Exhibits
Restoration of paintings
by 17th-century Dutch masters
In 2005 the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Easel Paintings
completed restoration of Emanuel de Witte's painting of a Square
in an Italian City (1664), Lambert Domer's (1622/23-1700) painting
Landscape with a Tower and House in the Wood (1646) by Jacob
van Ruisdael.
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A new method of
processing exhibit items. Display cases with mechanically stabilized
climate
The Laboratory for Biological Monitoring (Liudmila Slavoshevskaya, director)
has introduced a non-destructive method of processing exhibit items
infested with insects in a deep-freezer chamber. Various exhibitions
in museums make use of various models of installations for stabilizing
microclimate. In Russia mechanical stabilization in display cases is
being applied for the first time.
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Restoration of a
musical automaton with a clock by G. Torekler
In the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Clocks and Musical Mechanisms,
restoration was carried out on a musical clock by Roentgen and Kinzing
- a grandfather clock made for Louis XVI in the 1780s in Neuwied, Germany,
and a musical automaton with a clock by G. Torekler.
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Restoration of the
tapestry The Calvary
In 2005 the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Textiles restoration
work was carried out on the tapestry The Calvary (France, late
15th - early 16th centuries.
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Second restoration
of the wall painting of Bodhisattva Manjushri with a Retinue from the
cave monastery of Bezeklik
In 2005 the State Hermitage's Laboratory for Scientific Restoration
of Monumental Painting performed a whole complex of restoration work
on the 11th-century painting of Bodhisattva Manjushri with a Retinue
from the cave monastery of Bezeklik (Eastern Turkestan)
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Restoration of Jacob
Xavery's graphic work The Parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard
In 2005 the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Works of Graphic
Art completed a unique restoration of Jacob Xaverius's (1736-1769) Parable
of the Labourers in the Vineyard.
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Restoration of the
painting by Jacopo del Sellaio Sts Francis and Jerome Kneeling Before
the Dead Christ and the Russian icon The Theophany
In 2005 the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Tempera Painting
completed restoration of a painting by the Italian artist Jacopo del
Sellaio, Sts Francis and Jerome Kneeling Before the Dead Christ,
a work of the 15th-century Florentine school (Igor Permyakov, art restorer)
and of the Russian icon The Theophany, dating from the 17th century,
from the Northern school of icon painting (Svetlana Osipova, art restorer).
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Restoration of the
Vajravarahi icon from the Khara-Khoto collection of paintings
(12th-14th centuries)
In 2005 the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Oriental Painting
completed the restoration of the Vajravarahi icon from the Khara-Khoto
collection of paintings (12th-14th centuries). Restoration work was
performed by the staff members of the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration
of Oriental Painting including the laboratory director, art restorer
of the highest category Yelena Shishkova, and art restorer of the second
category Karina Kashina.
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Restoration of the
fresco The Virgin Hodegetria and Child (14th century)
Chersonesus Museum-Reserve, Ukraine
In April 2005 art restorers of the State Hermitage's Laboratory for
Scientific Restoration of Monumental Painting Yelena Stepanova and Artem
Stepanov were sent to Chersonesus (Crimea) to continue the restoration
work as creative assistance to the Chersonesus Museum-Reserve. As a
result, the fresco took on solidity, wholeness and an appearance suitable
for public showing.
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Alarm-clock
In 2004 the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Clocks and Musical
Mechanisms directed by M.P. Guryev carried out the restoration of an
alarm clock of German manufacture dating from the late 17th - early
18th century. The alarm clock is a rare example of a "firing"
clock, with mechanism that acts as a timer and marks the hours by firing.
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Restoration of ceramics
from the archaeological complex at Doghee-Baary II
Investigation of the burial ground at Doghee-Baary II, located 8 km
from the city of Kyzyl in Siberia, has been going on since 1989. In
the barrows of the southern part of the burial ground, dating from the
3rd-1st centuries B.C., objects which are typical of Late Scythian artifacts
of Tuva and Hunnish culture have been found. In 2004, the Laboratory
for Scientific Restoration of Works of Applied Art led by A.I. Bantikov
received 425 fragments of ceramics from an excavation. At the end of
the restoration work, these yielded three vessels of exhibition quality
as well as parts of six other vessels which remained incomplete.
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Restoration of two
lids of Chinese vases topped by the figures of lions
In the spring of 2004 the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Works
of Applied Art (A.I. Bantikov, director) restored two lids of Chinese
vases topped by the figures of lions. The vases were going to be put
on exhibition in Novgorod the Great, but when they were received at
the Sector of Restoration of Porcelain, Ceramics and Glass, they were
not in condition to be displayed.
