The State Hermitage Museum: Exhibitions

Easter Egg with a View of St Petersburg

Porcelain, polychrome overglaze painting, gilding, selective polishing and matting, moulding

Height: 9.5 cm

On one side a rectangular (oval) frame with serrated ornament contains a view of the Admiralty and Palace Square with the Alexander Column. Above and below moulded ornament runs around the egg in the form of flowers made of glazed white porcelain.

On the other side an engraved inscription on a gold background proclaims "A View of Admiralty Square".

This Easter egg features one of the most attractive architectural ensembles in St Petersburg. On the left we see the building of the Admiralty, first erected under Peter the Great and reconstructed in 1806-23 by the architect Andrian Zakharov. Beyond the Admiralty complex stands the Winter Palace - the imperial residence constructed in the middle of the 18th century by the Italian-born architect Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli. On the right is the Alexander Column - a monument to mark Russia’s victory over Napoleon erected to the design of the architect Auguste Montferrand in 1834. The painting was based on an engraving - this architectural ensemble in the city was often recorded in paintings and prints.