The Sun.
London, England, 1829-07-31 00:00:00

TIIE HERMITAGE.

I next visited the Hermitage, a link of the
chain of
.palaces with which the Neva is lined,
but why the residence of Majesty is gifted with
such au extraordinary appellation I am at a loss
to know. A Russian would probably be as
much puzzled to ascertain why the sheet of
water in Hyde Park should be termed the Ser-
pentine. At all events the Hermitage bears no
resemblance whatever to the class of residences
from which it takes its name. I had heard much
of the pictures, but was not, I confess, prepared
for such a splendid exhibition as this palace con-
tains. I have seen many collections, but none
equal to this, as far as the number of pictures is
concerned. The Louvre I allow is more select,
for at the Hermitage there are many very indif-
ferent paintings, which will probably be removed
when better can be procured. The Dutch school
is remarkably fine. I never saw at one place so
many Paul Potters, Teniers, Wouvermans,
Vandykes, and all good paintings. In the
French school there are some fine Claudes, and
a considerable number of Vernets, but I cannot
say the best productions of that artist ; many of
them were evidently some of his earlier
performances. There are about a dozen
paintings of animals, by Schneider, which
are particularly beautiful. The pictures are
distributed through a succession of rooms
and galleries, the walls of which are en-
tirely covered. I was next conducted through
a magnificent and spacious hall, where the
Knights of St. George assemble, and entered a''
long and narrow gallery, exclusively appropriated I
to the works of Mr. Daw, an English artist of '
. .
commissioned by the Miissian kiovernmeht to
execute half-length portraits of all the Russian
Generals who were employed during the French
war. This herculean task is now nearly com-
pleted, and 350 portraits arc now arranged in
pannels along the walls of the gallery, which
bears the artist's name, and which, in proportions
and decoration, is a complete miniature of the
Louvre ; •intervals are left for the reception of a
few whole length portraits of Generals of distin-
guished eminence, amongst whom the Duke of
Wellington will be introduced. The likenesses
arc reckoned exceedingly good ; and if, in some
pictures, the execution may be inferior, the hurry
in which they were painted is alone a sufficient
apology for occasional inaccuracy. I remarked
amongst the portraits two, which bore a strong
resemblance to Bonaparte and the Duke of
York. Mr. Daw has already secured an ample
fortune by this extraordinary undertaking ; 1000
rubles are allowed fbr each original, and I under-
stand that 2000 rubles are demanded for every
copy, for which numerous orders have been given.
I likewise visited what must be termed, since
the recent importation of French words, the
" _Atelier" of this indefatigable artist, and was
particularly struck with two whole-length por-
traits of Wellington and KutusofF, the former
sheltered by the British oak, the latter standing
under a snow-coverel fir, emblematic of the
country for which he so long and so successfully
fought. But the masterpiece of Mr. Daw is a
portrait, as large as life, of the Empress, as she
appeared at her coronation. This picture is a
splendid work of art ; the head of the young and
lovely Empress has no other ornament but the
Imperial diadem, which is small, and entirely
covered with diamonds and pearls ; the hair
waves in ringlets over the shoulders. This
picture is considered to be an admirable like-
ness of the beautiful original. The " Atelier"
of Mr. Daw is a favourite lounge for the
younger branches of. the Imperial Family, who
were in the gallery at the time of my visit. The
Princesses are rather pretty, but, like most Rus-
sian children, are tender and delicate, perfect
stove plants. There are but few statues in the
Hermitage, but a fine collection of enormous
vases of Siberian jasper and porphyry ; one vase,
in particular, is of an immense size and value,
being no less than five feet in width, and en-
tirely composed of " Malachite ;" the pieces are
so admirably joined, that it appears a solid mass.
There is likewise a musical clock pi an extraor-
dinary size ; this unwieldy piece of mechanism is
more like a church organ than the appendage of
a palace. The history of this clock is rather
singular ; it win; made on speculation, but as the
price was 200,000 rubles, about 8,0001., no pur-7
chaser was found ; it was then raffled fox ; the
winner was a poor woman, sold it to
the Emperor fora cosderable sum and an an-
nuity, tiut, as it will be impossible to enter
into a detail of all the wonders of the Hermitage,
I will proceed to the room where .r.„•;:knie of the
state valuables are kept ; this is indeed a fairy
scene, a display conjured up, as it were by the
magic lamp of Aladdin. Amongst the precious
items is the celebrated diamond, the largest and
purest ever discovered ; two " bouquets," com-
posed of mixed stones of great size and
Haney ; and a small cabinet stud 44 with putts
as large as nuts. Many of th 9 jewels, I make no
doubt, were received as presents from eastern
nionarehs; one case exclusively contains Chinese'
jewellery. There are likewise several services of

Chinese plate of the. most exquisite workman-
ship. In this room are preserved the gold sal-
vers and salt-cellars, in which a deputation of the
inhabitants of St. Petersburch offer a tribute of
bread and salt at the accession of an Empercr.
I also observed a vast collection of snuff-boxes
of great value, bct whether they have been re-
ceived as presents, or remain to be riven as such,
I could not ascertain. Amongst the curiosities
in this room is a clock, inclosed in a glass case
eight feet square ; there are a v iriety of move-
ments in this extraordinary piece of mechanism ;
at certain periods a peacock as large as life moves
its wings and spreads its tail, an owl as con-
spicuous as one of the monsters of Der Frei-
shutz strikes the hours, and a grasshopper per-
forms some of the minor duties of this curious
timepiece ; the peacock is sheltered by a tree
with spreading branches, and a melon plant of
the natural size forms a pleasing addition to this
elaborate toy, the whole of which is silver gilt.
One room contains a large collection of cameos,.
intaglios, and gems of this description; large
folios and port-folios of drawings and engravings
are arranged in several of the smaller rooms and
galleries ; in short, nothing is omitted that can
add at all to the value of this truly Imperial Mu-
seum. The rooms contain as furniture a great
many or-molu clocks and Parisian ornaments,
but in other respects they are not richly decorat-
ed ; the Hermitage is evidently considered more
as a museum than as a royal residence. I can
not quit the Hermitage without noticing one
curiosity, which in the eyes of a naturalist may
be considered the greatest of all, this is a parrot
86 years old ; 'this truly venerable bird has the
marks of great age, but is still in excellent
health,. and to, judge from. appearances, years are
likely to elapse before his stuffed skin will form
an additional item amongst the extraordinary
things I have just described.