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International Art Treasures Web Magazine September 2005 |
The Hermitage in Toronto
Catherine the Great: Arts for the Empire
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Russia will send a treasure trove to Toronto in the autumn of 2005 with splendors from the Hermitage on view at the Art Gallery of Ontario. |
Title: Catherine II Rewarding Art and Protecting Commerce, around 1785
Artist: Model attributed to John Flaxman II (British, 1755-1826) for the Wedgwood Manufactory, England
Medium: Jasper ware
© The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, 2005
Image Courtesy: The Art Gallery of Ontario
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"It is extremely significant that the Art Gallery of Ontario is presenting Catherine the Great: Arts for the Empire - Masterpieces from The State Hermitage Museum, Russia as construction begins on our Transformation project,” said Matthew Teitelbaum, AGO director and CEO. |
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Matthew adds, “Catherine the Great sought to make positive change in society through art, which is the central goal of the AGO’s expansion. Our new building and expanded collection will not only help make Toronto a premier centre of culture in the world, but it will offer people the chance to connect with, and learn from art on an exciting new level. Art mattered to Catherine the Great, and it matters to us.”
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The centerpiece of the exhibition is the magnificent gilded Romanov Coronation Carriage. Over 200 spectacular works of art, commissioned by the Russian Empress Catherine the Great, will be on view. Included are noted 18th Century European and Russian artists, most of which have never been shown in North America. |
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The exhibit includes paintings and sculpture by Jean-Siméon Chardin, Anton Raphael Mengs, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Angelica Kaufmann, Joseph Wright of Derby, Antoine Houdon and more others. |
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Who is Catherine? She was born Princess Sophia Augusta Frederica Dorotea of the German Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst of present-day Poland. Like most princesses of her day her future was an arranged royal marriage. In 1744 she was sent to Russia at the tender age of 14 to meet and eventually marry the Grand Duke Peter, with their marriage taking place the following year. |
Title: Still Life with the Attributes of the Arts, 1766
Artist: Jean-Baptiste Siméon Chardin (French, 1699-1779)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
© The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, 2005
Image Courtesy: The Art Gallery of Ontario
Catherine's husband became Tsar Peter III but his reign was short lived. He was unpopular and unaccomplished. Within a year of his reign his wife seized power and imprisoned her husband. He was murdered in captivity by her supporters.
Title: Soup plate from the Cameo Service, 1778-1779
Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory, Paris
Medium: Soft-Paste Porcelain
© The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, 2005
Image Courtesy: The Art Gallery of Ontario
Catherine was one of the most influential art aficionados of her time. Her friends included noted philosopher Voltaire.
Title: Mineralogical Snuff Box, around 1790
Monogrammist “PMG”, Vyborg, Russia
Medium: Gold and Silver, Rock-Crystal, Precious and Semi-Precious Stones (top and bottom)
© The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, 2005
Image Courtesy: The Art Gallery of Ontario
Title: Mineralogical Snuff Box, around 1790
Monogrammist “PMG”, Vyborg, Russia
Medium: Gold and Silver, Rock-Crystal, Precious and Semi-Precious Stones (top and bottom)
© The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, 2005
Image Courtesy: The Art Gallery of Ontario
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Catherine amassed an incredible collection of European masterpieces. Owning over 4,000 pieces before her death in 1796, these formed the core of the collection of the incomparable Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg. |
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Toronto is honored to be granted the privilege of displaying some of the beautiful works of the collection of the Russian Queen of Arts.