1781: Purchase of Count Baudouin's collection

The collection of Count F. Baudouin arrived in the Hermitage in 1781 through the mediation of Melchior Grimm. For over 20 years Grimm worked as Catherine's agent, acquiring art for her in Paris. He initially recommended the Baudouin collection to the Empress, stressing that it was well known to Russians coming to Paris. With 199 paintings, mainly form the Dutch and Flemish schools, this was Catherine's last major acquisition of a whole collection for the Hermitage. The picture gallery gained nine works by Rembrandt (Portrait of the Poet Jeremias de Decker, Portrait of an Old Woman, Portrait of an Old Man) and paintings by Anthony van Dyck, Adriaen van Ostade and Salomon van Ruysdael.

Portrait of the Poet Jeremias de Decker
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn
Image in the Digital collection

Young Woman with Earrings
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn
Image in the Digital collection

Peasant Cottages in Dunes
Ruisdael, Jacob Isaaksz van
Image in the Digital collection