The STaTe hermiTage muSeum annual reporT

most notable acquIsItIons of 2010 most notable acquIsItIons of 2010
them a jug showing Chinese people against landscapes
which have a very detailed, highly elaborate design;
– plates with a latticework design from the first Russian
state service – the so-called Empress Elizabeth’s Personal
Dinner and Dessert Service (no earlier than 1756 – early
1760s);
– objects from the well-known Everyday (late 1770s –
1780s) and Yacht (1785–1787) Services;
– works by Dominique Rachette, Head of the Sculptural
Department at the Factory, made of the special “porcelain
plaster” paste.
A special set consists of presentation cups “with the royal
monogramme” which bear monogrammes of their owners.
These were used as presents for members of the Romanov
family and their inner circle or as tokens of special
recognition for foreign guests. It is believed that the cup
with a PP monogramme was made for Grand Duke Paul;
researchers link its production at the St. Petersburg Factory
with the baptism of the Grand Duke on 25 September
1754.
Among the sculpted pieces produced by the Gardner
factory near Moscow, Russia’s first private porcelain factory,
especially noteworthy is a miniature bust of Empress
Catherine II (1780s – 1790s). The decoration of the coneshaped
support with a gilded monogramme Е II only exists
in this unique version.
The porcelain acquired conforms to high standards of museum
collecting, in accordance with the collecting policy
of the State Hermitage Museum.
By Irina Bagdasarova
Cup with lid and saucer bearing the monogramme
of Grand Duke Paul PP. 1754
Medallion with the portrait of Emperor Paul I. 1798–1801
Bust of Empress Catherine the Great bearing her monogramme E II
on the support. 1780s – 1790s
roSewaTer Jug (incenSe veSSel)
Istanbul, mid-19th century
Silver; embossing, engraving, punching. Height 20 cm
Donated by Nasser D. Khalili
A small bottle-shaped vessel with a nearly round body and
neck with a sculptural finish bears two Turkish brands. One
includes a tughra with the name of Sultan Abdul-Hamid II
(1876–1909) and an inscription on the side “purity 90”;
the second consists of one word “confirmed”. The vessel
was made in Istanbul, famous for its Greek and Armenian
silversmiths. Although it bears no inscriptions which could
testify to the origin of its maker, it is quite likely to have
been made by an Armenian jeweller. Originally, it had had
a tall narrow neck and had been similar in shape to typical
Oriental incense vessels or rosewater jugs. The shape of
the vessel was altered in the last quarter of the 19th century,
when its neck was shortened. This is the date of the
brands with the name of Sultan Abdul-Hamid II, which
confirm that the vessel is indeed made of silver.
Such vessels were frequently used in the East both in religious
ceremonies and in secular settings, for offering sweet
rosewater to guests. Similar nineteenth-century silver vessels
survive from the Monastery of Prophet Elijah on the
Island of Santorini and from the Benaki Museum in Athens.
The vessel’s intended use is suggested by its embossed
decoration.
The walls of the body, which are covered in rose designs,
also feature embossed compositions, Christ before High
Priest Caiaphas and a fragmentary of the Transfiguration.
On the other two sides there are two large sculptural designs
of the double-headed eagle under a crown.
Both pictorial images illustrate the Gospels of Matthew
(26: 57–66) and Mark (14: 53–64): after he was arrested
in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was brought before
High Priest Caiaphas and condemned unjustly – not for
his deeds but for being what he was: whatever Jesus did
was read as his crimes. The scene Christ before High Priest
Caiaphas is very rarely seen on objects of applied art and
was included here on request from the commissioner.
The presence of double-headed eagles under the Byzantine
crown confirms that the vessel was made for the Ecumenical
Patriarch of Constantinople. After the fall of the Byzantine
Empire in 1453, the double-headed eagle became
the official symbol of the Constantinople Patriarchate; its
marble image survives over the entrance to the Patriarchal
Church of St. George in Istanbul. The presence of the scene
The Miracle of St. George, which is included in the Transfiguration
panel, is another indication that the vessel would have
belonged to the Patriarch. The Patriarch was not only the
head of Orthodox Christians in the Turkish Empire, but
also a supreme judge and representative in all the secular
court proceedings between the Orthodox population
and the Sultan. This is why it was common for the Turkish
government to exile inconvenient Patriarchs, dismissing
them from office. It is possible that the vessel was made
around mid-19th century for Patriarch Anthimus IV, who
was removed from his office by the Sultan three times, and
restored under Patriarch Joachim III, who was dismissed
twice. For both Patriarchs, the scene of Caiaphas’ unfair
judgment would have had a special symbolic meaning.
In all respects, this silver vessel is a unique work of Post-
Byzantine art, which has close links with the history of the
Constantinople Patriarchate.
By Yuri Piatnitsky
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