Pervyi katalog kartinnoi galerei Ermitazha. Tom 1. Chast' 1 (1–651) (The first catalog of the Hermitage picture gallery, volume 1, part, 1-651)
St. Petersburg: Herm, 2018. Sewn cl. This is both an historical document for the Hermitage’s art collection giving a snapshot of some 2600 paintings it held after Catherine the Great’s main acquisitions and a glimpse of art history as perceived in the 1770s and 80s. The curator of the collection at the time, Ernst Johann Minich, was conscious of the gravity of his task when he compiled the first catalog of the Hermitage picture gallery, which was already one of the richest in Europe. Minich provides notes on each artist sometimes venturing to point out the merits or defects of the works. Today’s Hermitage scholars give full cataloguing data, provenance (including the current whereabouts of the painting), and bibliography. 470 p., 30 cm, approx. 400 color and b/w illus., French and Russian. Item #2883
ISBN: 9785935727765
Chapter titles: Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky's painting collection: the origin of the Hermitage collection; Birth of the the Hermitage collection as a museum; Catherine II's edicts as a source on the history of fine arts and collecting in Russia (1762–1783).
Price: $114.00