Interiors Winter Palace famous and admired for centuries. They are magnificent not only because they contain treasures in the form of sculptures and paintings, they themselves are treasures that have been witnessed Russian history from the beginning of construction of the palace in 1762. The article lists 10 famous interiors that are usually associated with the Winter Palace.
1. Jordan Stairs. Distinctive feature: grand staircase No. 1 in Russia
The Ambassadorial (Jordanian) Staircase is the main grand staircase in the Winter Palace. It was used by ambassadors of foreign states to ascend to the state halls for audiences, which is why it was initially called the Ambassador's Square.
Jordan Staircase of the Hermitage. Saint Petersburg Later she was given the name Jordan, because royal family on the feast of Epiphany, she went down to the Jordan - a special ice hole in the winter Neva, where the ceremony of blessing of water was held.
The decoration of the Ambassadorial Staircase reflects the features of Russian Baroque. The steps and carved balustrade are made of white Carrara marble. The decoration of the walls, their elegant sculpture and gilding are effectively contrasted with smooth columns of gray marble located on the upper balustrade.
The Jordanian staircase leads to a suite of state halls, where ceremonies and court celebrations took place.
2. Petrovsky (Small Throne) Hall. Distinctive feature: the hall is dedicated to the memory of Peter I
Petrovsky (Small Throne) Hall was created in 1833 by Auguste Montferrand and restored after the fire of 1837 by Vasily Stasov. The hall is dedicated to the memory of Peter I - the emperor’s monogram is included in the interior decoration (two latin letters“P”), double-headed eagles and crowns.
In a niche designed as triumphal arch, there is a painting “Peter I with the allegorical figure of Glory”. At the top of the walls there are paintings representing Peter the Great in the battles of the Northern War (P. Scotti and B. Medici).
The throne was made in St. Petersburg at the end of the 18th century. The hall is decorated with silver-embroidered panels made of Lyon velvet and silverware made in St. Petersburg.
3. Pavilion hall with the Peacock clock. Distinctive feature: the Peacock watch and
The pavilion hall was decorated in the building of the Small Hermitage in 1858 according to the design of the architect Andrei Stackenschneider. It combines Renaissance, Gothic and Oriental motifs. The hall faces the Hanging Garden and the Neva.
The ceiling and arcade framing the hall are rich in gilded stucco ornaments. The combination of light marble with gilded stucco decoration and the shine of crystal chandeliers give the interior a special effect.
Pavilion Hall and Peacock Clock of the Hermitage The Peacock Clock was created by British master James Cox in the 1770s and purchased by Catherine II. This is the only large automatic machine from the 18th century in the world that has survived to this day unchanged and in working condition.
Hanging Gardens overlooking the Pavilion Hall The figures of a peacock, a rooster and an owl, included in the composition of the clock machine, are equipped with mechanisms that set these birds in motion.
Pavilion Hall of the Hermitage and mosaic of the Gorgon Medusa on the floor The daughter of the architect Stackenschneider wrote in her diary on April 24, 1856: “ The other day dad took us to the Hermitage and showed us the hall that he had just graduated from. Absolutely magical room. It's amazing how good she is!!»
“Fountain of Tears” in the Pavilion Hall of the Hermitage Distinctive feature: repetition of Raphael's Vatican frescoes
Catherine II– the founder of the Hermitage collection knew about painting and wanted to have all the best in Russia. Despite the fact that she had not traveled outside her country, she wished to have a copy of the Vatican
Raphael's workshop began painting the Vatican Loggias in 1518. Long gallery ( 65 meters) divided into 13 parts. Each of them depicts 4 episodes each of the Old and New Testaments. The Vatican loggias were painted by Raphael's students based on sketches and under the supervision of the artist himself.
Three and a half centuries later, by order of the Russian Empress architects and artists measured and copied the original loggias and over time there was a copy of part of the Papal Palace in the Vatican was made.
It should be noted that the part of the Papal Palace where the Raphael's loggias at the moment closed to tourists. In the Hermitage, anyone who has bought a ticket to the museum can enjoy the lightness and grace of the gallery, copying the design and creation of Raphael.
5. St. George's Hall. Distinctive feature: the main throne of the Winter Palace is located here
The St. George (Great Throne) Hall of the Winter Palace was created in the early 1840s by Vasily Stasov, who preserved the compositional design of his predecessor Giacomo Quarenghi. Double-light column hall decorated with Carrara marble and gilded bronze.
