petersburg
due to economic considerations.
Due to economic considerations it is very hard to bring something
to the Far East and it is practically impossible to get it insured. I suppose
that the authorities in the Far East should have thought long
ago about establishing transport communications that could enable
us to bring the Hermitage exhibitions to them. There are some institutions
in the Far East which can be called the Hermitage branches.
In the 1920s, a large number of paintings from the Hermitage
was given to the Khabarovsk Museum. There are excellent paintings
by Western artists and all of them come from the Hermitage. There
was a time when we gave away a lot, all Russian museums have Western
paintings from the Hermitage.
The centres are established in those places where we feel there
is a real need for them. It is very hard to maintain the centres
and we have to make sure that all the required conditions are met.
It takes some massive costs, a great amount of good will on the part
of the authorities, and many years of successful cooperation. Kazan
is a wonderful case in point. In Vyborg, it was also the initiative
of Vyborg authorities. Not in the sense that they asked us “to let
them see the paintings from the Hermitage”. Here the Centre is located
in the building which was originally intended to house an art
gallery and an arts school. The school still exists there, so what we
are doing is returning to the architect’s original purpose. It is a special
combination of a museum and an arts school like, for example,
the Stieglitz School, and it is a special cultural phenomenon.
How did you manage to invite Swedish museums to participate
in the exhibition to mark the 300th anniversary of the Poltava
Battle?
It is very important. The exhibition dedicated to the Battle of Poltava,
like the one that preceded it, Peter I and Charles XII, was part
of our idea of organising exhibitions round the topics that would
normally divide people.
We started this work approximately ten years ago, and it turns out
that round about the same time, the Swedes were starting to ques-
tion the attitude to Russia as their main enemy. Swedish historiography
started to discuss Poltava in a calmer manner and Swedish
museums were happy to cooperate with us. It is better to approach
any delicate matters together than to do it separately, finding different
explanations and attacking each other in an aggressive manner.
I think that this is an excellent example of how such things
should be discussed. We found an approach to those epic events
which presented both the winners and the losers as heroes, heroes
of their own countries – for instance, one can re-imagine the Battle
of Poltava as the Iliad.
Your Swedish colleagues took part in the exhibition; as far
as I remember, you have already had experience of organising joint
exhibitions with your Swedish colleagues and museums on general
historical topics. How can you explain that?
All our exhibitions deal with history – whichever colleagues help to
organise them. By the way, we did a remarkable exhibition on 1812
with our French colleagues in France and I think we will do more
in the future. We have very good friendly relations with all Swedish
museums, which is why they lend us artefacts that they would
not usually lend to anyone else. For example, they let us have
the full dress uniform of Charles XII – a real relic. It was the only
one which has survived, and they gave us the permission to display
it. Now we are going to exhibit several Russian banners that were
captured as trophies during the Narva Battle, these are also Swedish
relics, they are kept in Sweden. We are going to exhibit them
in the Hall of St. George during the Hermitage Days. It is both
a great rarity and a reminder that life doesn’t consist of victories
alone, that victories happen after defeats.
You have exhibited contemporary American and British art,
so what is next?
We have a lot of plans which come under our Hermitage 20/21 Project.
I am not going to tell you everything because we are in the middle
of various complicated negotiations. Our nearest plans for the Year
of France in Russia and of Russia in France are to organise a Centre
Georges Pompidou week at the Hermitage. Twentieth-century
French artists would be represented, and a whole range of events
would be going on around them just as it usually happens at the Centre
Georges Pompidou. This is modern artistic life – cinema, theatre,
books and music... This year they are going to host a grand festival
and we are going to bring a part of this festival to the Hermitage.
Young people are interested in the exhibitions under your
20/21 Programme. What new projects are you preparing?
I think that young people should be interested in classical exhibitions,
as one should learn about these things while one is
young, while one has the strength to do this because it is more
complicated. As for modern art... Of course, the 20/21 Project
is focusing on young people to a significant extent. Now we have
a wonderful exhibition called Newspeak, and we are preparing some
new ones. I have already mentioned the Centre Pompidou exhibition.
Our Youth Centre runs master classes ahead of the exhibitions.
This is not quite the Hermitage, but at the same time it is not
outside the Hermitage – it is a transitional stage. Various events are
taking place within that project. Recently there was a performance
specIal deVelopment proGrammes
by DJ Spooky at the Hermitage Theatre, and there are some exciting
programmes on classic Soviet cinema. We’ve had totally astonishing
UK bands performing as part of the same programme. We are trying
to create an atmosphere of new art and not just exhibit things.
How did the [financial] crisis affect the Hermitage?
The crisis seriously affected the Hermitage just like everyone else.
Culture is not considered to be a priority in our country. State
funding suffered significant cuts, and charitable donations also decreased.
Our salaries and bonuses were reduced. In general, we are
trying to overcome it and we will see what happens next year.
What plans did the Hermitage have to scrap due to the crisis?
We fulfilled all our goals but we’ve had to scale down some of our
plans. The completion of the work at the Storage Centre was postponed
for one more year. Some work related to general renovation
has been delayed. There were no major crises, all the exhibitions
which had been planned went ahead.
Has the number of visitors to the Hermitage fallen due to the crisis?
There haven’t been fewer visitors due to the crisis. On the other
hand, ticket prices went down even for foreigners because of the
falling rouble rate. This is a world-wide crisis. All over the world
museum maintenance is being cut. The funding that the Hermitage
receives has also been cut, but the number of visitors is actually on
the rise. People all over the world go to museums; our colleagues
are talking and writing about this.
The Hermitage and its visitors... I would like to compare the Hermitage
to, for example, the British Museum in terms of friendliness
towards their visitors. Please, do not take this as criticism, but free
admission, a restaurant, a cafe and a refreshment bar, a gift shop,
lifts for the disabled (including to the Parthenon Gallery), a library
that is open to all visitors, special exhibits for the blind – you can
find all of these in the British Museum but not in the Hermitage.
Is this a stance you support on principle?
First of all, half of this is not true. Yes, our museums are less hospitable
than Western ones. But our visitors are also more aggressive than
in the West. As I’ve mentioned earlier, people in Amsterdam simply
understand that it is necessary to stand in a queue, and here we can
have various psychological complications, and there are more cases
of vandalism.
We can’t offer totally free admission since half of our visitors
come to the Hermitage free of charge anyway, and this is funded
by the museum and not by the state. There are no discounts for
Russian citizens, but the Hermitage has introduced such discounts,
so in that sense we are friendlier. Free admission to the British Museum
was a decision taken by the state. And as for the cafe, well,
we are now in the Internet cafe, and this is one of the best Internet
cafes in the world and there is no such thing in the British Museum.
Our Internet Gallery for children, for instance, is much more interesting,
it doesn’t copy things that are already on the website. So everyone
has something to be proud of. Souvenir shops, lifts for the
disabled – we have it all. There is no open public library at present.
Well, there will be, when we get a suitable building.
130 131

