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Re-opening of the Van Dyck Room following restoration work On 7 December 2004, St Catherine's Day, the Van Dyck Room re-opened following restoration work. It is one of the principal public rooms of the New Hermitage, which was designed by architect Leo von Klenze (1784-1864) to be an imperial museum. In the architect's plan for the building this was intended to be the Antechamber and originally it was used to exhibit paintings by artists of the Russian School. The walls are faced in artificial marble and the room decoration includes bas relief portraits of Russian artists, sculptors and architects of the 19th century. In the center of the ceiling, which is covered with ornamental paintings, there is a painted inset with the coat of arms of the Russian Empire that was done by academician P. M. Shamshin and is framed by depictions of the muses, personifying the main Russian cities. In the postwar years a chandelier was set into this ceiling painting, destroying the integrity of its composition The repair and reconstruction work began in the spring of 2004 and led to the complete restoration of the room to the way it looked in the 1885 watercolor paintings of Edward Hau and period photographs from the last quarter of the 19th century: cosmetic repairs were carried out, the pigments of the wall colorings have been recreated, and the hall has been given a new and modern lighting system. Following the restoration visitors can once again see the painted ceiling in its original form. Ever since 1939 this hall has been used to display paintings by Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641). The State Hermitage collection has 24 works by the great Flemish artist, principally portraits, which were the source of his worldwide reputation. Among the first quality works by the painter in the Hermitage collection are Family Portrait (1618), Portrait of a Young Woman with a Child (1618), and his Self Portrait (1622 - 1623). Among his best compositions on historical or religious subjects is the Madonna with Partridges (Rest on the Flight into Egypt, 1628). Now these works can once again assume their place in the museum's permanent exhibition. The repair and restoration work was carried out by the State Hermitage's Special Restoration Studios. The team of art restorers included V.G. Korban, I.A. Khomchenko and V.A. Glazkov. The overall direction was provided by staff from the Division of the History and Restoration of Architectural Monuments: V.P. Lukin, director; V.V. Efimov, deputy director; and M.E. Ilyin, curator. |
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Copyright © 2006 State Hermitage Museum |