St. George's Hall of the Hermitage Above the Throne Place there is a bas-relief “St. George Slaying the Dragon with a Spear.” The large imperial throne was commissioned by Empress Anna Ioannovna in London(N. Clausen, 1731-1732). Magnificent inlaid parquet, created from 16 types of wood. The ceremonial decoration of the hall corresponds to its purpose: official ceremonies and receptions took place here.
6. Military gallery of 1812. Distinctive feature: built in honor of the Russian victory over Napoleonic France
The Military Gallery of the Winter Palace was created according to the design of Carlo Rossi in 1826 in honor of Russia's victory over Napoleonic France. On its walls are 332 portraits of generals who took part in the War of 1812 and the foreign campaigns of 1813-1814.
Count Pyotr Petrovich Konovitsyn - General of the Infantry Paintings created English artist George Dow with the participation of A.V. Polyakov and V.A. Golike. A place of honor is occupied by ceremonial portraits of the allied sovereigns: Russian Emperor Alexander I and King of Prussia Frederick William III (artist F. Kruger) and Emperor of Austria Franz I (P. Kraft). Portraits of four field marshals are located on the sides of the doors leading to the St. George and Armorial Halls.
7. Armorial Hall. Distinctive feature: golden columns of the hall
The Armorial Hall of the Winter Palace, intended for ceremonial receptions, was created by Vasily Stasov in the late 1830s. At the entrances to the hall there are sculptural groups of ancient Russian warriors with banners, on the poles of which shields with the coats of arms of Russian provinces were attached, which determined the name of the hall.
Images of provincial coats of arms are preserved on chandeliers. A slender colonnade supporting a balcony with a balustrade, a frieze with an ornament of acanthus leaves, as well as a combination of gold and white create an impression of grandeur and solemnity. In the center of the hall is an aventurine bowl made by Yekaterinburg stone-cutters of the 19th century.
8. Alexander Hall. Distinctive feature: interior with elegant white stucco
The Alexander Hall of the Winter Palace was created by Alexander Bryullov (elder brother of the artist Karl Bryullov) after the fire of 1837. Architectural design of the hall dedicated to the memory of Emperor Alexander I and Patriotic War 1812, built on a combination of stylistic variations of Gothic and classicism.
Located in the frieze, 24 medallions with allegorical images of the most significant events of the Patriotic War of 1812 and foreign campaigns of 1813-1814 reproduce in enlarged form the medals of the sculptor F.P. Tolstoy.
In the lunette of the end wall there is a medallion with a bas-relief image of Alexander I in the image of the ancient Slavic deity Rodomysl. The hall houses an exhibition of European artistic silver from the 16th – 19th centuries. Products from Germany, France, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, and Lithuania are presented.
9. Hall of the Great Bowl. Distinctive feature: a huge bowl created in the Altai region
She is often called the “Queen of Vases”. The largest stone vase in the world weighs more than nineteen tons, its outer diameter reaches 5.04 meters, and its inner diameter is 3.22 meters, the total height with the pedestal is 2.57 meters. Since the discovery of a huge block of green-wavy jasper Thirty long years passed before the Great Kolyvan Vase was placed in the building of the New Hermitage.
Back in 1815, at quarries in the Altai region, miners discovered a cliff of green-wavy jasper. The stone turned out to be good quality and suitable for craft work. The next find was a stone that was 8.5 meters long. This monolith of jasper had a defect due to which the piece had to be divided. After a thorough examination of the resulting debris, they began work most of: its length was 5.6 meters.
The author of the project for the ellipse-shaped bowl, which was ordered to be made from a monolith, was Abraham Melnikov. In February 1828, preparatory work began. With the help of 230 workers, the stone was moved to the stone shed and raised slightly. Here, workers were engaged in pre-processing of the monolith for more than two years. In 1830, the hewn block was transferred to the courtyards, and 567 people manually pushed it 30 versts to a stone-cutting factory in the village of Kolyvan .
There are the following for eleven years, skilled stonemasons created the inside of the bowl, applied carved patterns, and polished the surface . At this time, a stone worthy of becoming a pedestal for the bowl had already been discovered. With great care, a hole was made in it for the rod, which should connect the pedestal to the bowl. Jasper is a hard stone, but very fragile and difficult to process. Small cracks that appeared during the work were repaired by Russian craftsmen with great skill: even with a detailed examination they are difficult to detect.