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The "Sochi
Treasure" Programme
In 2004, the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Works of Applied
Art (A.I. Bantikov, director) carried out the restoration of unique
silver objects from the so-called "Sochi Treasure". This work
was the first stage in the joint programme between the State Hermitage
and the State Art Museum of the city of Sochi which includes full-scale
restoration of exhibits, their publication and preparation for public
showing.
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Restoration of an
Iranian dish from the 15th century
In January 2004, in connection with preparations for the exhibition
Iran in the Hermitage. The Formation of Collections, the Laboratory
for Scientific Restoration of Works of Applied Art received a unique
Iranian dish from the collection of the Oriental Department of the State
Hermitage. At the present time, we know of only one other dish with
ornamentation similar to this one and it is in the Metropolitan Museum
in New York. The article comes from the Daghestan settlement of Kubachi,
which is known for the large quantity of works of applied art kept in
the homes of local residents.
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18th-century Iranian
shield. The specific features of its manufacture, conservation and restoration
This 18th-century painted shield from Iran is one of the most interesting
examples of ceremonial shields in the collection of the State Hermitage.
The shield is made of thick buffalo hide (0.6 cm) and is decorated with
painting traced in gold. The central umbo and brackets are made of silver
with a gold amalgam. When it was brought in to the Laboratory for Scientific
Restoration of Works of Applied Art Made from Organic Materials (T.A.
Baranova, director) in 2004, the item was in a deplorable state and
required immediate work to strengthen the pigment layer.
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Conservation of
works of graphic art from the Museum of Porcelain Department
The most significant and interesting work carried out by the Laboratory
for Scientific Restoration of Works of Graphic Art (V.A. Kozyreva, director)
in 2004 was the multifaceted study and restoration of a previously unknown
collection of drawings in the Museum of Porcelain Department for display
in the exhibition on The Imperial Glass Factory. 1777-1917 (State
Hermitage) and the exhibition Circling the Square in the Hermitage
Rooms, Somerset House (London, U.K.).
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Restoration of tanka
icons from the collection of Tibetan painting of the Oriental Department
In 2003 the staff in the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Oriental
Painting (Ye.G. Shishkova, director) carried out multifaceted restoration
work to preserve tanka icons belonging to the collection of Tibetan
painting in the Oriental Department, which has more than 1000 icons.
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Restoration work
performed by the Museum of Porcelain
In December 2003 the Museum of Porcelain was opened in a festive ceremony.
It was created on the basis of the factory collection of the Lomonosov
Porcelain Factory, formerly the Imperial Porcelain Factory. Ľany of
the exhibits in the museum were not previously on display and had not
been restored. Therefore the restorers were confronted with the task
of preparing the works for public showing. The restoration work was
carried out at the factory by specialists from the Laboratory for Scientific
Restoration of Works of Applied Art (A.I. Bantikov, director).
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Restoration of Chinese
popular prints - nianhua
For the exhibition of "Chinese Nianhua Popular Prints"
in 2003 the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Graphic Works (V.A.
Kozyreva, director) prepared 205 pieces. Chinese popular prints were
either made on fine Chinese paper in the technique of xylography then
tinted by hand with aniline dyes, gouache and whitewash or printed in
colour.
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Restoration of Western
European pastels dating from the 16th-20th centuries
The opening of the exhibition Pastels by Western European Artists
of the 16th- 20th Centuries in the Hermitage Collection in 2003
was preceded by a great deal of work by art restorers in the Laboratory
for Scientific Restoration of Graphic Works (V.A. Kozyreva, director).
The pastels were made on various foundation materials including paper,
parchment, canvas and paper mounted on canvas. Each required an individual
approach and unique method or restoration.
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Restoration of the
Monk Nitiren sculpture. Japan, 17th century
In 2003 the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Works of Applied
Art Made of Organic Materials (T.A. Baranova, director) performed restoration
work on a sculpture of the monk Nitiren (Japan, 17th century). As a
result of this work, the original decoration of the piece was uncovered
revealing remarkable elegance of line and brilliant color.
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Restoration of the
costume on the wax figure of Peter the Great
The wax figure of Peter the Great is a unique artifact of the Petrine
era. It was created by the well-known sculptor Bartolomeo Carlo Rastrelli
after the Tsar's death in 1725. The sculpture was made out of wood and
wax and then dressed in clothing made to order for Peter in 1724. In
1996 the condition of the costume required that a whole complex of restoration
work be carried out and this was done in the State Hermitage's Laboratory
for Scientific Restoration of Textiles (M.V. Denisova, director) by
2003.