inTernaTional adviSory Board of The STaTe hermiTage muSeum
fifTeenTh annual meeTing
The Fifteenth Meeting of the State
Hermitage Museum International
Advisory Board was held in St. Petersburg
on 28–29 August, 2009.
Traditionally, the discussions dealt
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 consideration by the
International Advisory Board concerned
the future exhibitions in the
Eastern Wing of the General Staff
Building (currently under reconstruction),
as well as the State Hermitage
Museum exhibition centres
in Russia (in the cities of Kazan and
Vyborg) and abroad (in Ferrara and
Amsterdam).
On 29 August 2009 the working session
of the International Advisory
Board was held in the city of Vyborg.
Programme of the trip included visits
to the Mon Repos Park State Historic
and Natural Reserve Museum; Vyborg
Castle; Alvar Aalto City Library and
the building of the future Hermitage-
Vyborg Centre which is currently under
restoration. Architect Rem Koolhaas
(AMO, Rotterdam) and Ernst
Veen, Director of the Hermitage-
Amsterdam Centre, were invited to
take part in the working sessions of
the Advisory Board.
132
currenT memBerS of The STaTe hermiTage muSeum
inTernaTional adviSory Board:
Reinhold Baumstark Director, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen,
Munich
Irène Bizot Ancien Administrateur général, Réunion des Musées
Nationaux, Paris
Mounir Bouchenaki Director-General, ICCROM, Rome
Michael Brand Director, J. Paul Getty Museum
Gabriele Finaldi Director Adjunto de Conservación e Investigación
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid
Henri Loyrette Président directeur général, Louvre, Paris
Neil MacGregor, Chairman Director, The British Museum, London
Henk van Os Former Director, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Alfred Pacquement Directeur du musée national d’art moderne
Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
Annamaria Petrioli Tofani Former Director, Uffizi, Florence
Edmund Pillsbury Former Director, Kimbell Museum, Fort Worth
Françoise Rivière Assistant Director-General for Culture, UNESCO,
Paris
Mikhail Piotrovsky Director, State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Stuart Gibson Secretary to the International Advisory Board
Former Director, Hermitage UNESCO Project
Svetlana Philippova Secretary to the International Advisory Board
Head, Hermitage Friends Office
reTired memBerS
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
Paolo Viti Direttore Activita Culturale, Palazzo Grassi, Venice
InternatIonal adVIsory board of the state hermItaGe museum
133

gueSTS of The hermiTage
Visit by Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile.
2 April 2009
Visit by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Republic of the Philippines.
4 June 2009
Visit by Pratibha Patil, President of the Republic of India.
5 September 2009
Reception during the 13th International Economic Forum. Mikhail Piotrovsky,
Elvira Nabiulina, Valentina Matvienko. 4 June 2009
Guests of the hermItaGe
134 135

Guests of the hermItaGe
fourTh inTernaTional chariTy gala recepTion
The Fourth International Charity Gala Reception was held
in the Winter Palace on 26 June 2009. The proceeds of the
fundraising would finance the restoration of the Eastern
Wing of the General Staff Building and the foundation
of the Museum of Nineteenth-, Twentieth- and Twenty-
First-Century Art.
The co-chairs of the Gala Committee are: Valentina Matvienko,
Governor of St. Petersburg, Alexander Avdeyev, Russian
Federation Minister for Culture, Alexei Kudrin, Russian
Federation Finance Minister, Prince Dmitry Romanov,
Vladimir Potanin, head of Interros Company, and Mikhail
Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum.
In tribute to the established tradition, the reception was
dedicated to one of the arts. This time, the State Hermitage
selected sculpture. Among guests of honour were Wim
Delvoye, Rem Koolhaas, Jeff Koons, Grigory Yastrebinitsky
and Zurab Tsereteli.
That night, splendid antique sculptures were placed next
to works of modern art: Nature Study by the eminent sculptor
Louise Bourgeois donated by the artist to the Hermitage;
D 11 Bulldozer (1:2.5) by the distinguished Wim
Delvoye, and The Hanger by the well-known Moscow artist
Anna Zhelud. The exhibition Gifts of IL CIGNO Gallery to
the Hermitage was opened in the Foyer of the Hermitage
Theatre. It included works by representatives of kinetic art:
Horacio Garcia Rossi, Alberto Biasi, Jorrit Thornquist, Ben
Ormenese and Franco Costalonga.
Dancers from the Mariinsky Ballet Company and singers
of the Musica Practica Chamber Choir conducted
by Vladimir Suzdalevich took part in the musical entertainment.
The highlight of the evening was the ballet staged
in the Hermitage Theatre and starring Alexei Yermakov,
Mikhail Lobukhin, Uliana Lopatkina, Denis and Anastasia
Matvienko and Tatiana Tkachenko.
Guests of the hermItaGe
136 137

Guests of the hermItaGe Guests of the hermItaGe
138 139

Guests of the hermItaGe Guests of the hermItaGe
140 141

hermiTage friendS organiZaTionS
friendS’ evenTS. 2009
14 February
Concert of Il Convitto Armonico Italian choir
conducted by Maestro Stefano Buschini. The
choir played Renaissance and Baroque masterworks
by Italian composers in the Large Italian
Skylight Hall of the New Hermitage, in the
miraculous atmosphere of the master pieces of
Italian painting. The concert organised especially
for Friends opened the programme of
the VI International Festival Musical Hermitage.
12 March
Presentation of the results of cooperation between
the State Hermitage Museum and the
Philips Company. The programme of the event
included signing the Agreement on continuing
cooperation, as well as a press conference
of Prof. Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the
State Hermitage Museum, and Joost Leeflang,
CEO of Philips in Russia. The press conference
was followed by a reception in the Winter Palace
of Peter the Great.
27 March
Official Awards Ceremony for the participants
of all-Russian competition The State Hermitage
Museum – the General Staff. The 21st-Century
Museum that allowed talented schoolchildren
from different Russian cities make their contribution
to the creation of the Museum of the
Future. The competition was organised by the
State Hermitage Museum and Coca-Cola HBC
Eurasia, a long-term Partner of the museum.
At the Awards Ceremony the finalists of the
competition were presented with certificates,
and the Grand Prix winner was awarded with
a trip to The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
in New York.
2 April
Meeting entitled The Hermitage Mosaics offered
the Friends a unique selection of special indepth
tours of the museum permanent displays
and temporary exhibitions. The guests
had an opportunity to choose one of several
tours guided by the curators of the Hermitage
Educational Department. All tours offered to
the Friends were unique author programmes
developed specially for the evening.
8 May
Informal meeting of Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director
of the State Hermitage Museum, and Dirk
Advocaat, head coach of Zenit Soccer Club,
St. Petersburg. The negotiations concerned
the development of partnership between the
State Hermitage Museum and Zenit as part of
the project Hermitage 20/21, particularly, the
exhibition Newspeak: British Art Now.
Opening season in the Hermitage Friends’ Club
The programme Go East! 16 October 2009
19 May
Final event of the season 2008–2009 in the
Hermitage Friends’ Club. The programme of
the evening entitled Unknown Holland included
presentation of the Hermitage-Amsterdam
and the Foundation “Hermitage Friends in the
Netherlands” and a visit to the temporary exhibition
of seventeenth-century Dutch paintings
restored with the support of the Dutch Friends
of the Hermitage.
29 June
Official ceremony of signing the Letter of Intent
concerning five-year cooperation between
the State Hermitage Museum and Korean Air
Company. In accordance with the Letter of Intent,
the company is going to assist the Hermitage
in the programme of printing various
information materials for visitors and posters
for temporary exhibitions. Following the ceremony
and the press conference, guests had
a tour of the museum and attended the demonstration
of the new multimedia museum
guide in Korean. As a result of this project,
Korean became the first Asian language of the
Hermitage multimedia guide.
15 July
Visit of the Heineken Company delegation, which
is a Corporate member of the Hermitage
Friends’ Club. The guests were taken around
the museum on an exclusive guided tour with
a visit to the Treasure Gallery and demonstration
of the Peacock clock in operation.
28 July
Presentation of the results of the joint project
Conservation of the Case of the Table Clock with
Musical Mechanism by J. Cox Workshop. The restoration
was supported by Samsung Electronics
Company, a long-term Partner of the museum.
12 August
Official ceremony of donating to the Hermitage
a large-scale collage (15.6 × 9.6 m) depicting
the Winter Palace and several smaller collages,
created by a group of Korean students.
The ceremony took place in the Staraya Derevnya
Restoration, Conservation and Storage
Centre.
30 September
Signing of the Sponsor Agreement between
the State Hermitage Museum and Korean Air
Company in the Staraya Derevnya Restoration,
Conservation and Storage Centre. As a part of
this cooperation, the company will assist the
museum in publication of various information
materials for visitors. Printing the floor plans
in the Korean language will become an important
part of the cooperation.
16 October
Opening of the new 2009–2010 season in
the Hermitage Friends’ Club. The meeting
entitled Go East! introduced the Oriental Department
of the State Hermitage Museum to
the museum Friends. The programme of the
evening included meeting with Dr. Natalia Kozlova,
Head of the Oriental Department, visits
Special programme for Corporate Friends of the Hermitage
What the Arsenal Hides
to the new permanent display of Japanese art
and the temporary exhibitions: Holy Images:
the Greek Icons from the Velimezis Collection, Treasury
of the World. Jewelled Art of India in the Age of
the Mughals and Satsuma Ceramics of Japan in the
State Hermitage Collection guided by the curators
of the Hermitage Educational Department.
10 November
Special programme for Corporate Friends of
the Hermitage What the Arsenal Hides. After
welcoming words by Dr. Vladimir Matveyev,
Deputy Director of the Museum, the guests
were invited to visit the closed storages of the
Arsenal, where they had an opportunity to see
a unique Hermitage collection of arms and
armour.
23 November
Presentation of the joint conservation project
of the State Hermitage Museum and the Royal
Bank of Scotland in the Menshikov Palace. Prof.
Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage
Museum, and Mr. Henk Paardekooper,
Chairman of the Bank Board of Directors, introduced
the guests to the results of conservation
of the Portrait of Tatiana Yusupova by the
Scottish artist Christina Robertson.
8 December
International Hermitage Friends’ Day. Each
year, all Hermitage Friends from around the
world are traditionally invited to the museum
for this celebration. This year, an exclusive
evening programme included a “surprise walk”
through the museum When Paintings Come
to Life... Characters of several masterpieces of
Western-European paintings stepped out from
the picture frames in a silent welcome of the
Hermitage Friends. The evening halls were
filled with charming music played by the musicians
of the State Hermitage Orchestra.
The characters’ costumes were made and
presented by the students of St. Petersburg
State Theatre Arts Academy, curated by Prof.
Tatiana Slyozina and Prof. Tatiana Vasilieva,
in cooperation with Yelena Rusanova’s Atelier
of Historical and Theatrical Costumes.
The walk was followed by the traditional welcome
of Prof. Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of
hermItaGe frIends orGanIzatIons
the State Hermitage Museum, in the Hermitage
Theatre, ceremony of Honorary Diplomas
bestowed on Sponsors of the State Hermitage
Museum, and a concert of the State Hermitage
Orchestra. The evening programme ended
with a cocktail in the Jordan Gallery of the
Winter Palace.
17 December
Ceremony of signing the Agreement of Cooperation
between the State Hermitage Museum
and the Nobel Biocare Company, aimed at implementing
the joint social and information
project Hermitage Smile.
“Surprise walk” through the museum
When Paintings Come to Life...
142 143