By February 1843, the bowl was completely ready. Almost 200 horses harnessed to specially equipped sleighs were used to transport it to Barnaul. Then the convoy proceeded to Yekaterinburg to the Utkinskaya pier, from where the river route to Moscow and St. Petersburg began. The barge sailed along the rivers of Russia for six months, and finally, in August 1843, the bowl arrived in the capital. It took another four long years to build the foundation for the Kolyvan queen: it was decided to locate this miracle in the building of the New Hermitage. The hall in which the product was placed is now called the Hall of the Great Vase.
10. Boudoir. Distinctive feature: elegant interior decoration in burgundy color
The boudoir was part of the chambers of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Alexander II. The elegant decoration of the room was created in 1853 by the architect Harald Bosse - a virtuoso master interior design in the “second Rococo” style. Bright color silk fabric - brocatelli (silk with metal thread), elegant patterns, and upholstered gilded furniture create a feeling of sophistication and comfort. A magnificent bronze gilded chandelier, reflected in the mirrors, complements the spectacular interior decoration.
Come to St. Petersburg, wander through the halls of the Winter Palace. See you at the museum :)
The tour of the Hermitage begins with a passage from the lobby towards the Main Staircase. It was also called the Ambassador Staircase, and later the Jordan Staircase, but in many guidebooks it is still included simply as the Main Staircase. The long gallery along which we move, with semicircular ceiling vaults and rhythmically repeating pylons, with walls and ceiling of a calm white tone, should prepare us to perceive the lush, elegant beauty of a luxuriously decorated grand staircase. Just approaching it, we get the first vivid impression: against the background of a niche, framed by columns, a marble sculpture sparkles with white, gilded stucco patterns on the wall shine, streams of light pour from above. The beauty of this staircase is revealed gradually. While still on the lower steps, you suddenly feel its enormous size. High above your head (somewhere at the sixth floor level there is a huge ceiling lamp (a painting on the ceiling by the artist F. Gradizzi) depicting the gods on Mount Olympus.
Here you immediately feel the space, the abundance of air and light. It seems that it penetrates from everywhere - not only from large windows, but also from the side of blank walls, where mirrors reflect its rays, creating the illusion of greater illumination. As you climb the side flights, you admire the sculptures near the windows and mirrors, slender pilasters, and intricate curls of gilded molding patterns. And finally, from the side platforms, like the final chord, an even more majestic sight opens up to the eye: a giant colonnade of ten monolithic gray columns of Serdobol granite supports semicircular ceiling vaults, decorated with molding, gilding and images of caryatid sculptures.
In 1771 - 1787, next to the “Lamot Pavilion” on the Neva embankment, the architect Yu. M. Felten (1730 - 1801) built a building that later received the name “Old Hermitage”. And in mid-19th century century, to house the expanded collections, a special museum premises was created - the “New Hermitage”, completed in 1850 by the architect N. E. Efimov (1799 - 1851) under the leadership of V. P. Stasov, according to the design of L. Klenze (1784 - 1864).
This staircase was the main entrance to the New Hermitage building. Its entrance from the street is decorated with granite sculptures of ten Atlanteans, created by Academician A. I. Terebenev (1815 - 1859). The design of the staircase is in the spirit of late classicism - using elements of classical art, with its characteristic clarity, symmetry, and the predominance of clear and straight lines.
A wide staircase of sixty-nine white marble steps is bordered on both sides by smooth, unadorned walls covered with an even, shiny layer of yellow stucco. Its warm tone contrasts effectively with the cool gray tone of the porphyry monolithic columns that rise in two parallel rows high above the walls of the staircase. Daylight, penetrating from the windows on the left and right, sparkles with reflections on the surface of the columns and, hiding some of it. their volume creates the illusion of even greater harmony, lightness and grace. From the lower landing, the scale of the staircase is especially noticeable. Through the wide doors of the second floor you can see the halls and the paintings displayed in them (you should get acquainted with them a little later).
The first visitors to the museum, which opened on February 7, 1852, climbed the Main Staircase of the New Hermitage. At fifty-six exhibition halls there were collections of Italian, Dutch, Flemish and Russian art. However, the museum was not public, intended for a wide range of visitors. Initially, special permission was required to enter the museum. It was given out only to a select few. Even famous Russian artists who needed to work in the halls did not always achieve such permission. The inscriptions on the labels of the paintings in the halls were made on French. The number of visitors to the Hermitage at first was small, later, especially in late XIX- at the beginning of the twentieth century, when free access to the museum was opened, it increased significantly.
