Peter the Great's main goal during his reign was to ameliorate Russia in regard to Western European society. He wanted countries such as England, France, Germany, and Italy to regard Russia as its equal. Peter despised the obvious differences that existed; he felt that Russia was lagging behind in terms of technological advancement. Beards were cut off upon orders and traditional clothing was discarded in lieu of fancy silks. Naval bases, and a new Russian capital, St. Petersburg, represented for Peter I the new era of Russian history. His conviction to establish a European state or mentality in Russia shaped a new city and culture from the swamps of the Neva.
Catherine the Great, although she was not the next in line to rule, re-instituted Peter's campaign for a strong and prosperous Russia. After the death of Peter I, many people fled St. Petersburg because they were wary of its instability. Catherine 'enticed the population back' (Knopf, 31) and initiated major re-construction of the city. One of these endeavors is what is today known as The Hermitage State Museum. Catherine, a lover of the arts for multiple reasons not only created one of the largest art museums in the world, but she turned St, Petersburg into a city of opulence and non- tradition. Poets and artists were intrigued by this mystical city that became the leading cultural center outside of Europe. The establishment, construction, and expansion of the Hermitage reflect the life and times of St. Petersburg and its people.
At first glance, one can see that the name alone, The Hermitage, has multiple meanings and references. The word hermitage comes from the French. The word is derived from "an aspect of country living which became popular in France in the seventeenth century and turned into a Pan- European landscape gardening fashion in the eighteenth." (Norman, 3) During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it was very common for the aristocracy to speak in French. Usually, it was preferred to Russian as it was a means of showing their intellect and cultural awareness. Both Peter I and Catherine II were very proud of introducing the French culture to Russia. A hermitage was a required piece of a formally constructed park or garden. This is not to say that the French were the first to construct these little hermitages, hermit houses. These buildings, erect or in ruins, reflected the Romantic principles of that time period. The first hermitage created was in Italy during the Renaissance, then in Spain, and then finally in France. (Norman, 4) Traditionally a hermitage was a place of 'piety and pleasure' (Norman, 5) where one could relax from the exhaustion of pretensions of court life. They were often very rudimentary in form. This notion of simplicity was completely lost to the French.
Peter I was the first to see these hermitages when he traveled to Versailles and Marly in 1717. He fell in love with the idea and went home to Russia ready with plans for his own at Peterhof were he entertained. Catherine II stole this idea when she added a small pavilion (later known as the "Small Hermitage") for entertainment onto the Winter Palace. Catherine hired Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe to construct such a place (Norman, 5) as she did not like the style of Baroque artist Rastrelli. (Knopf, 167) Catherine emulated the hermitage of Tsarskoe Selo, Built by Elizabeth I.
Catherine's original plans were for a place to entertain guests, a hanging garden, and rooms for her lover that connected with her own. (Norman, 5) However, as each section was completed, Catherine had already filled it with art and treasures. She ran out of space due to her massive collecting and so she drew up plans for extended picture galleries. The extension that housed her "Overflowing art collection" (Norman, 4) was built by a German architect, Yury Velten. This is what is known as the Old Hermitage. One of the many opulent features of the Old or Large Hermitage was a massive table volant, literally a flying table. Again she adopted this idea from Peter I. The dining hall was set with a large table in the center of the room; there were large silver platters attached to the table. The dinner guests would write their orders on slips of paper and then they would lower the table. Beneath the dining room floor the kitchen was in full force. Chefs and servants would prepare the meal and when it was ready they would fly the table back up to Catherine and her guests. Besides the novel effect of this contraption, it also served a very useful purpose.