hermItaGe frIends orGanIzatIons
foundaTion hermiTage friendS
in The neTherlandS
For the Dutch Friends 2009 was an exciting year, marked
with the rapid increase of the Friends’ memberships. A new
marketing campaign organized a few months before the
opening of the Hermitage-Amsterdam raised the number of
the Dutch Friends from 1700 up to 4500 members. Thus,
the Dutch Friends of the Hermitage became the largest existing
Hermitage Friends’ organization in the world. There
is also an opportunity of becoming a ‘special’ Friend of the
Hermitage in the Netherlands by joining the “Catherine’s
Circle” (with already 47 members today) or the “Peter’s
Circle” (2 Friends).
On the 18th of June, 2009 the Friends’ Evening on the
occasion of the grand opening of the Hermitage-Amsterdam
was organized, with over 2000 invited guests. President of
the Foundation Hermitage Friends in the Netherlands
Erick Beelaerts van Blokland, and Director of the State
Hermitage Museum Prof. Mikhail Piotrovsky addressed
their words of welcome to the guests of the evening from
the balcony of the Amstelhof building.
Since the opening of the Hermitage-Amsterdam Centre each
holder of the Friends’ card has access to the closed Members
Lounge, an exclusive room where Friends can have
a cup of coffee and read the exhibition catalogues, enjoying
addreSS:
Hein G.M. Blocks, Chairman
Foundation Hermitage Friends in the Netherlands
P.O. box 11675,
1001 GR Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel.: (31) 20 530 87 55
Fax: (31) 20 530 87 58
E-mail: vrienden@hermitage.nl
www.hermitage.nl
the beautiful view on the Amstel River. Members Lounge
is still used for the Board meetings. Thus, it was here that
the International meeting of the Heads of the Hermitage
Friends’ organizations was held, with the participation
of the Friends’ representatives from the USA, Great Britain,
Canada, Russia and, of course, the Netherlands.
Several large-scale projects were implemented with the
support of the Foundation Hermitage Friends in the Netherlands
during the year 2009:
– Conservation of several costumes for the exhibition
At the Russian Court
– Creation of a beautiful wooden parquet floor with
a depiction of the floor plan of the State Hermitage
Museum for the room with the permanent exhibition
dedicated to the relations between Russia and the
Netherlands
– Creation of a digital interactive projection of the Hermitage
exhibition halls for the same room
Finally, with the donation of the Friends the Hermitage-
Amsterdam can install every week a large bouquet of fresh
flowers in the central hall of the building.
Contacts between the State Hermitage Museum and the
exhibition centre Hermitage-Amsterdam are so close and intense
that there are no doubts: numerous Dutch Friends
will continue to have an opportunity of most active involvement
in the activities of both institutions.
hermiTage muSeum foundaTion (uSa)
The Hermitage Museum Foundation (USA), Inc. functions
as part of an international outreach effort committed to the
preservation and promotion of the Hermitage Museum’s
collections and the historic buildings in which they are
housed. The Foundation supports this effort through raising
funds in the United States for restoration and conservation
projects and securing the donation of additions to their
collections, as well as hosting educational programmes,
tours, exhibitions, and member trips to St. Petersburg.
This past year was significant for the Foundation which
continued to grow and strengthen its commitment to the
Hermitage Museum and to Russian-American relations.
Thanks to funding from Board member, Robert M. Edsel and
the Arturo and Holly Magill Foundation, we launched our
new website providing up-to-date information on the Foundation’s
activities and news from the Hermitage Museum.
The newly created Friends of the Hermitage Museum Foundation
is comprised of a group of professionals and students who
are committed to supporting the efforts of the Hermitage
in St. Petersburg and the Hermitage Museum Foundation
in the USA. Their projects include a “Newsletter” to be released
in the beginning of 2010; fundraising events as well
as outreach programmes in the New York and DC areas.
In February, Dr. Mikhail B. Piotrovsky spent a weekend in
Palm Beach, Florida as a guest of the Foundation. He was
honored at a benefit dinner and enjoyed an in-depth
tour of Palm Beach’s unique Addison Mizner architecture.
Dr. Piot rovsky was interviewed by local PBS television at
length and hosted at a farewell breakfast by Donald Trump,
whose establishment, Mar a Lago, was the former home
of Russophile and collector, Marjorie Merriweather Post.
The Romanov Mystery: Closing the Final Chapter was presented
in New York City by Dr. Michael Coble, Research
Section Chief, from the Armed Forces DNA Identification
Laboratory and Capt. Peter Sarandinaki, President of the
S.E.A.R.CH Foundation. This lecture was extremely well
received and, as a result, the Canadian Friends of the Hermitage
invited the speakers to Ottawa to give their presentation
to an equally receptive audience.
In June, the Foundation hosted another successful trip to
St. Petersburg for the “White Nights” and annual Hermitage
Banquet Gala. A visit to the Hermitage Museum and
Staraya Derevnya Restoration, Conservation and Storage
Centre evoked particular interest among our guests.
In the fall, Dr. Piotrovsky came to Washington DC, under
the auspices of the Foundation, where he was honored
with the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service
at the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Award Dinner presented
by the Kennan Institute. His acceptance speech was
greeted with a standing ovation from corporate leaders,
philanthropists, diplomats, politicians and the media. Several
days of exclusive receptions, gatherings and museum
visits were organized for Dr. Piotrovsky. Librarian of Con-
hermItaGe frIends orGanIzatIons
gress, Dr. James Billington hosted a luncheon and a private
viewing of the Library’s rare Russian books and treasures.
The Hermitage Museum Foundation Annual Board Meeting
was held at the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
in the IMF’s Board Room, followed by a reception, hosted
at Book Arts Conservatory. Dr. Piotrovsky was presented with
a unique hand-tooled leather folio containing a facsimile
of the original United States check issued to Russia for
the purchase of Alaska. At the invitation of Directors and
Senior Curators, Dr. Piotrovsky visited The Walters Art Museum
in Baltimore, the Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens,
The National Gallery and The National Museum of
Women in the Arts. Foundation’s Advisory Board member,
the Hon. Esther Coopersmith hosted a dinner party at her
Georgetown home. En route to New York City, Dr. Piotrovsky
was treated to a private tour of President George
Washington’s home, Mount Vernon, where he and Mrs. Piotrovsky
were invited to lay a ceremonial wreath on President
Washington’s tomb. In New York City, Dr. Piotrovsky
was honored by friends and colleagues at a reception at
the home of Advisory Board member, the Hon. John Train.
In October, the Foundation held a reception and screening
at Sotheby’s of the documentary film, The Hermitage
Dwellers by Aliona van der Horst. The film, which masterfully
intertwines the life stories of the people who work in the
Hermitage Museum with the glorious art works housed
there, was enthusiastically received.
Grants were received from the Arthur and Holly Magill
Foundation for two restoration projects: Engraved Maps
from the Petrine Era and Marquis Campana Collection of Antique
Bronzes. Also, the Foundation received a grant from
Dr. George Sosnovsky for the tapestry restoration project,
Healing of the Paralytic. Through the Foundation, the Hermitage
Museum received a gift of sixteen Soviet Russian
photographs by some of the leading photographers who
worked in the USSR during the period from the early
1920s until the Second World War. The artists represented
are: Naum Granovskii, Georgi Zelma, Mikhail Grachev,
Mikhail Osherkov, Arkadi Shishkin, Mark Markov-Grinberg,
Georgi Lipskerov, Aleksandr Ustinov, Emmanuel
Evzerikhin, and Moisei Nappelbaum.
144 145
addreSS:
Paul Rodzianko, Chairman of the Board
Hermitage museum Foundation (USa)
505 Park Avenue, 20th Floor
New York,
NY 10022 USA
Tel (1 212) 826 3074
Fax (1 212) 888 4018
www.hermitagemuseumfoundation.org