Huge increase in museum attendance in Soviet era, the expansion of exhibition spaces at the expense of the halls of the Winter Palace required moving the entrance to the museum to a more spacious Main Staircase of the Winter Palace with extensive vestibules. This also improved the connection between the exhibitions of the department of cultural history and art. ancient world, located on both sides of the Main Staircase of the New Hermitage.
The Soviet staircase, built in the mid-19th century by the architect Stackenschneider, got its name due to the fact that members of the State Council passed through its entrance on their way to meetings chaired by the Tsar. The staircase connects three buildings: it communicates with the Small Hermitage through a transition corridor, and on the opposite side, along the embankment line, it is located Old Hermitage, the doors in the center (opposite the windows) lead to the halls of the New Hermitage. The ceiling lamp on the stairs is the work of the French artist F. Doyen (XVIII century) - “The virtues represent the Russian youth to Minerva.”
On the landing of the second floor of the Soviet Staircase there is a large malachite vase, made at the Yekaterinburg factory in 1843 using the “Russian mosaic” technique (thin plates of stone, skillfully put together so that a beautiful pattern is formed, are glued to the base using a special mastic). Wonderful works of stone-cutting art created at this Ural factory, as well as at the Peterhof (the oldest in Russia, founded under Peter III) and the Altai Kolyvan factories, adorn many halls and staircases of the Hermitage - the largest treasury of Russian colored stone.
Stone was also widely used in the decoration of the halls themselves. Thus, in the Twenty-Column Hall, the columns were created by masters of the Peterhof Lapidary Factory from gray Serdobol granite. The entire floor in this hall is paved with mosaics made up of several hundred thousand pieces of stone.
Kolyvan vase
One of the most remarkable creations of Russian stone carvers of the past is the famous Kolyvan vase. Created from beautiful Revnev jasper stone, it amazes with its size, beauty of shape and perfection of material processing. The height of the vase is more than two and a half m, the large diameter of the bowl is five m, the small diameter is over three m. Weighing nineteen tons (this is the heaviest vase in the world made of solid stone), it does not look bulky. The thin leg, the elongated oval shape of the bowl, dissected from the sides and bottom by radially diverging “spoons”, the proportionality of the parts give it grace and lightness.
The vase was made from a block of stone, which was processed for two years at the discovery site, and then a thousand workers delivered it fifty miles to the Kolyvan factory, cutting roads through the forests and creating crossings across rivers. The craftsmen of the Kolyvan Lapidary Factory worked directly on the execution of the vase itself, created according to the design of the architect Melnikov, for twelve years, finishing the work by 1843. It was delivered to St. Petersburg with great difficulty, disassembled (the vase consists of five parts, the main one - the bowl - being monolithic). The vase was transported to the Urals on a special cart, which was harnessed from one hundred twenty to one hundred sixty horses. And then along the Chusovaya, Kama, Volga, Sheksna and Mariinskaya systems they were transported on a barge to the unloading point on the Neva embankment. After preliminary strengthening of the foundation, seven hundred and seventy workers installed it in the Hermitage hall, where it is currently located. The Kolyvan vase, one of the most grandiose and amazing works of Russian stone-cutting art in terms of craftsmanship, rightfully occupies an honorable place among the treasures of the Hermitage.
First impression. No one will deny the significance of this postulate. Then you can correct, adjust, change your final opinion, but first impressions remain with us forever. The Jordan Staircase, or, as it was originally called, the Ambassadorial Staircase, was designed to create an opinion about the Great Russian state. Powerful, rich, large-scale.
Creating a Masterpiece
Elizabeth, as the true daughter of Peter, understood the importance of the external attributes of the empire, emphasizing its power and status. Therefore, she ordered the demolition of the previous residence of the Russian sovereigns, which, after numerous reconstructions, had a less solemn, unceremonial appearance. The construction of a palace that meets the requirements of the Great Autocrat was entrusted to Francesco in 1752). Inspired by the task, the legendary builder of St. Petersburg created a creation, each room and element of which is a separate masterpiece of architecture and interior design. The Jordan Staircase is no exception. Remembering special functions, she was assigned the role of producing the first one is correct impression. The result was truly grandiose.
absolutely unique in Europe in terms of beauty of location and vastness
This is how A.P. described the main staircase of the winter residence. Bashutsky.