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Restoration of prints
for the "Parmigianino across the Centuries and the Arts"
exhibition
In 2003 the staff of the Laboratory for the Scientific Restoration of
Graphic Works (headed by V.A. Kozyreva) carried out a large amount of
work to prepare the exhibition to mark the 500th anniversary of the
birth of
Francesco Parmigianino.
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Restoration and
reconstruction of the Arzhan-2 complex of artefacts
Investigation of the Arzhan-2 mound was the result of implementation
of a joint Russo-German research project. The excavations were carried
out by the Central Asian Archaeological Expedition under the leadership
of K.V. Chugunov. The unique finds of archeologists were turned over
to the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Works of Applied Art
(A.I. Bantikov, director). In 2003 the reconstruction of an archeological
monument of such scale was carried out in the museum for the first time.
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Restoration of the
Arakcheyev Clock
One of the most interesting jobs carried out by the Laboratory for the
Scientific Restoration of Clocks and Musical Mechanisms (M.P. Guryev,
director) was the restoration of the timepiece known as the Arakcheyev
Clock in 2003.
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Restoration of the
Clio and Urania mantel-clock by Jean-André Le Paute
In the year 2002 several remarkable clocks that had been restored in
the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Clocks and Musical Instruments
(headed by M.P. Guryev) found their place in the Hermitage's displays.
A special place among them is occupied by a mantel-clock created by
Jean-Andre Le Paute (1720-1788), clockmaker to King Louis XVI of France.
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Restoration of letters
patent and archive documents
The Department of the History of Russian Culture has charge of a unique
collection of letters patent and archive documents from the late 18th
and early 19th centuries. For a long time work with the collection was
rendered difficult by the poor state of preservation of the documents.
In 2002 the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Graphic Works (V.A.
Kozyreva, director) successfully applied a method of humidifying and
straightening out parchment. Each exhibit was placed in a special mount
made of acid-free museum cardboard. Now the documents have been protected
insofar as possible from negative factors.
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Restoration of a
series of portrait miniatures from the late 18th and 19th centuries
In preparation for the exhibition of the Collection of G.D. Dushin,
the restoration artists of the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration
of Works of Graphic Works (V.A. Kozyreva, director) worked during 2002
on a large series of portrait miniatures from the late 18th and 19th
centuries. The miniatures were executed on sheets of ivory using watercolour
and gouache by the noted artists I.A. Vinberg, K.F. Edlinger, V.M. Vankovich,
F. Kronewetter and L.I. Solovyov, as well as a number of unknown artists.
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Restoration of paintings
for the exhibition "Dreams of the Gothic and Renaissance. Sienese
painting from the 14th century to the first half of the 16th"
In 2002 the staff of the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Tempera
Painting (headed by T.D. Chizhova) carried out a large amount of work
to prepare paintings for the exhibition of Sienese painting from the
14th century to the first half of the 16th.
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Restoration of the
paintings from the War Gallery of 1812
In the years 2001-03 in connection with the reconstruction of the War
Gallery of 1812, the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Easel
Painting (headed by R.T. Grunina) carried out a unique project. The
aim was to restore the 329 portraits created for the gallery by George
Dawe, Franz Kruger, Johann Peter Krafft and two artists from Dawe's
studio - Alexander Poliakov and Vasily (Wilhelm) Golicke.
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Restoration of the
Great Imperial Throne
The year 2002 saw the completion of the programme for the restoration
of the Great Imperial Throne created in 1731 for Empress Anna Ioannovna
by the British craftsman Nicholas Klausen.
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The Hermitage tapestry
Assumption, Burial and Coronation from the Life of the Virginseries
undergoes restoration at De Wit Royal Manufacturers of Tapestry in Mechelen,
Belgium
In conjunction with the Metropolitan Museum, New York and De Wit Royal
Manufacturers of Tapestry, Mechelen, Belgium, the State Hermitage has
implemented an international programme to restore a tapestry from the
Hermitage collection. This tapestry, indeed the entire series, is an
adornment to the Hermitage collection, not only because of its high
artistic quality, but also for its history. The four tapestries making
up the Life of the Virgin Mary series, woven in the early 16th
century for Jacques d'Amboise, Bishop of Clermont, belonged in the 19th
century to the collections of Alexander Bazilewsky and Prince Grigory
Gagarin, and were reunited after their acquisition by the Imperial Hermitage
in 1885-87.