hermItaGe frIends orGanIzatIons
The STaTe hermiTage muSeum foundaTion of canada inc.
and The canadian friendS of The hermiTage
2009 saw the completion of our involvement in the Collection
Inventory Project at the Hermitage Museum. During
our nine years of supporting this project, we financed the
development of a custom automated collection registry
system, purchase and maintenance of computers and software,
the training of staff and on-site salaries for the data
collection and entry. A total of 386,351 works of art were
successfully catalogued. We are happy to have had the opportunity
to participate and to see the Hermitage with
a state of the art registration system.
In 2009, we launched the Young Artists Program, which
aids in the early development of young artists by helping
them participate in the educational activities of the Hermitage
Youth Education Centre. Plans are underway for our
first group of undergraduate university students to attend
“Master Classes” at the Centre in August of 2010.
This past year, the Canadian Friends of the Hermitage concentrated
on the tour programme because of an increased
demand from Canadians. A large group of travellers (96),
a group of 30, plus a number of smaller groups and many
addreSS:
Robert Kaszanits, President
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
www.hermitagemuseum.ca
independent travellers visited the Hermitage and enjoyed
the hospitality of our colleagues at the St. Petersburg Hermitage
Friends Club. We hope to continue introducing
Canadians to the treasures of the Hermitage. The Friends
also produced a wide range of lectures and events in Toronto
and Ottawa covering Russian history, literature, music,
art and architecture.
In Toronto, in May, we had the delightful visit of Masha
Tolstoy Sarandinaki of the American Friends of the Hermitage
and her sister Tatiana Tolstoy Penkrat who gave
a most interesting presentation on the life of their illustrious
great grandfather Count Leo Tolstoy. In October, Captain
Peter Sarandinaki and Dr. Michael Coble kept our Ottawa
audience riveted to our seats as he told of his search
for the remains of the Last Romanovs under the theme
The Mystery of the Last Romanovs – Final Chapter.
The 2009 Joseph Frieberg Scholarship was awarded to Karine
Tsoumis, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Toronto.
Karine is doing her dissertation on Venetian portraiture.
She will be at the Hermitage in the spring of 2010.
addreSS:
Robin Young, Executive Director
canadian friends of the hermitage
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
E-mail: friends@hermitagemuseum.ca
www.hermitagemuseum.ca
friendS of The hermiTage, london
The first good news of the year came in January 2009 when
Dorian Jabri secured the sponsorship from “Jet Republic”
to be spread over three events, the April fundraising banquet
at Sotheby’s, the June banquet in St. Petersburg and
the Newspeak exhibition from the Saatchi Gallery in St. Petersburg
in the autumn. We could distribute it as we wished.
About one third of the sponsorship sum went into the
Sotheby banquet and thus into our 20/21 Account – the
Sotheby event was to raise money for the 20/21 Project.
We spread the rest evenly between June and Newspeak.
The gala at Sotheby’s in April was outstandingly successful,
particularly in the light of the credit crunch. We were especially
pleased by the Russian contingent who honoured
us by their presence – including Dasha Zhukova, Nonna
Materkova, and Natalia Nosova. The Russian violinist
Anastasia Khitruk performed brilliantly and brought her
friends Prince Hussein Aga Khan and his wife.
In June we took a group of UK Friends to celebrate the
opening of the Hermitage-Amsterdam, a great occasion with
music, dance and fireworks. We attended the Friends
evening, dining together in a nearby restaurant, enjoying
the spectacular exhibition of Art at the Russian Court: Palace
and Protocol in the 19th Century and finishing up with an
exploration of the rivers and canals in a boat.
As always the June banquet in St. Petersburg brought
a good attendance from the U.K. James McDonaugh
brought a party of 14 and we invited the British Consul
General, William Elliott, to join us in a super party on the
evening prior to the banquet. Elena Heinz, our trustee,
also attended and gave an enlightening explanation of the
Friends’ work. Len Blavatnik kindly channelled his sponsorship
through the UK Friends.
However, the high point of the year was undoubtedly the
exhibition Newspeak: British Art Now which opened in the
Nicholas Hall in October. The selection from the Saatchi
Gallery collection had been made jointly by Dimitry Ozerkov
and Charles Saatchi. The presentation to the Students’
Centre was mobbed by more than 300 people who wished
to meet the artists; in the first 20 days of the run there were
80,000 visitors, an unheard of success for a contemporary
show in St. Petersburg.
The British Council kindly supported the education programme,
funding a delegate to the round table on The
First Decade of the 21st Century: A New Language of Art? Rosemary
Hilhorst, the Moscow director of the British Council,
also attended the conference and spoke, as did the British
Consul General, William Elliott. The British Council
sponsorship extended to a concert of new British music
by the band “These New Puritans” in November and they
supplied videos of new British films.
The Visiting Curator scheme, supported by the Courtauld
Institute of Art and Mrs. Elena Heinz, proved very successful.
We had Julia Kagan, curator of engraved gems, finish-
hermItaGe frIends orGanIzatIons
ing her book on The Art of Gemstone Carving in Great Britain,
Lisa Renné working on her catalogue of British paintings
in the Hermitage and Yelena Karcheva on her catalogue
of Western European sculpture. Yelena Anisimova and
Anna Geyko were studying displays of glass and decorative
bronzes, respectively, and Yekaterina Nekrasova came
to explore contemporary ceramics with a view to extending
the Hermitage collection. Yelena Shishkova shared
a joint workshop on conservation of Japanese scrolls with
the British Museum and the Association for the Conservation
of National Treasures from Japan.
Our Education Programme was supported by the Russian
Embassy in the UK, Nonna Materkova and “Hambro
Mining”. A course containing 15 lectures was prepared by
Katya Marshall working in conjunction with our Hermitage
consultant, Sonia Kudriateseva. There were seven lectures
on different aspects of the Hermitage collection and
seven escorted visits to London museums and galleries with
similar material. We had two London based lecturers and
five from the Hermitage. Some 45 children attended the
course. We were delighted by the success of the project.
146 147
addreSS:
Geraldine Norman, Executive Director
Friends of the Hermitage, London
The Hermitage Rooms, Somerset House
Strand
London WC2R 0RN
UK
Tel: 020 7845 4635
Fax: 020 7845 4637
Email: info@hermitagefriends.org
www.hermitagefriends.org

