Topic: Catherine II
Portrait of Catherine II on her horse Brilliant, by Vigilius Eriksen, after 1762.
© The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg.
Catherine the Great: An Enlightened Empress will highlight the truly spectacular collections of one of Russia's most successful rulers. Co-developed by the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and National Museums, Scotland, this major exhibition will only be shown in Scotland.
Catherine the Great (1729-96) was one of the greatest art collectors of all time. Her collecting reflected both the personal and political ambitions of a woman who put Russia on the cultural map of Europe. She accumulated, mainly through purchases and commissions abroad, more than 4,000 paintings, 10,000 drawings and 32,000 engraved gems, as well as medals, jewels and antique sculptures.
Explore Catherine’s reign through her collections, which vividly reflect her own interests and achievements and provide a fascinating glimpse of the dazzling wealth and magnificence of the Imperial Russian court.
Come and experience more than 300 magnificent works collected and commissioned by the Empress from some of the most illustrious European and Russian artists of the 18th century.
See outstanding portraits, spectacular costumes and uniforms, snuffboxes inlaid with precious gems, gold and silver, Ancient Greek and Roman carved cameos depicting figures from biblical stories, mythology and history and many of the finest examples of porcelain, glass, metal and polished stone items ever made in Russia.
Catherine the Great: An Enlightened Empress
Open: 13 July - 21 October 2012
Venue: Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3, National Museum of Scotland
© National Museum of Scotland. 25 March, 2012
Updated: Monday, 26 March 2012 7:19 AM EDT
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