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Collectors in St.Petersburg
7 October 2006 - 11 March 2007
When Peter the Great founded St Petersburg in 1703, he ordered the wealthiest
families to build palaces there. The impressive residences of the Orlovs,
Shuvalovs, the Sheremetevs, the Yusupovs and the Stroganovs were soon
built. Gradually these great houses were filled with works of art. Peter
the Great opened his Kunstkamera in 1718 and displayed exotica from all
over the world, including the renowned 17th-century of anatomical specimens
assembled by the Dutchman Frederik Ruysch. Peter's daughter Empress Elizabeth
Petrovna continued his collecting policy and on her own death St Petersburg
had eight imperial painting galleries, two national galleries and twelve
important private collections. From1762 her daughter-in-law Catherine
the Great added hundreds of thousands of objects from European collections
to the imperial collection. Through her, the Russian nobility were encouraged
to actively collect art. In the second half of the 18th century, the city
had no less than fifty significant private collections. Many of these
ultimately ended up in the Hermitage. This sixth exhibition in Amsterdam
introduces four of these remarkable private collections in St Petersburg,
each with its own story and background.
Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov (1751-1831)
The Yusupovs are one of the best known noble families of Russia. Nikolai
Borisovich became the first and greatest collector in the family. His
collection was a direct result of his travels in Western Europe and the
time he spent in Italy as a diplomat. His collection took in a great deal
of French 18th century art. A selection of these works (by Claude Joseph
Vernet, Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Hubert Robert and Francois Boucher) can
be seen in Amsterdam. After the 1917 Revolution, the collection, consisting
of over 45,000 works of art, was divided between several Russian museums.
Dimitri Tatishchev (1767-1845)
This former bugle player in the Imperial Cavalry had a highly successful
diplomatic career, partly because he was related to influential noble
families. He represented Russia in Istanbul and Vienna. The exhibition
in Amsterdam reflects the love of this passionate collector for Spanish
and Italian art., with works by Luis de Morales, Juan de Castillo, Murillo
(circle of) and a copy of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.
Authenticity was often not the prime concern of collectors. Contemporary
painting was almost entirely missing from his collection. He bequeathed
his collection to Tsar Nicholas I. Of the185 paintings, 60 went to the
Kremlin in Moscow; the rest came into the Hermitage collection.
Prince Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov (1798-1883)
The Gorchakovs were descended from the first tsars and related to all
the important noble families of Russia. Alexander Gorchakov was Minister
of Foreign Affairs under Tsar Alexander II, who owed much of his success
abroad to him. Painting was the minister's great passion. He concentrated
on contemporary painting from Belgium and the Netherlands of the 19th
century. The Hermitage Amsterdam presents a selection of paintings by
these often unknown Belgian artists (Eurgene de Block, Theodore Fourmois,
Nicaise de Keyser, Joseph Stevens, Louis Gallait and Florent Willems).
Count Nikolai Alexandrovich Kushelev-Bezborodko (1834-1862)
Count Nilolai built a splendid palace in St Petersburg and assembled an
extensive art collection. He had a particular liking for the French Romantic
painters of the day. The exhibition shows work by Delacroix, Boulanger,
Bouguereau, Vernet and Rousseau. In1862 he left his 275 paintings to the
Academy of Fine Arts, so that they would "form a gallery that will
be permanently open to artists and the public." Other private collections
were later added to this. Much of the collection was later transferred
to the Hermitage.
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Head of a Young Girl
Francois Boucher
Larger view
Arrest. Scene from Musketeers' Life
Florent Willems
Larger view
Fire
Hubert Robert
Larger view
Portrait of Charles II as a Child
Sebastian de Herrera Barnuevo
Larger view
Angel of Death
Horace Vernet
Larger view
Moroccan Sadding his Horse
Eugene Delacroix
Larger view
Portrait of Duke A.M. Gorchakov's Sons
Nicaise de Keyser
Larger view
Ruins near the Mouth of a River
Claude Joseph Vernet
Larger view
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