Dining with the Tsars
Subtitle: fragile beauty from the Hermitage
By: [authors, Elena Anisimova ... [et al.] ; translations, Debra Molnar ... [et al.]]
Contributors: Bijdendijk, Joris; Gosudarstvennyĭ Ėrmitazh (Russia); Hermitage Amsterdam
Publisher: Hermitage Amsterdam
Published: 2014
Place of publication: Amsterdam
Language: eng
Number of pages: 159
ISBN-13: 9789078653493
Subjects: Exhibitions; Russian Porcelain; Tableware; Hermitage Amsterdam
Description: The Hermitage Amsterdams fifth anniversary exhibition 'Dining with the Tsars'. Fragile beauty from the Hermitage opens on 6 September 2014. Eight magnificent porcelain and creamware services from the collection of the Hermitage in St Petersburg will be exhibited in a setting that conveys what the balls and banquets of the Tsars court were like. Visitors will imagine they are guests, in possession of a coveted imperial invitation, climbing the steps of the Winter Palace, reviewing the rules of etiquette and preparing for a festive occasion. Finally they enter the main hall where the fine porcelain dinnerware is set out in a festive display.The exquisite porcelain services, comprising no less than 1,034 pieces, exhibited on authentically laid tables with decorative centrepieces, reveal the enchanting grandeur of the Tsars banquets. The exhibition tells the story of the lavish ball and banqueting culture that reached its zenith under the reign (1762-1796) of Catherine the Great, Queen of Feasts, when hundreds of dishes would be served at a single banquet and thousands of guests attended the balls. The last tsar, Nicholas II (ruled 18941917) and his wife Alexandra, who organised the largest balls but were only present for as briefly as possible. With their abdication, the ball and banqueting customs that had once captured the imagination of all the courts of Europe came to an end.0Exhibition: Hermitage Amsterdam, the Netherlands (6.9.2014-1.3.2015).
Notes: Catalog of an exhibition held at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and the Hermitage Amsterdam, September 6, 2014-March 1, 2015.

Booklet contains 8 recipes, accompanied by color photographs, of meals prepared for royal occasions from 1881-1882. Recipes prepared by chef Joris Bijdendijk, whose brief biography, written by Srah Whitlau, is also contained within the booklet.

Includes bibliographical references.