From 23 June until December 2024, the State Hermitage is offering new original programmes with master classes on the topics of “Ancient Ceramics”, “Majolica” and “Russian Porcelain”.
The lessons are intended for children aged 9–12 together with their parents and will take place on Sundays, beginning at 12 noon. Each lesson includes a group guided tour on the given topic and a creative task. Only the children will participate in the creative part of the lesson. Their parents meanwhile will be able to view the museum’s displays independently. The overall duration of each lesson will be around two hours. The young guests will not only discover the amazing world of ceramics presented in the halls of the Hermitage, but also produce their own original works, reproducing the techniques used by the craftspeople of the past.
The full cycle consists of three thematic meetings. The first lesson will reveal the secrets of pottery from the Ancient World. In the master class, the young participants will become acquainted with the red-figure painting technique and decorate a ceramic plate with images of personages from Ancient Greek mythology.
The second encounter will let them immerse themselves in the culture of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The youngsters will see examples of the sumptuous tableware used at splendid feasts in mediaeval castles and also examine the narrative paintings and fanciful ornamental designs on exquisite Italian ceramics. Inspired by the beauty of old majolica, the children will decorate faience plates using acrylic paints.
Who should be honoured for discovering the secret of porcelain-making in Russia? Why was porcelain worth its weight in gold, and what sets it apart from other ceramics? The answers to these and other questions about the history and unique properties of “the white gold of the tsars” will be revealed in the final lesson, devoted to the most expensive kind of ceramics – porcelain. The enjoyable conclusion will be the chance to paint a genuine porcelain cup.
The author of the programmes is Marina Nikolayevna Vialtseva of the museum’s Department for Scientific and Educational Work.
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The price of a child’s ticket is 1000 roubles (including the cost of materials and a disposable apron). An accompanying adult’s ticket is 700 roubles.
The first lesson on the topic of “Ancient Ceramics” will take place on 23 June at 12 noon.
Tickets are available through the Hermitage website in the “Excursions” – “For Children” section and will become available 10–14 days before the date of the lesson: https://tickets.hermitagemuseum.org/?id=4&sid=3
