One man was not too lazy and considered that it took 8 years to completely go around the entire Hermitage, while devoting only one minute to visiting one exhibit. Therefore, going for some aesthetic impressions to this museum of our country, be sure to stock up on a lot of time, as well as the corresponding mood. In this article, we will consider the most important masterpieces of the Hermitage that everyone who visits this museum should see.
general information
The Hermitage Museum is a collection of 5 tasks that were built at different times and by different architects for completely different purposes. Consistently, these buildings are interconnected, but visually they have differences in the shade of their facades. For example, the Winter Palace is a creation of Bartolomeo Rastrelli, which was created by order of the Empress Elizabeth herself. After that comes the Small Hermitage.
Following it, the museum includes enfilades of the halls of the old Hermitage. They flow smoothly into the building of the new Hermitage, designed by a European architect by the name of Leo von Klenze to accommodate an art collection growing at a tremendous pace. The whole of this complex of museums is the theater.
For the convenience of tourists, all the masterpieces of the Hermitage that are obligatory for viewing on the museum plan are marked with pictures and arrows. This is the traditional route of most guides. So, let's take a closer look at the most famous Hermitage masterpieces that you should see.
Jordan stairs
As a rule, all excursion routes in the main building of the museum begin with a visit to the Jordanian staircase, which is also called the embassy. It was on this staircase that all the distinguished guests and envoys of foreign powers walked. If you don’t know what to see in the Hermitage, then you definitely won’t miss this staircase, because it is decorated with white-gold marble, which is simply impossible not to notice. This staircase is bifurcated, the path to the front rooms goes forward, and if you turn left, you can get into the field marshal’s hall.
All the ceremonial halls that stretch along the Neva look slightly deserted and are currently used to host temporary exhibitions there. On the left side begins another suite of ceremonial halls, which abut against the throne room. In contrast to the front staircase, he looks rather modest.
Pazyryk Mound
So what to see in the Hermitage if you are here for the first time? If you go down the October stairs to the first floor, you will find yourself in a room dedicated to the art of the inhabitants of ancient Asia, that is, Scythians. This hall is presented at number 26, it well preserved things from organic materials that were found during excavations of the royal necropolis located in the Altai Mountains.
It is this necropolis that is called the Pazyryk Mound. Its culture belongs to the third century BC, which is the era of the early Iron Age. The things that were found in this mound are still preserved in good condition, due to special climatic conditions.
Gallery of portraits of the Romanov dynasty
A tour of the Hermitage does not take place without visiting the gallery of portraits of the Romanov dynasty. If you take a walk around this place, you can fill in all your gaps in knowledge about what the Romanov dynasty was, which ruled the Russian Empire from the 17th century. This story is presented in the form of paintings, which depict to know.
Madonna Leonardo da Vinci
But what is worth seeing without fail, visiting the large Hermitage? Of course, you should definitely admire the painting. Leonardo da Vinci's painting "Madonna Litta" is a huge wealth. This outstanding artist, inventor, humanist, scientist, architect, writer and genius is a kind of cornerstone of absolutely all art belonging to the European Renaissance. It was Leonardo da Vinci who first established the tradition of oil painting.
Before that, mixtures of natural pigments, as well as egg yolk, were used to paint pictures. Leonardo da Vinci was also the first to use the triangular composition of the painting, where Madonna and the baby are embedded, as well as the Angels and Saints surrounding them. Be sure to pay attention to the doors of the hall in which the picture is exhibited. They are decorated with gilded metal details, as well as tortoise shell.
Raphael Loggias in the Hermitage
The entire Hermitage Gallery is a copy of that gallery, which was located in the palace of the Pope. This gallery was painted by Raphael's students according to his sketches. The gallery was reproduced in Petersburg at the request of Catherine II. On the front wall of this gallery, Catherine asked to place a portrait of Raphael. In this room, the walls are painted with unusual ornaments, to which the artist was inspired by murals from ancient times, called Gracecs.