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The restoration
of stained glass from the Marienkirche
in Frankfurt an der Oder
During 2001-2002 the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Works
of Applied Art (A.I. Bantikov, director) restored 15 of 111 14th-century
panels that made up three stained-glass windows in the Marienkirche
(Church of the Virgin Mary) in Frankfurt an der Oder. Six centuries
of pernicious atmospheric conditions, vandalism and war took their toll
on the stained glass. In 1943 the panels were removed from the windows
by the Germans to save them from bomb damage. They were placed first
in the church itself and later in storage in Potsdam. From there they
were removed to the Soviet Union and given for keeping to the Hermitage
where they remained from 1946 to 2002. When they came into the museum,
all the damage to the glass and lead was recorded.
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The Restoration
of Titian's painting The Flight into Egypt
This work, painted in the early 1500s, came into the Hermitage between
1763 and 1774. In the second half of the 19th century it was moved to
the Gatchina palace, from where it returned to the Hermitage in 1924.
Ever since 1999 the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Easel Oil
Paintings (R.T. Grunina, director) has been carrying out a complex restoration
of this canvas. In 2001 a set of measures was completed whereby the
lacquer film on the entire surface of the painting was thinned and evened
out, while later additions from various periods which lay on the surface
or in the upper strata of the lacquer coating were removed.
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Rooms and Halls
Restoration of the
rooms of French art in the Winter Palace
In May 2005, one of the largest scale projects begun in 2004 was completed:
the multifaceted restoration of rooms of French art of the 16th-18th
and 19th-20th centuries located in the Winter Palace. The State Hermitage
implemented this project with financial support from the French financial
institutions Credit Agricole S.A. and Caisse des dépôts
et consignations.
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Restoration of the
Gallery of Ancient Painting
On 7 December 2005, the Gallery of Ancient Painting was reopened to
the public following restoration work. This has one of the most beautiful
interiors in the New Hermitage.
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Restoration of the
Corner Room
In 2005 a full range of repair and restoration work was carried out
in the Corner Room (248), which was designed by Leo von Klenze in the
mid-1840s.
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Room of Archaic
Art. Opening of a new permanent exhibition
In May 2005, there was the opening of a new permanent exhibition in
the Room of Archaic Art. Ever since 1997, the State Hermitage has been
carrying out a programme of reconstructing a permanent exhibition that
is to meet world standards of the today's museum while preserving the
unique artistic and historical features of the museum complex created
in the mid-19th century in the New Hermitage building.
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The Hall of Jupiter.
Opening of a new permanent exhibition
In 2005 the Hall of Jupiter reopened following restoration work. This
hall is one of the largest in the New Hermitage. It offers a modernized
exhibition on "The Art of Ancient Rome from the 1st to the 4th
Century".
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The Winter Palace.
Completion of Reconstruction of the Picket Room
On 9 December 2004, during the Hermitage Days, the Picket (New) Room
was opened to the public following reconstruction. The room opens onto
the Main Suite of state rooms of the Winter Palace. This is where the
exhibition devoted to the history of the Russian Army was located.
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Restoration of the
Twenty-Columned Hall in the New Hermitage
On 6 April 2004 one of the best-known halls of the New Hermitage - the
Twenty-Columned Hall (Hall of Greek and Etruscan Vases) - reopened following
reconstruction. The hall was created according to designs of the architect
Leo von Klenze (1784-1864) in the early 1850s in the form of an ancient
temple with columns made of grey granite. The walls of the hall and
the frieze and caissoned ceiling are covered with painting done in the
spirit of ancient ceramics. The mosaic floor is decorated with acanthus
and meander ornamentation.
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Restoration of the
Van Dyck Room in the New Hermitage
In 2004 the restoration of the Van Dyck Room was completed. The room,
originally an Antechamber, is in the New Hermitage, which was built
in 1852 according to the designs of Leo von Klenze (1784-1864). As a
result of the complex of restoration work in the room, the interior
was recreated as it existed in the final quarter of the 19th century
when the walls were painted crimson and the ceiling painting depicted
the coat of arms of the Russian Empire.
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Restoration of the
Hall of the Art of Archaic and Early Classical Period
Since 1997 the Hermitage has been engaged in a programme of restoration
for the rooms and halls of the New Hermitage. The aim of the programme
is to create displays that conform to present-day world standards for
a museum of ancient art.
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The Restoration
of the Throne Dais in the St. George Hall of the Winter Palace
The restoration of the Throne Dais represented a continuation of the
work to bring back the historical decoration of state rooms in the palace-and-museum
complex.
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Refurbishment of
the display in the halls of Dutch 17th-century painting
In December 2000 the refurbished display of Dutch 17th-century art was
reopened after the repair and restoration of four rooms in the New Hermitage.
