The Hermitage: four times in a week

In which we make repeated visits to the world's most fabulous museum and find we are not a bit jaded.

"The Gallery of the History of Ancient Painting" in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

I had the good fortune to attend the International Salon of Decorative Painters, held this year in St. Petersburg, Russia. This annual gathering attracts many of the finest painters in my field, from dozens of countries and several continents, and this time was well-attended by incredibly skilled Russian artists as well.   The venue for this event, the Exhibition Center for the St.Petersburg Union of Artists,  is a short walk to one of the greatest museums in the world, the Hermitage. 
Like other major museums, the Uffizi, the Met, the Louvre, it cannot be done in one visit, it's too overwhelming. So I popped over every chance I got. The Hermitage is open late on Wednesdays and Fridays.
The museum is famous for its prodigious art collection, the Rubens paintings and sketches, and countless masterpieces of European art, but as usual, I was staring at the ceilings, walls, huge malachite urns, marquetry floors- because this building is first and foremost one of the most gloriously decorated palaces in the world.

Exterior of the Hermitage, painted with a distinctive and inspiring malachite green, ochre, and white color scheme

Just as in the (amazing film) Russian Ark, even the most organized tour through the Winter Palace will prove bewildering. The decor alone encompasses 300 years of Russian History. The collections reach through millennia. 

I forget what this room is for. Let's ring for tea, shall we?

Rococo styled rooms give way to Neoclassical spaces and "Russian Empire" style, and everything in between. Some interiors are pure fantasy.  I loved it. Every minute of it.

Ceiling detail from the lovely blue and white room used as the "silver cabinet"

Walls covered in gold leaf need plenty of candlelight to show it all off

In every space, gilding of a particular rosy color of gold leaf is used to great effect. OK I admit, in some cases, maybe it's over-used.  Nevertheless, the sheer level of craft is awe-inspiring.

nice example of Russian Neoclassicism in this trompe l'oeil ceiling

The Empire style found a great place in Russian design.  Large quantities of malachite were mined in the Ural Mountains and the famous Ural mosaic techniques were used to create columns, table tops, giant urns. A fairly liberal use of this intense green stone made for some eye-popping Empire interiors.

Gold and Malachite go so well together

Interior of the Malachite Room of the Hermitage, as painted by Constantine Andreyevich Ukhtomsky in 1885 image via hermitage.org

One of my favorite rooms is the"Gallery of the History of Ancient Painting." A long hall which houses a collection of white marble figures by Italian sculptor Antonio Canova (1757-1822) and his followers.

"The Gallery of the History of Ancient Painting"  neoclassical design by  Leo von Klenze

The walls and ceilings of the gallery are decorated with grottesca (or grotesque) ornament in a vaguely Pompeiian scheme. Insets panels of encaustic paintings on brass plaques by Georg Hiltensperger are meant to illustrate ancient painting techniques.

Encaustic paintings by Georg Hiltensperger depict ancient painting techniques.

Still from the film "Russian Ark"  in which the Stranger wanders into the Raphael Loggia

The most breathtaking space of all, has to be the gallery known as the Raphael Loggia.  Designed by Giacomo Quarenghi and painted by Cristopher Unterberger and his workshop in the 1780s, the loggia was commissioned by Catherine the Great as a replica of the Vatican Loggia in Rome, originally frescoed by Raphael and his atelier in 1512.   

Raphael Loggia in the Hermitage

Grottesca detail of the Rapahel Loggia of the Hermitage

These paintings are of course clean and new looking, but by most accounts they are a faithful and direct copies of the Vatican originals, having been painted on site using tempera on canvas. The canvases were then sent to St. Petersburg for installation. Mirrors replace the Vatican windows, reflecting the northern light. And then there is that rosy color of gold trimming each panel.  The magic of this scene is difficult to describe. 
    

Hermitage Raphael Loggia

The jawbone of an ass- detail in the Raphael Loggia, Hermitage

Grottesca detail- from 1512 to the 1780s

The Hermitage Museum website has many lovely images, including 360 degree panoramas of entire rooms in their "virtual visit" feature.

 

21st century decorative artists:
Photos from Salon 2016 at Flickr







All photos in this post by Lynne Rutter unless otherwise noted,  May 2016. Click on images to view larger.