financial STaTemenTS of The STaTe hermiTage muSeum
The STaTe hermiTage muSeum expendiTureS By SourceS of income
(in thousands of roubles)
Revenue
from the Federal
Budget
Payroll 221,170,8 320,065,7 316,702,0 3,363,7 541,236,5
Payroll social security 53,464,8 61,043,9 60,159,9 884,0 114,508,7
total payroll 274,635,6 381,109,6 376,861,9 4,247,7 655,745,2
Purchase of materials 46,581,9 2,496,9 1,659,7 837,2 49,078,8
Building services 99,462,3 6,100,2 288,7 5,811,5 105,562,5
Transportation and communications 9,925,4 8,875,8 3,270,2 5, 605,6 18,801,2
Repair of equipmant 44,671,3 1,337,6 1,330,6 7,0 46,008,9
Repair of buildings 35,336,7 0,0 0,0 0,0 35,336,7
Police brigades* 17,179,5 35,1 0,0 35,1 17,214,6
Acquisition of art works 113,484,0 12,033,4 0,0 12,033,4 125,517,4
Other current expenses 265,658,1 78,985,7 73,416,9 5,568,8 344,643,8
total current expenses 632,299,2 109,864,7 79,966,1 29,898,6 742,163,9
(excluding payroll)
total current expendItures 906,934,8 490,974,3 456,828,0 34,146,3 1,397,909,1
Capital building activities 1,169,275,0 0,0 0,0 0,0 1,169,275,0
Capital repaire 231,882,1 0,0 0,0 0,0 231,882,1
Equipment purchases 242,179,5 6,168,2 487,8 5,680,4 248,347,7
total capItal expendItures 1,643,336,6 6,168,2 487,8 5,680,4 1,649,504,8
total expendItures
of the hermItaGe 2,550,271,4 497,142,5 457,315,8 39,826,7 3,047,413,9
which amounts to USD thousand
(at 31.75 roubles per dollar exchange rate)
80,323,5 15,658,0 14,403,6 1,254,4 95,981,5
* From 2007 expenses for fire brigade
are totally payed by the RF Ministry
of Emergency Situations.
Other Revenue
Including
Total Business Donations and
Total
undertakings other revenue Expenditure
income in 2009
(in thousands of roubles)
1. receipts from the federal budget
(including proceeds from renting out property and
equipment belonging to the Hermitage – 12,309,9)
2,552,502,7 82.0%
other receipts
including:
560,376,2 18.0%
2. Proceeds from exhibitions 472,796,8 15.2%
3. Recompense for participation in exhibitions 11,605,2 0.4%
4. Donations and other revenue 34,669,4 1.1%
5. Grants
6. Earnings from cultural, educational
1,185,0 0.04%
and theatrical programmes
7. Fees for reproducing pictures
27,109,6 0.9%
from the Hermitage collection
8. Earnings from selling catalogues
6,635,0 0.2%
and souvenirs 6,317,5 0.2%
9. Other income 57,7 0.0%
total receipts
which amounts to USD thousand
3,112,878,9 100%
(at 31.75 roubles per dollar exchange rate) 98,043,4
expendiTureS in 2009
(in thousands of roubles)
1. payroll 655,745,2 30%
2. Purchase of equipment and materials
3. Building services, transportation
297,426,5 10%
and communication 124,363,7 4%
4. Building and equipment repairs 81,345,6 3%
5. Expenses for police brigades 17,214,6 1%
6. Acquisition of art works 125,517,4 4%
7. Other current expenses 344,643,8 11%
8. Capital repair and construction
total expenditures:
1,401,157,1 36%
current and capital expenses
which amounts to USD thousand
3,047,413,9 100%
(at 31.75 roubles per dollar exchange rate) 95,981,5
fInancIal statements of the state hermItaGe museum
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8 2 3 4 5 6 7
148 149
1
1

principal paTronS and SponSorS of The STaTe hermiTage muSeum in 2009
Ms. Jayne Wrightsman (USA)
Mr. Vladimir Potanin (Russia)
Dr. George Sosnovsky (USA)
Mr. Yevgeni Satanovsky (Russia)
Mr. Alexei Verkhoturov (Russia)
Vladimir V. Potanin Charitable Foundation (Moscow)
Restoring Ancient Stabiae Foundation (Italy)
Consulate General of India (St. Petersburg)
Imperial Porcelain Manufactory (St. Petersburg)
Kristall Jewellery Centre, Ltd. (Smolensk)
Coca-Cola Export Corporation (Moscow)
Coca-Cola HBC Eurasia Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. (Republic of Korea)
Nobel Biocare Russia (Moscow)
LLC ‘Samsung Electronics Rus Company’ (Moscow)
INTARSIA GROUP (St. Petersburg)
BMW (Germany)
Ingosstrakh-St. Petersburg Insurance Company
Alfa-Color Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Vitrinen-und Glasbau REIER (Germany)
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (USA)
Delzell Foundation (USA)
Aksel Motors Co. (St. Petersburg)
Social-Cultural Foundation ‘Hennessy’ (Moscow
Arthur and Holly Magill Foundation (USA)
‘Ilim Group’ (St. Petersburg)
Parquet-Hall Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
The Bank of Moscow
Open Joint Stock Company Promsvyazbank (St. Petersburg)
Novotel St. Petersburg Centre Hotel
Bronze Horseman Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
CJSC ‘JTI Marketing & Sales’ (Moscow)
E-shop OZON.ru (Moscow)
KHEPRI Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
‘Company Philips in Russia’ (Moscow)
UNIX Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Beta-Кom (St. Petersburg)
‘Amber House’, Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
‘Heineken Breweries’ LLC. (St. Petersburg)
The Royal Bank of Scotland ZAO (Moscow)
ARDOS Co. (Moscow)
Renaissance Construction Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Slavia Publishing House (St. Petersburg)
Europe Media Group (St. Petersburg)
St. Petersburg Committee on Culture
HSBC Bank (RR) Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
CafeMax St. Petersburg CSJC (St. Petersburg)
‘SOLVO’ Ltd. Co. (St. Petersburg)
St. Petersburg Mint
PRO ARTE Institute (St. Petersburg)
‘Museum Technologies’ Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
DOKA-St. Petersburg Ltd.
Arctur Travel Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Lemcon RUS (St. Petersburg)
‘LenArt Tours’ Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Jordan Vineyard and Winery (USA)
‘INTOURIST-Spb’
The Likeon - Museum Concepts and Projects Ltd.
(St. Petersburg)
‘Astra Marine’ Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Hlebny Dom/Fazer, Russia (St. Petersburg)
Vi Wine (St. Petersburg)
Delia Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Prettycat Group Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Elvet Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
The Netherlands Institute in St. Petersburg
informaTion SponSorS of The STaTe hermiTage
muSeum
Joint Stock Company ‘Pulkovo Airport’
(St. Petersburg)
Aero-Advertising Saint-Petersburg Ltd.
News Outdoor Russia, St. Petersburg representative
office
Sign City (St. Petersburg)
‘RPA Sfera’ (St. Petersburg)
‘Russian Jeweller’ Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
APIRK (St. Petersburg)
‘PLADIS’ Co. Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
‘Ministry of Design’ (St. Petersburg)
Amfora Video Company (St. Petersburg)
Metropress Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Web-portal ‘Museums of Russia’ (Moscow)
SeveroWest Media Ltd. (St. Petersburg)
Radio Hermitage (St. Petersburg)
‘Ore and Metals’ Publishing house (Moscow)
‘Yellow Pages’ Ltd. (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)
official legal adviSor of The STaTe hermiTage
muSeum
Baker & McKenzie – CIS, Limited (St. Petersburg)
official adviSor of The STaTe hermiTage muSeum
BDO Unicon Management (Moscow)
official parTner of The STaTe hermiTage muSeum
Renaissance St. Petersburg Baltic Hotel (St. Petersburg)
official parTner of The STaTe hermiTage muSeum
Courtyard by Marriott St. Petersburg Vasilievsky
official caTerer of The STaTe hermiTage muSeum
OOO ‘Grand-Palace-K’ (Carte Blanche)
prIncIpal patrons and sponsors of the state hermItaGe museum In 2009
hermiTage friendS organiZaTionS aBroad
foundation hermitage friends in the netherlands
hermitage museum foundation (usa)
the state hermitage museum foundation
of canada, Inc.
canadian friends of the hermitage
The De Beers Family of Companies
AngloGold Ashanti
Abraham and Malka Green Foundation (Canada)
Leslie and Anna Dan Family Foundation (Canada)
The Joseph Frieberg Family Charitable Foundation
(Canada)
friends of the hermitage (uK)
Ms. Nonna Materkova (UK)
Jet Republic
Sheikha Hussah Sabah Salem al-Sabah (Kuwait)
Sothby’s (UK)
Mr. Peter Hambro (UK)
Consulate General of the United Kingdom in St. Petersburg
150 151