The main reason that Catherine had her hermitage built was so that she could entertain her guests in private. In Catherine's private club there were no servants allowed so as to deter any unflattering gossip pertaining to the Imperial court. Catherine herself hand selected the members of the hermitage; this was a place were she could relax and forget her rank. (Norman, 6) Catherine threw a series of parties that were either Petits Hermitages or Grands Hermitages. The small hermitages consisted of sixty to eighty people, while the large hermitages were soirées of over two hundred guests. At the door of the soirée room Catherine nailed a plaque that listed the rules of the private club. Some of the rules referred to the fact that she would not tolerate violence or drunkenness. Norman suggests that this indicates that the French polish was only superficial. However, this statement is extremely judgmental and culturally biased. For during this entire time period in European history the opulence was only a thin sugared coating that encased a rotted social structure. This superficiality was not applicable only to the Russians.
As Catherine was also a lover of plays and other types of performance,
a theater was built in 1785. (DK Publishing, 84) The theater was given
the name "Quarenghi's Theatre." When work on the New Hermitage
was begun, Catherine chose another German architect, Leo von Klenze to do it,
so as to "form a coherent part of the Large Hermitage."
(DK Publishing, 84) This was the only custom built museum in the entire
complex of the Winter Palace. "Today the Hermitage buildings spread
along the banks of the Neva for almost a kilometer, incorporating almost
four hundred rooms" (Grigorieva, 9)
Catherine's Large Hermitage and Small Hermitage, along with the theater, were but additions to the Winter Palace. The Winter Palace itself was built by Elizabeth I, the daughter of Peter I. It was the sixth Winter Place of the tsars. The building was completed in 1762. Mostly Peter III, Elizabeth's nephew, and Catherine II used this Winter Palace. (Norman, 20) The Winter Palace was built in the Baroque style in single ionic order, followed by double, with a balustrade. (Knopf, 85) The exterior of the palace is ornate and describes the affluence of Russia's aristocracy. "The white columns, in two ranges, connect the earth and the sky in soaring lines. It grows out of the ground like a giant wedding cake." (Norman, 20) Originally the palace was painted a boisterous yellow, but today the Winter Palace is a placid sea green.
The massive Hermitage collection was begun in 1764. The instances
that lead to Catherine's acquisition of the first masterpieces of the
Heritage are indicative of her personality, the history of St. Petersburg,
and the Russian people. Catherine II purchased several Flemish and
Dutch paintings from a merchant from Berlin. These paintings were originally
intended for King Fredrick of Prussia. However, due to a debt to the
Russian Treasury, Gotzkowsky sold these pieces to Catherine. In total
Catherine purchased 225 paintings as a result of her first art spree. These
paintings were used merely as decoration in the Imperial Winter Palace.
(Grigorieva, 9)
In sum Catherine the Great bought over four thousand Old Master paintings. In the Hermitage, every field of the fine and applied arts is represented. However, it is apparent that Catherine had her favorite styles of art. Her greatest love, in art, were engraved gems. This is a field of artistry that is often left unnoticed; the Hermitage has one of the greatest collections in the world. Many of these stones are Greek and Roman, for Catherine loved history and the Renaissance period. (Norman, 21) One field that did not particularly interest the Empress was sculpture. Although she did manage to acquire the unfinished 'Crouching Boy' by Micheangelo. This was commissioned by Jean-Antoine Hardon who was a great friend of Voltaire. During her lifetime, Catherine also collected "the best collection of French eighteenth century bronzes outside of France." (Norman, 20) Catherine also commissioned vast amounts of furniture, silver, and porcelain so that she could decorate the newly built additions to the Hertmitage.
This illustrates the attitude of Peter the Great. As Catherine's art
collections grew, so did the window to the West. "Catherine regarded
herself as Peter's political heir- he had begun to open Russia to Europe
and the modern world, a task which she saw herself completing."
(Norman, 30)
Catherine's love of art was not the only reason that she spent so much money and time collecting. The Empress became closely involved with the leading figures in Europe through the buying and selling in the art world. For example, Diderot, a leading French philosopher during the time period became her personal artistic advisor. (Norman, 28) This connection with France brought Russia into the center of the art world, Paris. Catherine became acquainted with Diderot through her ambassador, Prince Dmitry Golitsyn. The political ramifications of these encounters is obvious. If Russia is in on the elite art and philosophy in France, one of the great centers of European culture, then it must be a powerful and abundant country.