Style decision
By the end of the 18th century, the wave of Baroque, having covered continental Europe from Italy to Germany and Poland, reached Russia. The main components of the style - pomp and solemnity - are created due to the special splendor of the decor, the play of light and shadow, theatrical techniques, bizarre proportions and curved dynamics of lines. This makes the style recognizable from the first moments. The pretentiousness of the Baroque appealed to the taste of the residents of the Northern capital. The Byzantine past contributed to the European vision, which was called “Russian Baroque”. The Jordan staircase of the Winter Palace is a striking representative of this style. The interior of the main staircase was designed and fully realized by B.F. Rastrelli. Montferand, Quarneghi, and Rossi were involved in the design of other premises.
Magnificent and unique
Great Italian with a southern temperament, he embodied the Baroque in the final image of the Jordan Staircase, using all the possibilities of the style. The central element, harmoniously connecting all the variety of decoration - the staircase, is divided into two flights, the curved geometry of which, like flowing streams of water, determines the dynamics of the rest of the space. The lower of the two tiers of the staircase, like the base, holds the entire composition. The upper tier, due to the abundance of real and false mirror windows, “opens up” the perspective, visually expanding the space. All this is crowned with an elegant colonnade and ceiling, a picturesque continuation of the sky. The fascination with antique statues, characteristic of the Baroque, was confirmed here too. At the entrance to the Neva Enfilade, like faithful guards, the figures of Mars and Apollo froze. In the central niche of the lower tier there is “Power”, more often called “The Lady”. On the northern wall are “Justice” and “Mercury”. On the eastern side - “Greatness” (Athena), “Wisdom” and “Loyalty”. On the southern wall - “Justice” and The splendor of the interiors is impossible without the appropriate materials. Gilded stucco, marble and granite emphasize the state status of the Jordan Staircase.
Great Fire
The human factor, an unclosed vent, almost destroyed the creation of brilliant masters. The smell of smoke was noticed in the morning of that ill-fated December day in 1837, but until the evening they could not establish the source of the fire. The wooden structures of the Palace, dried out for almost a century, burned for more than 2 days. The Jordan Staircase in the Hermitage, like other interiors, was destroyed.
The restoration was entrusted to V.P. Stasov. Approaching his work reverently and responsibly, he restored the Ambassadorial Staircase.
And again A.P. writes. Bashutsky, a witness to Rastrelli's original version, noting that the decoration:
without deviating from the style in its forms, it is superbly ennobled by a new concept of art regarding the purity of relief and correctness of drawing
Changing times demanded a modern view of history. The main color of the original interior - pink - was changed to strict gray and classic white. The golden forged lattice was replaced by a carved airy marble balustrade, and a military weapons theme was added. Classicism confidently replaced Baroque.
Jordanian or Ambassadorial?
How to find the Jordan Staircase in the Hermitage? We need to remember the history of the name. It was built as the Main building, and for a long time served as the Ambassador's office. It became Jordanian only once a year, when imperial family I went down it to the Jordan - an ice-hole cut out in the Neva. The latter name stuck, oddly enough, in Soviet times. You can get to it by passing through the Jordan (Embassy) entrance of the Winter Palace, closest to the Neva. Sometimes this entrance is called the Excursion entrance. Most Hermitage guests enter the Winter Palace through it. The main staircase of the museum performs its main task - to make a first impression - to this day, attracting tourists.
A walk through the halls of the Hermitage. Part 1. The Hermitage in St. Petersburgis one of the most famous museums not only in Northern capital, but also all over the world. Together with such world museums as the Louvre, the Metropolitan and the British Museum, it has a rich collection and is one of the most visited museums in the world.
Currently, the museum's collection includes more than 3,000,000 exhibits. These are primarily paintings and sculptures, objects applied arts, as well as other works of art. If we look at each exhibit for one minute, it will take 8 years to examine the entire collection. To view all the exhibitions you need to walk 20 kilometers.
