Jewels! Glittering at the Russian Court

In 2019 Hermitage Amsterdam celebrates its 10th anniversary, which has been marked by a whole year of special events, including two major jubilee exhibitions: Treasury! (De schatkamer!) till August 2019 and Jewels! (Juwelen!) till 15th March 2020.

LOT-ART had the pleasure to visit both exhibitions - Treasury!, featuring a cross-section of masterpieces from the entire collection of the St Petersburg State Hermitage (See it Here) and Jewels! - An Imperial collection of 200 years jewels and fashion. The second jubilee exhibition presents brilliant pieces from the Winter Palace - 300 dazzling jewels and more than 100 paintings, accessories, dresses and costumes.

Jewels! - Photo by LOT-ART

Left: Jewel box, late 17th century; (personally owned by Empress Catherine the Great); Right: Star of the Russian Order of Saint Andrew St Petersburg, c. 1800. Gold, silver, brilliant-cut and rose-cut diamonds, rubies, enamel, Ø 8.3 cm

One of the great treasuries of the State Hermitage in St Petersburg, the impressive collection counts thousands of exquisite jewels. Over 300 breathtaking pieces are now on show in the Netherlands for Jewels!. Visitors can meet flamboyant, powerful tsarinas such as Elizabeth and Catherine the Great, as well as later, fashion-conscious tsarinas, whose countless personal belongings are on display.
Catherine the Great’s personal jewellery box is also on view. An inconceivably rich masterpiece littered with about 400 colourful precious gems, including some real eye catchers: 26 rubies, 24 emeralds and various cameos. Anna Pavlovna also makes an appearance, the ‘Dutch’ Romanov, Queen of the Netherlands from 1840 to 1849. Glittering alongside the Romanovs are the extremely wealthy noble families of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, such as the Yusupov princes. Together they were international fashion trend setters, putting famous jewellery houses prominently on the map. Masterpieces by Cartier, Lalique, Tiffany and of course court jeweller Fabergé, are on display in the exhibition.

Left: Christina Robertson - Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, Consort of Tsar Nicholas I, 1840-41; (see full-size image ») Right: Antoine Pesne - Jeweller and Court Supplier Johann Melchior Dinglinger, 1721 (see full-size image »)

Left: François Flameng - Princess Zinaida Yusupova, 1894; (see full-size image ») Right: Ivan Kramskoy - Empress Maria Fyodorovna, Consort of Tsar Alexander III, 1881 (see full-size image »)

Designer Carlo Wijnands has created a spectacular exhibition design inspired by precious gems’ flickering play of light and colour and by the monumental St Petersburg. Visitors to the Great Hall are welcomed into a dream world. A bewitching ‘ball room’ filled with the personal jewels of the Romanovs and colourful Russian aristocrats, surrounded by their majestic costumes and ball gowns.


Left: Richard Lauchert - Grand Duchess Olga Fyodorovna, Consort of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich, Youngest Son of Tsar Nicholas I, 1857; Right: Gavriil Yakovlev - Ekaterina Volotskaya, 1855 - 56


Left: Toilet set with the Russian Imperial coat-of-arms under a crown and with the order sign of St Catherine on the mirror, c. 1850; Right: Snuffbox, 1778

Visitors come face to face with their portraits. Following the grandeur of this hall is, just as after a Russian ball of yesteryear, a peek into the intimate treasury, with the most lavish jewels that the State Hermitage has to offer. Visitors then follow a route past various scenes including the boudoir, the princes and princesses, weddings, the dandy world and eroticism. Mysterious, mischievous jewellery with hidden symbolism is right at home in this world. After all, a little jewel can hide secrets about impassioned love affairs and forbidden love. These secrets – and more – are revealed in Jewels!.

Left: Kokoshnik style diadem can also be split into separate pieces and used as brooches and breast jewel, c 1880. Right: Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky - Princess Maria Abamelek-Lazareva, 1900-1901 (see full-size image »)

Kokoshnik style diadem
Garlands of diamonds, also known as pampilles, hang in three places and create a cascade of brilliance with each movement of the head. Worn by Empress Maria Fyodorovna, mother of the last tsar Nicholas II.

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