The Hermitage Museum brought diamonds and luxurious dresses to Moscow

The Historical Museum opened an exhibition "Jewels! The Splendor of the Russian Court". The State Hermitage Museum has provided masterpieces from its collection for the exhibition . In the showcases, visitors will see gold jewelry encrusted with diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, luxurious ball gowns and a gallery of portraits of dignitaries. "Izvestia" visited the GIM and tried not to be blinded by the brilliance of priceless things.

Tsar gifts

The exhibition strikes from the threshold. Visitors seem to get into a jewelry box. The halls of the first floor are decorated in the form of facets of a giant amethyst. Along the purple-colored corridor the guests get to three departments of the exposition. The first is "Gallery of Jewels", which presents jewelry that belonged to the representatives of the imperial family: snuff boxes, watches, ornaments and much more. The central section is "Ball". Silk and velvet suits and dresses decorated with embroidery and lace are juxtaposed with elegant accessories. The last room presents memorial items of the monarchs and members of the Romanov dynasty.

This project is special, two years ago the Historical Museum celebrated its 150th anniversary, and an exhibition of court costumes was organized for the anniversary. It broke attendance records.

- When we finished it, we realized that a new theme was opened to us," Alexei Levykin, General Director of the State Historical Museum, shared with Izvestia. - The exhibition "Imperial Residences" from Peterhof was brought to Moscow. On the wings of success, we approached Mikhail Piotrovsky, General Director of the State Hermitage. We proposed to open another exposition that would showcase the luxury of the Imperial House, stunning jewelry. After two years of working together, we realized this project. And in the summer we are expecting an exhibition of exhibits from Tsarskoye Selo.

There is not a single random thing in the exposition. Everything is selected to immerse visitors in the atmosphere of luxury.

- This is a part of our history, which is told with the help of expensive, bright and beautiful objects, behind which - the strength of the country, its wealth, dignity, - says Alexei Levykin.

Olga Kostyuk, curator of the exhibition and head of the West European Applied Art Department of the State Hermitage Museum, told Izvestia that the exhibition's goal is to show several collections together: paintings, portraits, jewelry and accessories.

- We have a subconscious piety for gold. A reverential attitude to this metal since ancient times. Because it does not tarnish, nothing is done to it. Gold is a material that always looks good. And it is also very plastic for processing," says the curator.

She notes that Empress Elizabeth, for example, never wore a single dress twice and each had its own set of jewelry.

- Our colleagues from England come to us and look at our collection with envy, they don't have anything like this," Olga Kostyuk adds.

The Hermitage houses a luxurious collection of jewelry, which began to take shape in the early 18th century, when Peter the Great decided to found St. Petersburg. Among the earliest monuments of jewelry art of that time is the anchor pendant. The collection was replenished thanks to diplomatic gifts and individual acquisitions.

- Since the Russian court focused on European fashion, Peter invited foreign jewelers. Their salaries were higher than those of domestic masters," says the curator of the exhibition. - If in Europe, jewelry was shown mainly by women, in St. Petersburg men wore it as well. Even hats and shoes were decorated. For example, Bezborodko was called the "diamond prince". He had sets of buttons inlaid with this stone. Once he almost fainted, because he took a snuff box not in a set with the rest of the treasures.

Golden toilet

Anna Ioannovna also actively acquired precious objects. For example, a golden toilet appliance, partially presented at the exhibition. It weighs about 46 kilograms. The metal in it is of 583rd sample, some items are of 750th sample.

- It includes 46 items, we brought six," says Olga Kostyuk. - The Empress ordered it in Germany. There are no more of them preserved. This device is historically important, because it served for three centuries to dress all the brides of the royal house for the wedding.

Elizabeth Petrovna bought and entire collections, among them - a collection of pocket watches with precious stones.

On one of the showcases - a luxurious watch with chatelaines in three colors: crimson - with rubies, green - with emeralds, blue - with sapphires.

Elizabeth also acquired services and haberdashery items, including snuff boxes. By the end of her reign, the core of the jewelry collection was largely formed, but it had not yet received a permanent place of storage.

With the coming to power of Catherine II a new stage of collecting began. She is considered to be the founder of the Hermitage. After the Winter Palace was completed in 1764, the Empress's state bedchamber was remodeled into the Diamond Room, or, as it was called by contemporaries, the Diamond Room. The decor with bright minerals was replaced by monochrome decor with diamonds and pearls. As a tribute to Catherine's fascination with glyptics, jewelry with cameos and their imitations was added. The ruler also became interested in gems (miniature carved stones and shells with relief images of female and male figures. - Ed.).

- Catherine said about herself that she was ill with "stone disease", - Olga Kostyuk continued. - In her memoirs about her passion for collecting, the empress wrote: "I am not an amateur, just greedy, I buy a lot of things". Her collection is 10 thousand items. Of course, the nobility of St. Petersburg focused on the Empress.

The Shuvalov, Yusupov, Stroganov, Sheremetev families had private museums. And they often competed with the Tsar's collection. The exhibition, for example, presents a luxurious jewelry chest presented by Count Tatishchev to the Imperial Court. At the beginning of the 20th century, some of these collections were dispersed to museums.

At the end of the XVIII century the Diamond Room was moved to the southern wing of the loggia building. At the same time, an inventory of the jewels constituting "Her Majesty's Armitage" was started. In 1839, by decree of Nicholas I, a new building was erected for the growing collection. The famous building with atlantes was called the New Hermitage. The Diamond Room was to be demolished. The jewels were moved to the Small Hermitage.

Hair of Paul I and a miniature gift of Catherine II's granddaughter.

The showcases of the green room display jewelry of exceptional rarity and memorial value. Some of them have left the Hermitage's storerooms for the first time. For example, Catherine the Great's snuff box with delicate painting. Its value is not in carats.

- The piece is decorated with a drawing by Alexandra Pavlovna, the Empress's eldest granddaughter, who made it at the age of 6," said Ekaterina Abramova, curator of the exhibition and senior researcher at the Hermitage's Department of Western European Applied Art. - It is amazing that a child made such a high-quality drawing. This is a landscape painted in watercolor. On the bank of the river sits a shepherd with a whip and near sheep. The miniature is built into the lid of a snuff box and covered with glass.

Next to the snuff box is a medallion "Sheaf". It looks unremarkable. If you do not know that the image was created from the hair of Alexandra Pavlovna.

- It belonged to her mother Maria Fyodorovna," Ekaterina Abramova explained. - The medallion was made on the occasion of Alexandra's departure from Russia. The princess got married. Jewelry from the hair of loved ones came into fashion at the end of the XVIII century. They were made in memory of the living and the dead. The ring with the monogram of Pavel Petrovich also keeps a secret. Inside the ring is a braid of his hair.

The Hermitage's collection of jewels includes works distinguished by the fineness of work, the exquisiteness of forms, the rarity of precious stones, giving an opportunity to immerse oneself in the centuries-old history of jewelry making.

The exhibition runs at the State Historical Museum until May 12.