Five buildings connected to each other on Palace Embankment, make up the Hermitage museum complex:
* Winter Palace (1754 - 1762, architect B. F. Rastrelli)
* Small Hermitage (1764 - 1775, architects J. B. Vallin-Delamot, Yu. M. Felten, V. P. Stasov). The Small Hermitage complex includes the Northern and Southern Pavilions, as well as the famous Hanging Garden
* Great Hermitage(1771 - 1787, architect Yu. M. Felten)
* New Hermitage (1842 - 1851, architects Leo von Klenze, V. P. Stasov, N. E. Efimov)
* Hermitage Theater (1783 - 1787, architect G. Quarenghi)
View from the Neva to the complex of buildings State Hermitage: from left to right Hermitage Theater - Big (Old) Hermitage - Small Hermitage - Winter Palace; (The New Hermitage is located behind the Bolshoi)
Buildings and exhibitions of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg
The most famous building museum complex- Winter Palace. Everyone who comes to Palace Square admiring this building, created by the architect B.F. Rastrelli in 1754-1762. In addition to it, the single complex includes the Small Hermitage (architect J.B.M. Vallin-Delamot), the Large Hermitage (architect Y.M. Felten), the Hermitage Theater (architect G. Quarenghi) and the New Hermitage (L. von Klenze ).
The museum features exhibitions from the Department of the Ancient World, the Western European Department, the Department of the East, the Department of Primitive Culture, the Department of the History of Russian Culture (this also includes palace interiors, the Menshikov and Winter Palaces), the "Golden Pantry", the Department of Numismatics.
Jordan Staircase in the Hermitage of St. Petersburg
The Jordan Staircase leads from the lobby to the second floor, which has hardly changed its original appearance. Only after the fire of 1834 were the gilded wooden sculptures in the niches replaced with marble ones. And the artificial marble columns were replaced with granite ones. The staircase got its name from the ceremony of blessing the water in the Neva.
The central ceiling depicts the gods on Mount Olympus.
Field Marshal's Hall
The hall was created in 1833-1834. Auguste Montferrand. After completion of construction, in 1834, portraits of Russian field marshals were placed on the walls of the Field Marshals' Hall in six of the seven niches. In March 2012, the decoration of the hall was completely restored. Portraits of Paskevich-Erivansky, Suvorov-Rymniksky, Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky, Potemkin-Tavrichesky, Rumyantsev-Zadunaysky, Dibich-Zabalkansky were returned to their place. The seventh niche, as was the established tradition in the 19th century, is empty
Field Marshal's Hall. Winter Palace. Sadovnikov Vasily Semyonovich
Eduard Petrovich Gau
Zaryanko S.K.
Portrait of Ivan Paskevich of Russia, Franz Kruger 1834 St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum.
Portrait of A.V. Suvorov 1833 N.-S. Froste
P. Basin. Prince M. Kutuzov-Smolensky.
Petrovsky (Small Throne) Hall
The hall was created in 1833.O. R. de Montferrand and restored after the fire of 1837. P. Stasov. The hall is dedicated to the memory of Peter I - the interior decoration includes the emperor's monogram (two Latin letters "P"), double-headed eagles and crowns. In a niche designed like a triumphal arch, there is a painting “Peter I with Minerva”. At the top of the walls there are paintings representing Peter the Great in the battles of the Northern War (P. Scotti and B. Medici). The throne was made in St. Petersburg at the end of the 18th century. The hall is decorated with silver embroidered panels of Izlion velvet and silverware made in St. Petersburg.
Eduard Petrovich Gau
Zaryanko S.K. Petrovsky
Armorial Hall
The Armorial Hall of the Winter Palace, intended for ceremonial receptions, was created by V.P. Stasov in the late 1830s. At the entrance to the hall there are sculptural groups of ancient Russian warriors with banners, on the poles of which shields with the coats of arms of Russian provinces were attached. In addition, the coats of arms of the provinces are located on gilded bronze chandeliers. A slender colonnade supporting a balcony with a balustrade, a frieze with an ornament of acanthus leaves, as well as a combination of gold and white create an impression of grandeur and solemnity. In the center of the hall is an aventurine bowl made by Yekaterinburg stone cutters of the 19th century.