hermiTage friendS’ cluB
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 organize 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 organizations, foundations
and individuals have already become Members
of the Hermitage Friends’ Club.
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 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 educational programmes;
Purchase of new exhibits.
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 programmes.
The State Hermitage Museum gratefully receives donations
from its supporters, and grants special privileges
to the Hermitage Friends.
All Hermitage Friends receive Personal Membership
Cards of the Hermitage Friends’ Club.
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, Kazan, Amsterdam and
Ferrara).
The Holders of the Personal Membership Cards receive
invitations to participate in special events arranged
exclusively for the Hermitage Friends’ Club Members.
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 and have a rest in the Friends’ Room.
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:
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 website 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 organizations making especially significant
contributions, the Director of the Hermitage grants
additional benefits.
all memBerShipS are reneWaBle annually
for furTher informaTion
on The hermiTage friendS’ cluB,
pleaSe, conTacT:
friendS’ office
Komendantsky Entrance to the Winter Palace
(from Palace Square)
Telephone: (007 812) 710 90 05
Fax: (007 812) 571 95 28
E-mail: friendsclub@hermitage.ru
poSTal addreSS:
The State Hermitage Museum
34 Dvortsovaya Naberezhnaya,
190000 St. Petersburg
Russia
hermItaGe frIends’ club
152 153

STaff memBerS of The STaTe hermiTage muSeum
direcToraTe
M. Piotrovsky 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 Sciences (History)
G. 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 Sciences (History)
S. Adaksina Deputy Director for Registration and Keeping,
Chief Curator
V. Matveyev Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Development,
Kandidat of Sciences (History of Arts)
V. Ivanov Deputy Director for Finance, Management
and Construction
A. Bogdanov Deputy Director for Maintenance,
Senior Lecturer of St. Petersburg
University of State Fire Service,
Kandidat of Technical Sciences
office of The direcToraTe
M. Dandamayeva Academic Secretary,
Kandidat of Sciences (History)
M. Khaltunen Secretary-reviewer of the Director,
Kandidat of Sciences (Culturology)
V. Kovalenko Secretary-reviewer of the Deputy Director
for Research
Ye. Gandzha Secretary-reviewer of the Deputy Director
and Chief Curator
Yu. Marchenko Secretary-reviewer of the Deputy Director
for Exhibitions and Development
M. Matiyash Secretary-reviewer of the Deputy Director
for Finance, Management and Construction
O. Korolkova Secretary-reviewer of the Deputy Director
for Maintenance
direcTor’S adviSerS
Yu. Kantor Adviser for Special Projects and PR,
Doctor of Sciences (History)
A. Galkin Adviser for Security
Ye. Sirakanian Adviser for Special Programmes, Charity Projects
and Sponsorship
M. Novikov Advisor for Construction
claSSical anTiQuiTy
deparTmenT
A. Trofimova
Head of the Department
Ye. Arsentyeva
Deputy Head of the Department
L. Nekrasova,
Chief Curator
M. Akhmadeyeva
Academic Secretary
A. Butiagin
Head of the Northern
Black Sea Area Sector
Ye. Khodza
Head of the Ancient Greece
and Ancient Rome Sector, Kandidat
of Sciences (History of Arts)
archaeology of eaSTern
europe and SiBeria
deparTmenT
A. Alexeyev
Head of the Department,
Doctor of Sciences (History)
Yu. Piotrovsky
Deputy Head of the Department
A. Mazurkevich
Chief Curator
A. Furasyev
Academic Secretary,
Kandidat of Sciences (History)
Ye. Korolkova
Head of the Sector of the South
of Eurasia, Kandidat of Sciences
(History of Arts)
R. Minasian
Head of the Sector of the Forest
and Forest-Steppe Zone
of Eastern Europe, Kandidat
of Sciences (History)
orienTal deparTmenT
N. Kozlova
Head of the Department
M. Gavrilova
Chief Curator
D. Vasilyeva
Academic Secretary
A. Pritula
Head of the Near East and Byzantium
Sector, Kandidat of Sciences
(Philology)
A. Bolshakov
Head of the Ancient East Sector,
Doctor of Sciences (History)
O. Deshpande
Head of the Far East Sector,
Kandidat of Sciences (History)
WeSTern european
fine arTS deparTmenT
S. Androsov
Head of the Department,
Doctor of Sciences (History of Arts),
Foreign Member of Ateneo Veneto
(Venetian Academy of Sciences),
Full Member of the Academy
of Arts in Carrara
M. Dedinkin
Deputy Head of the Department
M. Garlova
Chief Curator
A. Vilenskaya
Academic Secretary
R. Grigoryev
Head of the Engraving Sector,
Kandidat of Sciences
(History of Arts)
I. Grigoryeva
Head of the Drawing Sector
B. Asvarishch
Head of the Sector
of the 19th – 20th Century Painting
and Sculpture, Kandidat of Sciences
(History of Arts)
N. Gritsay
Head of the Sector
of the 13th – 18th Century Painting,
Kandidat of Sciences
(History of Arts)
WeSTern european
applied arTS deparTmenT
T. Rappe
Head of the Department, Kandidat
of Sciences (History of Arts)
O. Kostyuk
Deputy Head of the Department,
Kandidat of Sciences
(History of Arts)
Ye. Abramova
Chief Curator
S. Kokareva
Academic Secretary
T. Kosourova
Head of the Applied Arts Sector,
Kandidat of Sciences
(History of Arts)
M. Lopato
Head of the Sector of Precious
Metals and Stones, Doctor
of Sciences (History of Arts)
hiSTory of ruSSian
culTure deparTmenT
V. Fedorov
Head of the Department
N. Guseva
Deputy Head of the Department,
Kandidat of Sciences
(History of Arts)
I. Zakharova
Chief Curator, Kandidat of Sciences
(History)
Yu. Sharovskaya
Academic Secretary
I. Ukhanova
Head of the Sector of Decorative
and Applied Arts, Leading
Researcher, Doctor of Sciences
(History), Corresponding Member
of the Russian Academy
of Natural Sciences
G. Miroliubova
Head of the Sector of Visual Arts,
Kandidat of Sciences
(History of Arts)
S. Nilov
Head of the Winter Palace
of Peter I Sector
S. Plotnikov
Head of the Guards Museum Sector
numiSmaTic deparTmenT
V. Kalinin
Head of the Department
Ye. Lepiokhina
Deputy Head of the Department
K. Kravtsov
Academic Secretary
O. Stepanova
Chief Curator
L. Dobrovolskaya
Head of the Sector
of Numismatic Monuments
from Europe and America,
Kandidat of Sciences (History)
arSenal
Yu. Yefimov
Acting Head of the Department
menShiKov palace
V. Meshcheriakov
Head of the Department
Ye. Ignatyeva
Chief Curator
I. Saverkina
Head of the Exhibition Sector,
Academic Secretary,
Kandidat of Sciences (History)
G. Rodionova
Head of the Education Sector
general STaff
A. Dydykin
Head of the Department
imperial porcelain
facTory muSeum
A. Ivanova
Head of the Department
T. Kumzerova
Chief Curator
T. Petrova
Academic Secretary
hiSTory and reSToraTion
of archiTecTural
monumenTS deparTmenT
V. Lukin
Head of the Department,
Chief Architect of the Hermitage,
Kandidat of Architecture
V. Yefimov
Head of the Sector of Scientific
Restoration
S. Stepanov
Head of the Management
and Projection Secto
archiTecTure
and archaeology SecTor
O. Ioannisian
Head of the Sector
D. Yolshin
Academic Secretary
modern arT SecTor
D. Ozerkov
Head of the Sector
reSearch liBrary
Ye. Makarova
Head of the Library
O. Zimina
Deputy Head of the Library
N. Martynenko
Deputy Head of the Library
I. Gogulina
Head of the Funds Sector
R. Klimchenkova
Head of the Catalogue Sector
A. Markushina
Head of the International Exchange
Sector
A. Samsonova
Head of the Service Sector
staff members of the state hermItaGe museum
T. Tarayeva
Head of the Completion
and Inventory Sector
R. Shavrina
Head of the Bibliography Sector
G. Yastrebinskaya
Head of the Library Branches Sector
manuScripTS and
documenTS deparTmenT
Ye. Yakovleva
Head of the Department
Ye. Solomakha
Deputy Head of the Department
educaTion deparTmenT
L. Yershova
Head of the Department
N. Vasilevskaya
Head of the Hospitality Sector
M. Kozlovskaya
Head of the Methodic Sector
S. Kudriavtseva
Head of the Youth Centre
and Student Club,
Kandidat of Sciences
(History of Arts)
O. Kuznetsova
Head of the Service Sector
L. Torshina
Head of the Sector
for Education Programmes
outside the Museum
School cenTre
I. Kureyeva
Head of the Centre
B. Kravchunas
Head of the Art Studio,
Kandidat of Sciences
(History of Arts)
N. Lebedeva
Head of the Methodic Sector
exhiBiTion deSign
deparTmenT
B. Kuziakin
Head of the Department
V. Koroliov
Head of the Sector of Temporary
Exhibitions
puBliShing deparTmenT
Ye. Zviagintseva
Head of the Department
N. Petrova
Deputy Head of the Department
I. Dalekaya
Head of the Pre-printing Preparation
Sector
M. 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
SecTor of The digiTal
ediTionS preparaTion
I. Melnikova
Head of the Sector
regiSTrar deparTmenT
N. Grishanova
Head of the Department
A. Aponasenko
Deputy Head of the Department
O. Shcherbakova
Head of the Sector of Control for
the Preservation of Museum Items
Ya. Ivanova
Head of the Sector
of the Registration of Temporary
Accepting and Leasing
of Museum Exhibits
Yu. Yefimova
Head of the Sector
of the Registration of Museum
Exhibits of Precious Metals
and Stones
N. Ternovaya
Head of the Sector of the Forming
of Data Base on the Hermitage
Collections
deparTmenT
of The organiZaTion
of regiSTer and STorage
of The STaraya derevnya
cenTre
T. Zagrebina
Head of the Department
Yu. Gromova
Deputy Head of the Department
SecTor of neW acQuiSiTionS
V. Faibisovich
Head of the Sector,
Kandidat of Sciences (Culturology)
154 155

