THE ITALIAN SCHOOL OF PAINTING

The history of building up the collection

The 1st purchase which formed the nucleus of the Hermitage collection was done in 1764. It was the collection of the Berlin merchant Gotzkovsky. He was in debt & Catherine II was delighted to secure for herself 225 paintings. It was a mixed collection containing Dutch & Flemish paintings & among them several Rembrandt’s & “The portrait of a man with a glove” by France Hals.
Catherine II ordered her ambassadors through out the whole Europe to keep her informed about interesting sales. In her collecting activity she was guided by such outstanding art connoisseurs as philosopher Didro, sculptor Falkone & many others.

In 1769 a new collection which laid the basis of Dutch & Flemish departments was bought. It was the collection of Count Brul from Drezden. It included several Rembrandt’s & among them- “The portrait of a man in red”; 5 Rubens’s- “Perseus & Andromeda”; “The embarrassing proposal” by Watteau.

The next important collection was aquired in 1772. The previous owner of it was Pier Crozait. The collection included 400 paintings. Among them: “ Judith” by Giorgione, 4 by Paolo Veranesse, 8 Rembrandt’s – “ Danae”, “The holy family”, “The laundress by Charden & 5 Poussin’s. One of the most important landmarks in the history of the Hermitage collection was the acquisition of Sir Robert Walpoll’s collection. Lord R. W. was the prime-minister of Britain for 20 years under 2 monarchs – George 1 & George 2. His collection comprises 196 paintings: 2 Poussin’s, 2 Lorrain’s, Guido Reni, 6 huge Snyder’s, several Teniers’s & to crown all these is Van Dyke’s.
The last large purchaise was made in Paris in 1782. It was the collection of Count Boudoin. It brougt to the Hermitage 119 pictures mostly of Dutch & Flemish schools: 9 Rembrandt’s, 6 Van Dyke’s, 3 Ruisdael’s.

In the late 18th c. pictures were often commissioned directly from the artists. “The atributes of the art” was commissioned from Charden, “ The Parallized man” was purchaised from Greuz. A commission was given to Sir Joshua Reynolds & he painted “The infant Hercules strangling serpants” which was treated as a symbolic canvas.

In 1784 the collection of Count Lanskoy was transferred to the Hermitage. 8 years later in 1792 the museum aquired the collection of Potemkin.

In 1815 Al. I bought 15 works of Spanish art from banker Coesvelt & among them several Ribero’s & “The portrait of Count Olivares” by Velaques.

At the beginning of the 19th c. Al. I bought the collection of Zosephine, the 1st wife of Napoleon, from her Malmeson Palace.

In 1850 5 Titian’s were purchased at the Barbarigo Palace in Venice: “Mary Magdolen”, “St. Sebastian”, “The Virgin & the Child”.

In the late 19th – early 20th c. the growth of the collection was limited to purchase of single works of art. Leonardo da Vinci’s “Litter Madonna” (1874), “Madonna with a flower” (“Benois Madonna”) (1914), Raphael’s “Connectable Madonna”.
Before the revolution in 1917 the Hermitage collection comprised 700 000 pieces of art. After the revolution it was inlarged more than threefold.)

THE ITALIAN SCHOOL OF PAINTING

(the former Reception hall)

This is the beginning of the Italian exhibition, which is one of the largest in the Hermitage & covers the period from the 13th c. up to the end of the 18th c. The best part of the exhibition is devoted to the period of High Renaissance, practically all the important painters of that period are here. The 17th & 18th c.s are also represented very well. In other words, represents diverse artistic schools & trends of Italian art.

(The collection of the Italian art is housed in more than 30 rooms & embraces the period from the 13th up to the late 18th c. The collection numbers 380 paintings, 160 works of sculpture & a great number of objects of applied art.)

The beginning of the exhibition- the earliest part of it dating to the 13-14th c.s has some gaps: for ex. Gotto is not represented here.

The exhibition starts with “the primitives”, these paintings are still connected with medieval tradition of painting: the golden background, static figures.

So, this is the earliest part. Among the paintings here the most notable is “The Madonna of the Annunciation” by Simone Martini, a representative of the Sienna School. It is a part of a diptych, the left wing with the Archangel Gabriel is in the National Gallery of Art in Washington. One of the most popular subjects was chosen for the painting – The New Testament story of the annunciation: Gabriel announces to Mary that she is going to have a son who will become a Savior of the world. Here you can see a conventional golden background.

(The collection starts with the works of the Florentine’s School of the 13-14th c.s. It was the period when the artists tried to break up with the medieval traditions. On display there are pictures by Lorenzo Gerini. Parallel with that of Florentine’s a school of Equal Brilliance less powerful but more delicate developed in Sienna). Pay your attention at a complex character of the exhibition: not only paintings of that period are represented here, but also object of applied art. The museum tries to show everything it has of this particular period. For ex this collection of curl chairs, made in Italy, those were used by state dignitaries on special occasions.

One of the leading schools in Italy at the time of Early Renaissance (15th c.) was the Florentine School & we shall see paintings in the next rooms that are belonged to this school.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1211