Ever since Peter the Great, it was Russian policy to become a major European power. He lead a cultural revolution with an aim to transform the traditional and medieval social and political system into a modern society.  In 1764, two years after Catherine the Great on the throne, She brought out Gotzkowski’s collection of 225 paintings, mainly Dutch and Flemish paintings. Politically, Empress Catherine’s patronage would enhance her image of an enlightened monarch.  The Gotzkowski’s collection makes up the core of the paintings in Hermitage.  In general the Hermitage collection is quite representative of the development of European arts since the 17C.  After Catherine the Great, successive monarchs had added to the collection.  It is really surprising to find large number of Impressionists paintings and modern paintings in the collection.

1. First created 23 Jul 2012. Version 2.0 - 26 Jun 2021. Jerry Daperro. London.
Hermitage Museum
The Collection for a New Russia
Madonna Litta. C1490. Leonardo.

2. Founding of the Collection
Catherine the Great, also known as
Catherine II, was the daughter of Peter
the Great. She came to power
following a coup d'état against her
husband Peter III. She reigned from
1762 to 1796.
Ever since Peter the Great, it was
Russian policy to become a major
European power. He lead a cultural
revolution with an aim to transform the
traditional and medieval social and
political system into a modern society.
It was Catherine the Great, who started
the collection. The Hermitage Museum
was founded in 1764 by her, based on
her own collection.

3. Madonna Litta shows Mary breast
feeding a baby Jesus whose life
depended on his mother. It is the most
well-known painting of the museum.
Leonardo c1490

4. Leonardo c1478
There is another Leonardo’s painting in
the same room. It is probably a fake.
The quality of the painting is much
more inferior.

5. There are so few paintings by Giorgione (only 6). Any
of his painting is important.
Giorgione 1500s

6. Lucas Cranach was a German
Renaissance painter. He was court
painter in Saxony.
Cranach 1526

7. El Greco was a Greek. At the age of
34, he moved to Spain, where he
lived and worked until his death.
El Greco 1587-1592

8. Snyders 1609

9. 17C Flemish paintings are
well represented. In
particular, there is a room
filled with giant paintings of
the Frans Snyders.
Snyders 1630

10. Jan Brueghel the Elder 1610

11. Pieter Brueghel the Younger was the son of the well known Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
Brueghel the Younger 1617-38

12. Maino c1613
Some think Juan Bautista Maino
was a fellow student of El Greco.

13. Spanish painters are well
represented by works of
Velazquez, El Greco, Murillo
etc.
Velazquez c1617
Velazquez is possibly the
greatest Spanish in history.
He worked at Royal family of
his days.

14. 17th Century
Jordaens c1638

15. The is one of the well-known
painting of the museum.
Rubens c1618

16. Van Dyck 1630s

17. Rembrandt 1634
Saskia was Rembrandt’s wife. They
had a loving relationship.

18. Ryckhals 1640

19. Breakfast with Crab. 1648. Oil on canvas. 118x118 cm. Willem Claeszoon Heda (1593/4-
1682/3). Dutch. Hermitage Museum. St Peterburg.
Heda 1648

20. Utrecht 1640s

21. Nian 1640

22. Vouet c1643

23. A favourite subject of Murillo was to
paint poor children.
Murillo 1650s

24. Murillo was one of the more colourful
painter in Spain. Many of his paintings
were about children.
Murillo 1670s

25. The woman on the right appears on
several times in his paintings.
Pieter de Hooch (1629-1684) was a
Dutch Golden Age painter well-
known for his genre works of quiet
domestic scenes with an open
doorway..
Hooch c1660

26. Domestic scene were very popular
in the 17C Dutch painting, replacing
the earlier religious themes. This
reflects the rise of the Dutch middle
class.
Borch 1660s

27. Borch 1660s

28. Lorrain 1666

29. Huysum was known for his painter of
flowers. He was one of the best.
Huysum 1722

30. Boucher 1740s

31. Canaletto 1740s

32. Bellotto was the nephew of the well-known Canaletto. Bellotto spent his later life in Saxony
and Poland.
Bellotto 1747 / 55

33. Bellotto 1747 / 55

34. The in 18C England the portrait
market was very lucrative.
Gainsborough was one of the
most successful.
Gainsborough 1770s
Although she had not been
positively identified, but some art
historians think the woman was
the Duchess of Beaufort.
Although she had not been
positively identified, but some art
historians think the woman was
the Duchess of Beaufort.
The painting is considered to be
one of the most adorable English
painting in Hermitage collection.

35. An unusual painting by the
Reynolds, who was the president of
the Royal Society of Arts. He was
also a portrait painter.
Reynolds 1788

36. Wright 1778

37. Surprise to find a painting that glorified
the enemy, Napoleon, who attacked
Russia.
Gros 1796

38. David 1809

39. Kock 1812

40. Friedrich 1821

41. Friedrich 1835

42. Bonington 1825

43. Vautier 1857

44. Camame 1859
A Swiss painter associated with the
Dusseldorf Group.

45. Sisley 1872

46. Renoir 1878

47. Renoir 1881

48. Gerome was known for his historical painting, Greek mythology and Orientalism.
Gerome 1884

49. The museum has a large
collection of Impressionist
paintings. A similar pose was
also used by Toulouse-Lautrec
more or less the same time.
Degas c1886

50. Thaulow c1888

51. Gauguin is known for his paintings of
Tahiti. He had many romantic
encounters with the native girls and
had several children by his mistress.
Gauguin 1893

52. Denis 1897

53. Pissarro 1898

54. Cezanne c1899

55. An early work by Picasso.
Picasso 1901

56. Matisse 1910

57. Music – Our Love Never Die by Ernesto Cortazar .
The End

58. Galleries

59. Blue Mansion Penang Catherine Palace,
St. Petersburg