Rembrandt Hall
What else do tour guides show tourists by giving them a tour of the country's main museum? One such place is the Rembrandt Hall in the Hermitage. Nobody will pass by him. One of the latest and most popular paintings by Rembrandt is the painting of the Prodigal Son. It is indicated on absolutely all guidebooks and plans. This work is like a Parisian Gioconda in the Louvre. Huge crowds of tourists always gather near it. The picture is very glare, so you can only see it well if you raise your head, or stand on the platform of the Soviet stairs.
Netherlands painting
Not only Italian painting gained great popularity in the Renaissance. The museum houses a collection of Dutch paintings from the 16-17th centuries. The usual way, passing from the throne room, goes straight to the peacock clock, which is located near the gallery of applied art of the Middle Ages. If you turn right, walk a little, you can admire the collection of Dutch painting. For example, here is the altar image of Jeanne Belhamba, which is dedicated to the Annunciation.
Previously, he was in the possession of the church, but he was able to reach the full force to this day. In the center near the Archangel Gabriel, who brought the good news of Mary, Dannottar is shown, who is the customer of this apartment, which was a rather bold step for Dutch painting of that time. The central region is depicted as if in perspective, the Annunciation scene itself is in the foreground, and behind it is the Virgin Mary, who sews diapers, waiting for the baby to be born.
Mummy
Petersburg is the world record holder for the number of mummified corpses. The most famous mummy is the body of a priest from Ancient Egypt, Pas di isth. This exhibit is located in the Egyptian hall, lying under a special case made of glass. This is due to the fact that air cannot be allowed under the dome. A whole legend is associated with this mummy. One inspector of the Egyptian hall said that some time before the new moon, in the spring of 2004, a muscle twitched on the left shoulder of the mummy.
After a couple of days, a walnut-sized outgrowth formed in the same place, moving down and up on the arm. A week later, these unusual phenomena stopped, and the tumor disappeared from the body of the mummy on its own. Until now, no one knows whether this is true or false. This mummy is far from the only dead in the Hermitage. There are at least 5 of them in this museum.
Watches "Peacock"
The Peacock watch, which was mentioned above, is an excellent mechanical invention, invented by Frederick Urey and James Cox. This watch came to the territory of Russia thanks to Potemkin, who purchased it as a gift to Catherine II. The empress’s favorite, unfortunately, didn’t find out whether the Empress’s gift was to her taste, as Potemkin died before the time she was delivered to her. Initially, the watch was in the Tauride Palace, and after that it was moved to the Winter Palace, where it is still located.
Twice they were repaired by the famous Kulibin, as some parts were damaged during transportation. However, in general, these unique mechanisms have survived to our times without any changes. Watches are the only known major mechanical device of the 18th century, which to this day still works without failing.
Portico with Atlantes, Terebenevskaya Stairs
The main entrance of the new Hermitage is equipped with a staircase that rises from the entrance to the museum from Millionnaya Street, and the porch is decorated with 10 atlantes of gray granite. They were made under the guidance of the famous Russian sculptor Terebenev, whence came the name of the stairs. Once upon a time, the routes of the first tourists of the museum began with this porch. There is one tradition: in order to return to the museum again, as well as gain good luck, each visitor must rub the heel of some Atlanta.
Sneijders' benches
A large-format canvas, painted by a Dutch artist, depicts meat, fish and fruit shops in colorful, juicy details. This canvas was intended to decorate the dining room in the palace of the bishop, who ordered the artist to write this work. Ignoring the fact that Snyder wrote in the style of a still life of “dead nature”, on this masterpiece he presented a flourishing, vibrant world, as well as people who served only as scenery for the image, delighting their eyes and stomach with counters with tempting and mouth-watering vegetables, game and fish.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that this, of course, is far from all the exhibits and masterpieces of the Hermitage, which are worth seeing, having been here. As mentioned earlier, a huge amount of time will be required to get acquainted with all the works stored in the Hermitage.