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Restoration of the
floors of the Hermitage
The famous artistically patterned parquet floors of the State Hermitage,
created to designs by prominent 19th century architects, have now reached
a considerable age.Time, heavy wear and the poor state of the underlying
sub-floors have led to destruction of the parquet. Complete protection
is not provided even by modern "water-based" wear-resistant
coatings that are used in the rooms by a special museum service. Consequently
the "Hermitage Floors" programme was instituted for the restoration
of the parquet floors of the museum.
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Buildings
Restoration of the
façades of the Hermitage buildings
In accordance with the programme for the Restoration of the Facades
of the State Hermitage, each year scheduled work is carried out to renew
the façades of the buildings in the Hermitage architectural ensemble.
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Restoration of the
copper crown on the pediment of the central projection of the Winter
Palace façade
In June 2005, a crown was once again installed on the pediment of the
main projection of the Winter Palace facade. The state entrance to the
palace complex thus reacquired the festive appearance it had during
the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries.
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Reconstruction of
the Small Hermitage Power Supply Control Panel
The reconstruction of the power supply control panel is a logical continuation
of the multifaceted programme of technical modernization of engineering
networks and equipment in the State Hermitage that has been carried
out over the course of recent years.
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Inspection Work
on the Rafter Systems of the New Hermitage Building
In 2005 a four-year project of inspecting the rafter systems of the
New Hermitage building was completed. During the course of four years,
the Department of History and Restoration of Architectural Monuments
of the State Hermitage led by Valery Lukin, together with German engineers
and students, carried out a systematic inspection of metal rafter systems
in the New Hermitage building, which was constructed in 1842-45.
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The Winter Palace.
Restoration of the Balustrade Sculptures
Between August and the end of 2004, restoration work on sculptures was
carried out on the southern facade of the Winter Palace facing Palace
Square. Detailed research on the state of preservation of all the 177
sculptures revealed the presence of numerous defects. As a result it
was decided to do urgent restoration on 12 sculptures which were especially
in danger and a description of the restoration tasks was drawn up.
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The Winter Palace.
Reconstruction of the Elevator in the Coffee Service Stairway
Between January and May 2004, the Section of the Chief Mechanic and
subcontractors performed the work of dismantling the old electric elevator
with 320 kg capacity in the Coffee Service Stairway and installing a
new hydraulic passenger elevator with 480 kg capacity furnished by the
Italian company Daldoss Elevetronik S.p.a.
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Russian-Danish project
on energy saving and improving the climate in the premises of the State
Hermitage
On the basis of a Danish-Russian programme for energy saving dating
from 1996, the decision was taken to reconstruct the hot air heating
systems in the Winter Palace to economize on energy and improve the
climatic conditions in museum premises. At the time when the reconstruction
began there were in operation 16 thermal centres and 200 ducts in the
walls carrying heated air.
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Reconstruction and
opening of the Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace
On 27 May 2003, following reconstruction, the Great Courtyard of the
Winter Palace was opened together with the new entrance to the State
Hermitage from Palace Square.
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Restoration work
in the Menshikov Palace
The Menshikov Palace was the first monumental masonry building to be
constructed in St Petersburg. The palace, with grand lines, crowned
by a high mansard roof and decorated with sculptures and princely crowns,
became not merely a witness, but a symbol of the age of Peter the Great.
In this edifice the architects and builders of the new capital gathered,
as did the creators of the Russian navy. Here laws were devised and
questions of Russian foreign policy settled. It was also the venue for
many of Peter's famous assemblies (secular functions new to Russian
culture).
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The Art Restoration
and Storage Centre of the State Hermitage in Staraya Derevnya
The creation of the Art Restoration and Storage Centre in Staraya Derevnya
is a priority task in the State Hermitage's programme of reconstruction
and development. The complex consists of five structures: a storage
facility; exhibition space and lecture halls; and art restoration, engineering
and administrative buildings. The project was implemented jointly with
the Giproteatr Institute and arose from the need to re-locate
a number of storage rooms and workshops, moving them out of the historic
museum buildings which are overloaded with reserve portions of the collection
and where the storage conditions do not meet modern requirements.
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The General Staff
building in the museum's development programmes
Restoration and reconstruction of the Eastern Wing of the General Staff
building is a key element in the Greater Hermitage project. The building
will be turned into a multifunctional cultural and educational complex
in which in addition to the museum displays there will be entertainment
and commercial centres to meet the leisure-time interests of Petersburgers
and visitors to the Northern Capital.
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Restoration of the
General Staff Arch and the Chariot of Glory
The restoration of the Chariot of Glory is one more step in the
implementation of the Greater Hermitage project. As the project develops,
the General Staff building will turn into a modern museum facility that
will be used to present collections of the 19th- and 20th-century art.
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