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Presentation of New Exposition Items On 7 December 2007, on St. Catherine's Day in the Armorial Hall an exhibition of gifts made to the State Hermitage Museum for the past year was held. One of the most important gifts during 2007 which were bequeathed to the State Hermitage Museum by the late Prince Nikolai Orlov (1893-1961), the great grandson of Catherine the Great's grandee Feodor Orlov (1741-1796). Following the October Revolution, Prince Orlov emigrated to France and until 1940 lived in Paris; in 1940 he moved to the United States of America and settled in New York: from whence the heirlooms of the Orlov family have been brought back. The heirlooms consist of two letters patent and two porcelain vases. The letters patent, given on 5 January 1765 to Ivan Grigorievich (1738-1791), the eldest of the Orlov brothers, testifies to his promotion as Count; in the second letters patent, dated to 11 December 1775 to Count Alexei Grigorievich Orlov (1737-1808), Empress Catherine the Great confirms the endowment to him of 4,000 serfs, with which Count Orlov was rewarded for his victory over the Turkish navy, in the famous Battle of Chesma on 26 June 1770. Both letters were signed by Catherine the Great in her own hand; they feature a magnificent decorative finish and hanging wax seals, placed in a silver casket with the emblems of the Russian Empire embossed on the lid. One of these letters is adorned with a superb watercolour portrait of Catherine the Great and a depiction of the coat of arms of Count Ivan Orlov. The vases are part of the inheritance of Prince N.V. Orlov and are in the shape of monumental kraters with a height of 80 cm and, doubtless, are among the best examples produced by the Imperial Porcelain Factory during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I. Both are adorned with polychrome reliefs, executed by N. Kornilov, an artist of the Imperial Porcelain Factory from the originals of A.I. Zauerveid; on one there is a depiction of a typical rank of men from the Cavalry Lifeguards Regiment, on the second, officers of Hussar Lifeguard Regiment. The full factory markings have survived on the first vase, dated 1831 while on the second one, only the first three numbers are visible '183...'. The presents which have been bequeathed by Nikolai Orlov, the two letters of patent and two vases are on display in the Armorial Hall, and are new additions to the Department of Russian Culture of the State Hermitage Museum. The 'Sword-aņinaņes' (created by Asya Eutykh, 2003, made from gold Damascene steel, 76 cm and weighing 2 kg) given to the State Hermitage Museum by the Chairman of the Federative Council of the Federative Assembly of the Russian Federation S.M. Mironov. In autumn 2007, the State Hermitage Museum held a very successful exhibition Mirrored Traditions: Works by the Jeweller Asya Eutykh from Museum and Private Collections (Republic of Adygea) as part of the celebratory programme commemorating the 450th anniversary of Adygea's and Kabardino-Balkaria voluntarily deciding to become part of Russia. Asya Eutykh is a master metal worker, jeweler and armourer. She is a member of the Artist's Union and a National Artist of the Republic of Adygea. She uses various techniques in her working of valuable metals and finishing sword blades. Using archaeological sources from north west Caucasus, Asya Eutykh has recreated ancient methods for working with bronze and bronze casting. She not only works using contemporary styles but also places a large emphasis on decorative elements and ornamental motives, characteristic of ancient and mediaeval cultures from the Caucasus and the Near East, and, first and foremost, Circassian decorative applied art. |
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