Lynne Rutter Studio 

A visit to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris

a breathtaking monumental "papier peint panoramique" by Desfossé, 1855

One of my favorite places to visit in Paris is the spectacular Musée des Arts Décoratifs, a comprehensive collection of the best of French design:  objects, architectural and applied arts from the middle ages to the present day. Generally uncrowded and serene, the museum is housed in the western wing of the Louvre, the beautiful Pavillon de Marsan, designed by architect Gaston Redon in 1905.

The lovely interior court of the Musée des Arts Decoratifs (image via MAD)

Like the Victorian and Albert in London,  the MAK (Museum fur Angewandte Kunst) in Vienna,  and the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, les Arts Décoratifs celebrates the finest work in applied arts,  but this museum is decidedly French, and notable for the depth and breadth of its collection.

Seemingly every possible decorative technique, material, or type of object can be found in the vast Arts Décoratifs inventories: tapestry, escritoire, eglomisé, shagreen, scenic wallpaper, jewelry, stained glass, wood, lacquer, plastic, and gold… but far from mind-boggling the collections are carefully edited and displayed chronologically, to encourage understanding of both the techniques used and the application of them. Meanwhile there are thousands of beautiful inspiring moments in each room.
Here are some highlights from my visit in October 2011.

"Cabinet des Fables" from the hôtel Dangé, Paris 1755 (repainted 1855)

Two adjoining rooms of boiserie taken from the hôtel Dangé on the Place Vendome, are displayed as one room here (you can see the gilt room in the mirror)- these really were meant to be small, intimate painted spaces.

a display of chinoiserie furnishings dating from the 17th century

A small gilt "cabinet" room from l’hôtel de Rochegude à Avignon, 1720. Oui.

Photography in the museum is allowed without a flash, but many of the rooms are kept very dim to protect the fabrics and delicate surfaces.  Despair not,  the MAD has an excellent database of images of its collection on its website.   Not only that, but the MAD bookshop at 107 Rue de Rivoli  is outrageous.  It is filled with fabulous books on your favorite subjects, all of them loaded with great pictures. Hard as you might try, you won’t be able to carry all the books out with you. Make note of the ISBN# so you can search for the books when you get home. 

wood doors decorated with gilt grotesque ornament, from the 15th century

Salon de l’hôtel Talairac, circa 1790

One of the many period roomsets on display at the MAD, the Salon de l’hôtel Talairac, circa 1790, is an early example of Egyptian theme interior design, which eventually became an all-out fad in the early 19th century.

detail from a Renaissance-Revival bedchamber, circa 1840

The boiserie decoration from the Renaissance-Revival bedchamber of Baron Hope is not typical for the Louis-Phillipe-era France. To me it seems more English Victorian. Have a look at the rest of the room here.

detail of a verre églomisé mirror frame.  Gasp!

 

Detail of an entire wall of embossed leather, silver-gilt and amber-varnished to look like gold. circa 1600

detail of a splendid marquetry cabinet, made in 1670. I could stare at this all day.

One of the most fabulous room sets in this museum is the private apartment of Jeanne Lanvin. Designed by Armand Albert Rateau and built in 1925, it’s the ultimate feminine Art Deco interior.

The famous gilt and lacquered screen from Jeanne Lanvin's dining room is nearly 11 feet high, and was designed by Armand Albert Rateau, circa 1921 

Bedroom of Jeanne Lanvin, designed by Armand-Albert Rateau  (image via MAD)

The fabric in the private apartments of Jeanne Lanvin, a custom blue silk embroidered with cotton and copper thread,  is newly recreated and was all done by hand.

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When you go:
Be sure to visit the Art Nouveau and Art Deco rooms, as well as the very interesting mid and late 20th century design rooms in the attic spaces of the pavillion.
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Other tips:
The Mode et Textile Museum is just next door.
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The Rue du Rivoli can be crowded and dirty.  It’s so much more stylish to arrive via the Carrousel entrance.  And be sure to dress fabulously, so you can have a bite at the Saut de Loup, the chic cafe on the terrace facing the Carrousel Gardens.
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all images in this post by Lynne Rutter unless otherwise noted. Click on images to view larger.