From 24 February 2021, the fixed route around the General Staff building of the State Hermitage includes the permanent displays on Floor 2 – “Art of the Art Nouveau Era” and “The Ministry of Finance of the Russian Empire”.
The display entitled “Art of the Art Nouveau Era” presents applied and graphic art created by Russians and Europeans active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This period is associated with the emergence of a major style in art that has different names in different countries – including Art Nouveau, Jugendstil and, traditionally in Russia, Moderne. Despite the variety of names, this is a single phenomenon based upon a shared plastic language and closely related artistic devices used by representatives of the various national schools. Visitors to the General Staff building will see furniture, costumes, accessories, items from the collection of European glass and pieces of European porcelain. Of particular interest are the works of Emile Gallé, one of the pioneers of the Art Nouveau style. Noteworthy, too, are a cupboard made in Paris by craftsmen of the firm L'Escalier de Cristal under the influence of Japanese art and examples of furniture with Oriental motifs typical of the Moderne that were made in Melzer’s factory in Saint Petersburg. The European ceramics are also a reminder of the Eastern influence on the formation of the Art Nouveau style.
The display “The Ministry of Finance of the Russian Empire” includes the Finance Minister’s office and reception area.
The appearance of the recreated office of the Finance Minister reflects the tastes of Yegor Frantsevich Kankrin (1774–1845), who was the first occupant of the office and personally set down in writing his wishes as to how it should be finished. The room is created in shades of white and green, supplemented by walnut furniture with green upholstery. The chief adornment of the office was the painting that was the work of a team headed by the decorative artist Giovanni Battista Scotti (1776–1830). The rooms of the reception area contain a collection of rare coins and medals connected with the history of the Ministry and previously shown only in temporary exhibitions. They include proof coins, the first coins made from nickel and platinum, ingots from various diplomatic missions, forged coins and banknotes that were handed in to the Ministry of Finance and also “lobanchiki” – Dutch ducats struck semi-legally at the Saint Peterburg mint that were used for secret missions. A central place in the numismatics display is taken by an extremely rare 19th-century Russian coin – a proof rouble from 1825 bearing the portrait of Emperor Konstantin I (who never succeeded to the throne).
The rooms of the Ministerial Wing were renovated and opened in 2014. At that time, the murals there were restored, giving them back an appearance as close as possible to the original concept. The patterned parquet flooring of different-coloured woods from the first third of the 19th century was also recreated.
Visits to the General Staff building are by time slots. Tickets can be obtained through the website tickets.hermitagemuseum.org. For visitors’ convenience, any tickets that remain available can be purchased from the ticket offices of the General Staff building half an hour before the start of a time slot.
Everyone entering any of the museum premises must wear individual protection.