staff members of the state hermItaGe museum
SecTor of exhiBiTionS
documenTaTion
O. Ilmenkova
Head of the Sector
TreaSure gallery
Ye. Kashina
Head of the Department
ScienTific reSToraTion
and conServaTion
deparTmenT
T. Baranova
Head of the Department
Ye. Chekhova
Deputy Head of the Department
laboRatoRy foR sCientifiC
RestoRation of easel
PaintinG
V. Korobov
Head of the Laboratory
laboRatoRy foR sCientifiC
RestoRation of teMPeRa
PaintinG
I. Permiakov
Head of the Laboratory
laboRatoRy foR sCientifiC
RestoRation of MuRal
PaintinG
A. Bliakher
Head of the Laboratory
laboRatoRy foR sCientifiC
RestoRation of oRiental
PaintinG
Ye. Shishkova
Head of the Laboratory,
Kandidat of Sciences
(History of Arts)
laboRatoRy foR sCientifiC
RestoRation of GRaPhiC
woRks
T. Sabianina
Head of the Laboratory
laboRatoRy foR sCientifiC
RestoRation of sCulPtuRe
anD ColouReD stones
S. Petrova
Head of the Laboratory
laboRatoRy foR sCientifiC
RestoRation of aPPlieD
aRt obJeCts
A. Bantikov
Head of the Laboratory
laboRatoRy foR sCientifiC
RestoRation of obJeCts
MaDe of oRGaniC MateRials
Ye. Mankova
Head of the Laboratory
laboRatoRy foR sCientifiC
RestoRation of teXtiles
M. Denisova
Head of the Laboratory
laboRatoRy foR sCientifiC
RestoRation of PReCious
Metals
I. Malkiel
Head of the Laboratory
laboRatoRy foR sCientifiC
RestoRation of tiMePieCes
anD MusiCal MeChanisMs
M. Guryev
Head of the Laboratory
laboRatoRy foR sCientifiC
RestoRation of fuRnituRe
V. Gradov
Head of the Laboratory
laboRatoRy foR
sCientifiC RestoRation
of ChanDelieRs
P. Khrebtukov
Head of the Laboratory
experT examinaTion
deparTmenT
A. Kosolapov
Head of the Department,
Kandidat of Technical Sciences
laboRatoRy foR sCientifiC
anD teChniCal eXaMination
A. Kosolapov
Head of the Laboratory,
Kandidat of Technical Sciences
laboRatoRy foR PhisiCal
anD CheMiCal MethoDs
of eXaMination
of MateRials
L. Gavrilenko
Head of the Laboratory
laboRatoRy
foR bioloGiCal ContRol
L. Slavoshevskaya
Head of the Laboratory,
Kandidat of Sciences (Biology)
laboRatoRy
foR CliMate ContRol
T. Bolshakova
Head of the Laboratory
perSonnel deparTmenT
V. Khrushch
Head of the Department
Ye. Odintsova
Head of the Personnel and Social
Payments Sector
O. Chertova
Head of the Sector of Employment
Relationship
office WorK deparTmenT
O. Yushina
Head of the Department
N. Diumina
Head of the Typing Sector
E. Solovyova
Head of the Office Work Sector
legal deparTmenT
M. Tsyguleva
Head of the Department
TheaTre and educaTion
deparTmenT
N. Orlova
Head of the Department
S. Mitskevich
Deputy Head of the Department
ouTer communicaTionS
deparTmenT
N. Kolomiyets
Head of the Department
hoSpiTaliTy Service
N. Silantyeva
Head of the Department
A. Ivanov
Head of the Sector
of the Administrators
of Entrance and Recreation Zones
N. Trofimova
Head of the Dataware Sector
SecTor of TouriSm
and Special programmeS
O. Arkhipova
Head of the Sector, Kandidat
of Sciences (History of Arts)
preSS Service
L. Korabelnikova
Head of the Service
developmenT deparTmenT
A. Soldatenko
Head of the Department
marKeTing and adverTiSing
SecTor
A. Lisitsyna
Head of the Department
SecTor of proJecT finance
Ye. Fedorov
Head of the Department
friendS
of The hermiTage SecTor
S. Philippova
Head of the Sector
SecTor of Sociological
reSearch
V. Selivanov
Head of the Sector,
Doctor of Sciences (Philosophy)
SecTor of mainTaining
of puBlicaTionS
A. Mikliayeva
Head of the Sector
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
M. Antipova
Head of the Department
V. Chudinova
Deputy Head of the Department
N. Grigoryeva
Head of the Sector of Summing
Planning and Economic
Analysis
A. Makarova
Head of the Sector
of Payment for Services
N. Krestina
Head of the Sector
of Financial Operations
BooK-Keeping
Ye. Mironova
Chief Book-Keeper
I. Belova
Deputy Chief Book-Keeper
V. Yantaleva
Head of the Ticket Offices Sector
STaTe purchaSeS
deparTmenT
N. Dubinina
Head of the Department
M. Kalyanova
Deputy Head of the Department
Social developmenT
deparTmenT
T. Voronova
Head of the Department
Technical deparTmenT
A. Plotnikova
Head of the Department
mainTenance of The general
STaff Building
M. Brezinsky
Head of the Department
T. Romanovskaya
Deputy Head of the Department
mainTenance
of The menShiKov palace
I. Prokofyeva
Head of the Department
chief mechanic
deparTmenT
O. Tolpygin
Chief Mechanic
R. Baburin
Deputy Chief Mechanic
chief poWer engineer
deparTmenT
V. Smirnov
Chief Power Engineer
O. Targonsky
Deputy Chief Power Engineer
Ye. Vizner
Deputy Chief Power Engineer
capiTal conSTrucTion
deparTmenT
V. Melnikov
Head of the Department
E. Groiser
Head of the Sector
of Technical Documentation
T. Guseva
Head of the Project Sector
B. Volkov
Head of the Sector of Technical
Observation
elecTronic TechniQue,
alarm SySTemS and
communicaTion deparTmenT
P. German
Head of the Department
N. Khobotov
Deputy Head of the Department
N. Velli
Head of the Sector of Communication
and Computers
N. Koniukhova
Head of the Sector of Alarm
Systems
M. Vlasenko
Head of the Sector of Video Control
mainTenance deparTmenT
of The STaraya derevnya
cenTre
S. Gusev
Head of the Department
B. Pozhemetsky
Deputy Head of the Department
compuTer SecTor
A. Grigoryev
Head of the Sector
deparTmenT of The
Supplying of Technical
eQuipmenT for BuildingS
and exhiBiTionS
O. Bogdanova
Head of the Department
staff members of the state hermItaGe museum
V. Kuzina
Deputy Head of the Department
Ye. Riabova
Deputy Head of the Department
muSeum SecuriTy Service
A. Khozhainov
Head of the Department
O. Boyev
Deputy Head of the Department
T. Danilova
Deputy Head of the Department
operaTion deparTmenT
of The SecuriTy Service
S. Taranov
Head of the Department
K. Mikliayev
Head of the First Response Sector
M. Melnik
Acting Head of the Sector
of Supervisors
L. Anisimova
Head of the Mandate Sector
seCuRity seRViCe
(the iMPeRial PoRCelain
faCtoRy MuseuM)
A. Gavrilets
Head of the Sector
seCuRity seRViCe
(RestoRation anD stoRaGe
CentRe: staRaya DeReVnya)
N. Zakharov
Head of the Sector
seCuRity seRViCe
(the GeneRal staff
builDinG)
N. Kisilyov
Head of the Sector
seCuRity seRViCe
(the MenshikoV PalaCe)
V. Kozlov
Head of the Sector
fiRst DePaRtMent foR
seCuRity of the MuseuM
CoMPleX (fiRst MuseuM
seCuRity DePaRtMent)
V. Zababurin
Head of the Department
A. Inozemtsev
Deputy Head of the Department
seConD DePaRtMent foR
seCuRity of the MuseuM
CoMPleX (seConD MuseuM
seCuRity DePaRtMent)
V. Arkhipov
Head of the Department
S. Trofimov
Deputy Head of the Department
thiRD DePaRtMent foR
seCuRity of the MuseuM
CoMPleX (thiRD MuseuM
seCuRity DePaRtMent)
O. Chebotar
Head of the Department
N. Burmak
Deputy Head of the Department
fouRth DePaRtMent foR
seCuRity of the MuseuM
CoMPleX (fouRth MuseuM
seCuRity DePaRtMent)
V. Katkov
Head of the Department
I. Garin
Deputy Head of the Department
gallery moniTorS
deparTmenT
I. Belousikova
Head of the Department
Ya. Kostochkin
Deputy Head of the Department
TranSporT deparTmenT
G. Salnikov
Head of the Department
A. Zavadsky
Head of the Garage
A. Laptev
Head of the Sector
civil defence
and emergency SecTor
A. Maksimychev
Head of the Civil Defence Staff
STaTe hermiTage
orcheSTra
Saulius Sondeckis
Art Director and Chief Conductor
156 157

