Monday | June 13, 2016
Today was an amazing day– wherein we were privileged to experience privately one of the most extensive collections of art assembled anywhere on the planet.
The Hermitage, one of the premier museums in the world, is closed on Mondays, but for the first time in its history, it was opened today just for residents of the World.
Again, we entered via the impressive Jordan staircase and passed through the expansive Nicholas State Reception Hall and the Concert Hall, before heading into the malachite room, white dining room, and Romanov Portrait Gallery.
Because I wrote so extensively about the Hermitage a day or two ago, I shall not repeat all that here. I will only tell you what we learned today. During World War I, this amazing building was used as a hospital. It only became a museum after World War II and was not even open to the public until about 20 years ago.
This room displays a tremendous of porcelain. At the time, porcelain was more valuable than gold.
This long hallway depicted many paintings that belonged to Catherine the Great.
Her life story was fascinating– she began as a peasant and died as an empress. She spoke French better than she spoke Russian, and died still illiterate.
This painting depicts Alexander the Great.
As a little boy, he was a bit of a “fraidy-cat”. His mother resented the fact he was not more manly, so she made him play around guns. As a result, he became deaf in one ear. He later defeated Napoleon, became Emperor of Russia, was thought to have died in battle, and had a state funeral. Many years later, a man was found in Siberia who seemed to resemble Alexander the Great. He denied that he was the majestic former emperor of Russia, but he was deaf in the same ear in which Alexander was deaf, and he spoke several languages, something nomadic peasants did not do. To this day, no one has been able to confirm whether the great Alexander staged his own death to be able to live like one of the people. Incidentally, he had two daughters, both of whom died very young– one at age 2 and the other at age 3.
We learned that during the revolution, the Bolsheviks stormed the palace and cut up many of the paintings so severely that they can no longer be restored.
Catherine the Great was also a peculiar person. She would drink 4 cups of coffee made from 1 pound of grounds. She spent her entire life looking for love. She hired many lovers, but only married once.
She had a cool sled that was used to tote her around the city in the snow.
We did not have to wear coverings for our shoes in the Hermitage because it was determined that they create lint that affects the pictures. Instead of that, the Museum opts to restore 130,000 ft.² of wooden floors a year.
It was truly incredible to walk through this immense museum with no one there but us; it was almost spooky.
The library was a classic, dark-wood paneled room.
This immense room houses more than 20,000 pieces to celebrate Russia’s victory over Napoleon.
This is the largest vase in the world, constructed from 1829 to 1843 and made of jasper.
Up until this point, the ceilings were again the star for me.
But undoubtedly, the highlight of the day was going into the Treasure Room, a room that is off limits to most of the 25,000 people who visit the museum daily, and where photography is expressly prohibited. This room houses 15 tons of gold, silver and precious stones. We had to have a special guide escort us through that room and the security was intense. We saw the most dazzling and bejeweled snuff boxes, watches, broaches, serving sets, figurines, containers for sewing needles, vases, spectacles, necklaces, daggers, rings, hats pins, silverware, pendants, religious icons, chalices, crucifixes, communion plates, and bracelets. We even saw horse blankets, saddles and bridals that were littered with diamonds– one bearing 8000 diamonds and the other 15,000 diamonds.
Shockingly, we came upon perfectly polished gold artifacts from 18 centuries before Christ. These amazingly preserved and intricately detailed pieces were found in North Russia and belonged to a collection that must have originated in Egypt. The detail on some of the very small pieces was so intricate it had to be viewed through a magnifying glass. And when one thinks about what tools must’ve been available to a craftsman 16 centuries BC, it is unfathomable to envision how these pieces were created. We even saw the gold laurel leaf wreaths that were awarded to winners from the first Olympic Games. Not surprisingly, the entire room was protected by 5 inches of solid steel and the door was clearly a vault door.
Shockingly, one of the moronic visitors from our ship commented that this was the most boring tour she ever experienced. Seriously? This is the most amazing single collection of artwork we have seen anywhere in the world, with no exceptions.
After leaving that room in total amazement, we walked through the Egyptian room. We walked quickly through it as if we were walking through a passageway, yet this room alone houses treasures that would highlight almost any museum in the world.
In the next room, we saw the largest cameo in the world.
Interestingly, our guide told us that before the Russian Revolution of 1917, there were 35 million horses in Russia. In addition, the government even had a Minister of Horses.
Our guide told us that the Hermitage is home to around 70 cats, who guard its treasures against rodents. The tradition dates back to a 1745 decree of Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great. Some of the cats coolly strut around the Square, but most of them lounge around the museum basement hunting mice. She told us that one day a year, children are invited to the basement to play with the cats.
We left the museum through this magnificent arch, the site where crowds congregated in January 1905 to demand better living conditions.
The czar was not amused and ordered the crowds to be shot, killing hundreds of the assembled. In February 1917, Nicholas abdicated and the dynasty came to a tragic end. In October 1917, the Bolshiviks stormed the palace and arrested the entire government and installed Lenin as its new head.
As we walked across this famous plaza, we were overwhelmed with the history that occurred on this very spot.
On the other side of the plaza, we entered a relatively new looking building.
In actuality, it had been built in 1926 for the Defense Ministry and has been in the possession of the government since that time. (If you ask me – even though you didn’t – it felt very KGB.)
Just recently, about 10 years ago, it was turned over to the Hermitage. The building itself has the longest façade of any building in all of Europe. Inside was the most amazing collection of art imaginable. Two Russian merchants, in the 1890s, were traveling the world and decided to invest in art. They feared the world might think them crazy, as one wrote home “Everyone thinks we are foolish to spend our money this way, but I hope history will prove them wrong.” How right he was!
These are the gentlemen who procured the 50 Picassos and countless other priceless masterpieces, including works by Matisse, Renoir, Monet, and other geniuses, about which I wrote several days ago. No matter how profuse my description, I could not do justice to these pieces.
Again, we walked quickly through the rooms, when we could have lingered over each piece.
Humbled from the experience, we boarded the bus and headed back to the ship. But when we arrived, I decided not to pass through immigration and board. Instead, I decided to wander around a bit and go shopping.
We stumbled into a purveyor of Russian artifacts who sold virtually everything we could want. Besides a t-shirt, Putin coffee mug, a Soviet era military hat and other trinkets, I bought a wool and silk shawl of traditional Russian design.
But the ultimate catch is that we managed to procure three amazing Faberge eggs, two of which are music boxes!
Back on board, we had a quick salad at Fredys and went upstairs to relax.
Then it was time to pack for Moscow, which we are flying into tomorrow. We decided against going out for dinner, but instead worked in the apartment and dined there. I packed, did laundry and readied the apartment for our journey in the morning.
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