The STaTe hermiTage muSeum annual reporT

estoratIon anD conserVatIon
Mounting the horns
old varnish and paint, especially from the
upper-tier bracket lamps, was very timeconsuming
because of the great weight and
size of the pieces. But despite their durability,
one of the chandeliers was found to have
damaged horns.
After the restoration the horns became solid
and regained their original look.
Any restoration of electric lighting units entails
the replacement of the wiring. At the
turn of the 20th century, brass sockets with
ceramic inserts were used – these could no
longer be obtained. Cermet sockets identical
in shape to the old brass ones were used
instead. The use of bronze-coloured insulated
wiring made it possible to avoid painting
the wires with “bronze” varnish.
The mounting and assembly work was undertaken
when the interior restoration was
complete. The last chandelier was mounted
and re-hung at the end of November 2010.
The riggers provided priceless assistance
to the restorers in dismantling, moving and
re-assembling the brackets and chandeliers
of the Jordan Staircase.
The hermiTage reSToraTion School programme
Coordinated by the restorer M. Michri
The 2010 programme included an in-depth
seminar on Field Conservation: Theory and
Practice, held in the restoration workshops
of the Sverdlovsk Local History Museum
and presented by the top grade restorer
S. Burshneva (Laboratory for Scientific Restoration
of Applied Art Objects, Archaeological
Metal Sector). The training course
was attended by restorers and experts who
take part in archaeological field trips in the
Ural Region.
Theoretical lectures were held on the following
topics: Aims of Field Conservation,
Materials and Requirements for Field
Conservation, Factors Contributing to the
Disintegration and Preservation of Finds,
Recommendations on Field Conservation
for Different Material Groups (Glass, Stone,
Ceramics, Wood, Leather, Bone), Methods
of Removing the Finds from the Soil, Restoration
in Camp, and Packing the Objects for
Transporting. The lectures were accompanied
by photo presentations. The course included
practical classes on solution-making
and practising the methods of field conservation
of archaeological finds with the use
of models.
Practical classes. Taught by S. Burshneva
The course was extremely important for
training experts for work in field conditions
(both restorers and field archaeologists).
The correct removal, fixation and
transporting of archaeological finds to the
restoration workshops ensures the preservation
of the objects and yields the most information
in order to make them useful for
research.
The Hermitage Laboratory for Scientific
Restoration of Graphic Works held a special
training programme on Restoration of Rare
Books and Library and Archival Materials
as part of the Hermitage Restoration School
Programme.
The plans for the years 2011–2015 include
more training sessions on the most in-demand
topics for the restorers of the Sverdlovsk
Local History Museum and other
museums of the Urals and Siberia, as well as
teaching master classes for experts who have
already undergone training within the Hermitage
Restoration School Programme.
Two training sessions are planned for 2011:
one on the restoration of graphic works
(Second World War Posters) and one on the
restoration of leather.
puBlicaTionS
J puBlicaTionS of 2010
collecTion caTalogueS
Persian Manuscripts, Paintings and
Drawings of the 15th to Early 20th Centuries.
Catalogue of the Collection. By Adel Adamova.
The State Hermitage. St. Petersburg: The State
Hermitage Publishers, 2010. – 512 pp., ills.
For the first time, the catalogue presents the
entire collection (over 400 works) of Persian illustrated
and illuminated manuscripts, miniatures
and drawings on separate leaves, painted
lacquers and paintings in oil on canvas, preserved
in the State Hermitage Museum. Most
of the works in the catalogue are published for
the first time. The book opens with a history of
Persian painting and drawing in Iran from the
14th to early 20th centuries. The major part of
the catalogue is 296 descriptions (184 playing
cards are described in one and the same catalogue
entry), which contains complete information
about the works, interpretation of the
plots, attribution and dating.
Tibetan Painting (Tangka) from the Collection
of Yuri Roerich (Stored in the State Hermitage
Museum). By Yulia Yelikhina. St. Petersburg:
GAMAS, 2010. – 128 pp., ills.
Yuri Roerich (1902–1960) was an outstanding
orientalist and collector of Oriental art. His
collection was divided into several portions,
one of which is represented in the catalogue.
Tibetan paintings (tangka), distemper paints
on cloth scrolls, datable between the 17th and
early 20th centuries, are outstanding specimens
of Tibetan Buddhist art. The catalogue
includes 44 works.
Museo Statale Ermitage. La pintura Italiana
del Seicento. Catalogo della Collezione.
Ermitage • Italia. Milanо: Skira, 2010. –
270 pp., ills.
The catalogue of the Hermitage collection of
seventeenth-century Italian art discusses the
acquisition of works by famous Italian artists
active in the 17th century and analyzes their
artistic qualities.
caTalogueS of Temporary
exhiBiTionS
“The Wind in the Pines…” 5,000 Years
of Korean Art. From the National Museum
of Korea. Exhibition Catalogue. The State
Hermitage. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
Publishers, 2010. – 304 pp., ills.
The catalogue, addressed to those interested
in Far Eastern art, demonstrates the works
of the National Museum of Korea shown for
the first time in Russia. It is a panorama of
the history of Korean art, from the Neolith to
the present day, exemplified by outstanding
works in different techniques and materials,
some of which having the status of national
treasure.
A Romantic View. Dutch and Belgian Paintings
of the 19th Century from the Rademakers
Collection. Exhibition Catalogue. The State
Hermitage. St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage
Publishers, 2010. – 208 pp., ills.
On the basis of works, different in genre and
style, the catalogue of nineteenth-century Belgian
and Dutch paintings demonstrates specificities
of the art of the two countries.
The Hoard of Mrs. Likhachyova. Exhibition
Catalogue. The State Hermitage. St. Petersburg:
The State Hermitage Publishers, 2010. –
208 pp., ills.
The catalogue shows the hoard discovered in
1978, which is a complex of objects of applied
arts created in the 19th and early 20th centuries
by leading silversmiths of St. Petersburg
and Moscow, as well as some Western European
masters. The silver of the well-to-do family
of St. Petersburg industrialists shows the main
trends in the art of the time, giving an idea
of the tastes of the metropolitan bourgeoisie.
The catalogue gives some unique details concerning
the Hermitage restorers’ work on the
objects of precious metals and organic materials,
which make up the hoard.
“Since Tobacco You Love So Much”.
Exhibition Catalogue. The State Hermitage.
St. Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers,
2010. – 184 pp., ills.
The volume includes objects of applied arts,
different in shape and decor, used by Europeans
in the 17th – 20th centuries, which have
become part of the life of many generations
and of the many-centuries tobacco culture of
Europe, e.g. snuffboxes, also used as valuable
gifts, graters for tobacco leaves, pipes, and various
tobacco containers, such as tobacco boxes
and pouches, cigarette cases, etc.
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