The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-12-18
THE PALACE OF THE HERMITAGE.
Professor Sidney Dickinson's Lee
ture Last Evening.

A large audience greeted Prof Sidney Dekin
son, the celebrated art critic, last night who de-
liyered as the first in the course under the aus
pieces of the Portland Society of Art his lecture
on the picture gallery of the Palace of the Her
mitage at ST. Petersburg. Professor Dickinson's
lecture showed the speakers perfect knowledge
of his subject and held the closest attention of his
hearers to the close. The lecturer has good de-
livery and read from his notes clearly that not
a word was lost to his hearers.
The pictures are good, the buildings and in
teriors being especially fine, while the reprodue-
lions of the masterpieces in the collection are as
good as stereopticon reproduction of an oil
painting can be made and give clear idea of the
originals. Professor Dickinson wishes it stated
that the lens used in the stereopticOn was brought
by mistake and accounted for the indiStinctnesS
with which the pictures were thrown upon the
SCREEN This defect VIII be relnedled III the sue
'ceedng lectures
The lecturer began his remarks by abiding to
his experience with the government officials in
passports in getting to and from Russia. He then
spoke briefly of some of the most important
architectural features of the city, among them
being the winter palace the city residence of the
CZar which is connected with the Palace OF the
Hermitage. The Winter Palace, when inhabited
by the ruler of Russia, is occupied by household
OF 5000 persons. The Palace of the Hermitage is
not of imposing appearance. on the exterior and
bears the characteristics of the German archi-
lecture The interior Is, however, finished in the
most beautiful and sumptuOus manner and the
collection of art treasures which it contains is
among the finest in Europe. The nucleus of this
collection was gathered by Peter the Great but
the foundation of it was laid by Catherine T. that
empress who in the form of a woman, had the
spirit of man. Catherine began the present
building which was completed under later sover-
eigns, who added to the art collection until the
Palace of the Hermitage was filled and many
rare works of art and pieces of statuary found
places in the Winter Palace and the several sum
mer residences of the Gear.
The walls on the lower floor of the palace show
its massive architecture and are devoted to the
collection of antique statuary funeral urnS and
/ other objects of ancient art The picture gallery
above is approached through a loggia containing
the most beautiful works of more modern
sculptors.
In his remarks upon the chief pieces OF the
gallery, Professor Dickinson first considered the
works of the italian school, beginning with
Leonardo da Vinci and his pupils, showing on the
screen faces which illustrated Leonardo's won
derful talent in depicting sentiments which in the
hands of his successors degenerated into the rep
reSentation of sentimentality. The works of the
remaining Italian painters in the gallery received
attention, fine examples of the pictures of Titan,
the prince of italian coOrists, being In the col
lection. The Dutch, Spanish and German schools,
as represented in the collection, were ably
treated by Professor Dickinson, all of the de-
scriptions being graphic and entertaining. He
devoted some time to q reference to the honesty
of VaesqueZ, whose portraits of the Spanish king
Philip Nv are evidently painted with scrupulons
fidelity. The gallery of the Palace of the Hermit
age is fortunate in the possession of specimens of
portraits painted by Van Dyke while in England