e-mail addreSSeS of The STaTe hermiTage muSeum
direcToraTe
secretary of the director
haltunen@hermitage.ru
secretary of the deputy director
for research
vilinbahov@hermitage.ru
secretary of the deputy director
for registration and Keeping
ganja@hermitage.ru
Vladimir Ivanov,
deputy director for finance,
management and construction
ivanov@hermitage.ru
alexei bogdanov,
deputy director for maintenance,
chief engineer
bogdanov@hermitage.ru
mariam dandamayeva,
academic secretary
scientia@hermitage.ru
muSeum deparTmenTS
western european fine arts department
west_euro@hermitage.ru
western european applied arts departmnent
rappe@hermitage.ru
classical antiquity department
antiq_department@hermitage.ru
oriental department
east_department@hermitage.ru
history of russian culture department
rusdept@hermitage.ru
archaeology of eastern europe
and siberia department
oaves@hermitage.ru
numismatic department
coin@hermitage.ru
menshikov palace
V. Meshchiarikov, Head of the Department
mescheryakov@hermitage.ru
Imperial porcelain factory museum
porcelainmuseum@hermitage.ru
research library
Ye. Makarova, Head of the Library
makarova@hermitage.ru
hospitality sector
visitorservices@hermitage.ru
press service
press@hermitage.ru
sector of maintaining of publications
A. Mikliaeva, Head of the Sector
mikliaeva@hermitage.ru
development department
development@hermitage.ru
school centre
school_c@hermitage.ru
system administrator
lanadmin@hermitage.ru
web-master of the state hermitage museum
webmaster@hermitage.ru
sector of the digital editions preparation
I. Melnikova, Head of the Sector
melnikova@hermitage.ru
computer sector
A. Grigoryev, Head of the Sector
grigo@hermitage.ru
159

REFERENCE EDITION
The STaTe hermiTage muSeum annual reporT. 2009
Photographs by:
N. Antonova, P. Demidov, L. Heifetz, A. Koksharov,
Yu. Molodkovetz, S. Pokrovsky, I. Regentova, K. Sinyavsky, S. Suyetova,
S. Taranov, A. Terebenin, V. Terebenin, L. Volkov, L. Volkova
Translated from the Russian by:
M. Artamonova, T. Dodonova, Yu. Kleiner,
N. Magnes, R. Smirnov, K. Phillips
English text edited by Yu. Redkina
Designed by I. Dalyokaya
Computer layout by N. Sokolova
Colour correction by I. Bondar
Подписано в печать 17.11.2010
Усл. печ. л. 18,5. Тираж 800 экз. Заказ 74
Издательство Государственного Эрмитажа.
190000, Санкт-Петербург, Дворцовая наб., 34
Отпечатано в ООО «Типография „НП-Принт“».
197110, Санкт-Петербург, Чкаловский пр., 15