"Large" French carriage, 1720s. Manufacture of Gobelins, Paris
Eduard Petrovich Gau
Ladurner, Adolf Ignatievich - Types of halls of the Winter Palace
Military gallery of 1812
The gallery is dedicated to the victory of Russian weapons over Napoleon. It was built according to the design of Karl Ivanovich Rossi and was inaugurated on the anniversary of Bonaparte’s expulsion from Russia, December 25, 1826, in the presence of the Imperial Court, generals, officers and soldiers awarded for participation in the Patriotic War of 1812 and in the foreign campaign of the Russian army of 1813 - 14 years On its walls are portraits painted by D. Doe of 332 generals who took part in the War of 1812 and foreign campaigns of 1813-1814. In addition, the galleries contain portraits of Emperor Alexander I and King Frederick William III of Prussia by F. Kruger, and a portrait of Emperor Franz I of Austria by P. Kraft. The prototype of the gallery was one of the halls of the Windsor Palace, dedicated to the memory of the Battle of Waterloo, in which portraits of participants in the Battle of the Nations were concentrated.
Portrait of Alexander I (1838). Artist F. Kruger.
Austrian Emperor Franz I. Artist P. Kraft.
Prussian King Frederick William III. Artist F. Kruger.
Field Marshal M.I. Kutuzov.
Field Marshal Barclay de Tolly.
Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich.
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Military gallery of the Winter Palace, G.G. Chernetsov, 1827
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Eduard Petrovich Gau
Pushkin, who admired this gallery, dedicated several stanzas to it in his poem “Commander”. They are engraved on a marble board installed here.
St. George (Great Throne) Hall
The hall of the Winter Palace was created in the early 1840s. V.P. Stasov, who preserved the compositional solution of his predecessor G. Quarenghi. The double-height columned hall is decorated with Carrara marble and gilded bronze. Above the Throne Place there is a bas-relief “St. George slaying the dragon with a spear.” The large imperial throne was commissioned by Empress Anna Ioannovna in London (N. Clausen, 1731-1732). Magnificently assembled parquet, created from 16 types of wood. The ceremonial decoration of the hall corresponds to its purpose: official ceremonies and receptions took place here.
Ukhtomsky Konstantin Andreevich
Polyakov - Speech from the Throne of Nicholas II during the opening of the First State Duma in the Winter Palace
The Ambassadorial Staircase of the Hermitage is the main main staircase of the Winter Palace. Ambassadors of foreign states ascended it to the palace. The staircase received the name “Jordanian” because on the feast of the Epiphany the royal family descended along it to the Jordan, a special ice hole in the frozen Neva, where the ceremony took place.
The staircase was made by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in the Baroque style. The main staircase was restored after the fire of 1837 by V.P. Stasov, who kept in general outline F.B.'s plan Rastrelli.
2 White marble of sculptures and balustrades, gray marble of columns, luxurious gilding of gypsum stucco molding - everything evokes admiration. Let's walk through it?
3 The white marble staircase branches in different directions: to the right and to the left, diverging into two wide ceremonial flights, which reunite at the upper platform. It occupies the entire height of the building (height 22 meters). A wide staircase with comfortable low steps - great for climbing up in chic ball gowns 
4 During the restoration of the staircase after the fire, Stasov replaced the gilded carved balusters with a heavy marble balustrade. The balusters are made of Carrara marble by sculptors F. Triscorni and E. Moderni 
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6 The walls are decorated with decorative sculpture from the era of Ancient Rome. Atlant 
7 Caryatid 
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9 Sculptures "Justice" and "Mercy" 
10 On the upper landing of the stairs there are monolithic columns made of gray (Serdobol) granite - St. Petersburg stone. Ten monolithic columns of the Corinthian order decorate and support the vaults of the staircase 
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13 In the central niche there is a statue of the “Mistress”, brought from the Tauride Palace 
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16 The central ceiling of the staircase has an area of about 200 square meters. It depicts the pictorial composition "Olympus" by Italian artist 18th century Gasparo Diziani, which rests on padugas decorated with figurative and ornamental paintings in the grisaille style. Having chosen an 18th-century lampshade with an image of Olympus from the Hermitage storerooms, Stasov included it in the composition of the ceiling, and since the new lampshade turned out to be somewhat smaller than the old one, the remaining space was left by the artist A.I. Solovyov painted according to Stasov’s sketches 
17 In 1898-1901, electric lighting devices in the form of chandeliers and sconces made of non-ferrous metal, plated with gold, were used to illuminate the staircase 
18 They were made in the neo-Baroque style under the direction of the architect L.N. Benois based on a drawing by the artist V. Emme at the St. Petersburg factory of A. Moran
