A no-brainer for art lovers

The Romanov Coronation Coach Designed by Milon for the Royal Gobelin Factory Paris, First quarter 18th century ©The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, 2005

One must behave so that the kind love you, the evil fear you, and all respect you. – an excerpt from Catherine the Great’s diary.

Canada’s quid pro quo with St. Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum has reaped some spectacular dividends for art lovers. In exchange for assistance in cataloguing its vast trove, the Hermitage has sent its second tour of priceless works to the AGO, most of which have never been in North America before. This exhibit revolves around one of Russia’s most controversial monarchs, Catherine the Great.

Catherine (ruled 1762-1796) understood the power of image. As a foreigner (born Sophia von Anhalt-Zerbst) who had deposed her foolish, mean-spirited husband, she immediately sought credibility by styling herself as the true successor to Peter the Great (1682-1725). She also justified her rule by co-opting the growing neo-classical art movement to her own ends. In countless portraits and art objects, she portrayed herself as Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, art and war.

Art was her chief propaganda weapon: as the exhibition notes, “For Catherine, the art of power and the power of art were one and the same”. She even had Minerva’s helmet carved onto the president of the Military College’s chair (a position filled by her foremost lover, Prince Grigoriy Potemkin), so that everyone would know where his power came from.

Several pieces in the exhibit show Catherine’s close relationship with the leading philosophers of the day, such as Voltaire, Rousseau and Diderot. Denis Diderot eventually became her art buyer in Western Europe, a position that made him hated by other art collectors.

The centrepiece of this exhibit is Catherine’s coronation coach. Originally built for Peter the Great, its lavish, Rococo style was directly opposed to Catherine’s neo-classical preferences. But it played into her need for spectacle, and it also aligned her with one of Russia’s most beloved monarchs.

For Catherine, art was a source of genuine pleasure, as well as a propaganda weapon. She loved to collect cameos (gemstones with scenes carved into them), a “fever” she shared with one of her many lovers, Alexander Lanskoy. Over her lifetime, she acquired 4,000 paintings by such masters as Nicolas Poussin and Anton Mengs (a special favourite). Her collection forms the nucleus of the Hermitage’s treasures.

To call this a spectacular collection of art is like saying the sky is blue. Catherine had exquisite taste, and encouraged the arts in her native Russia. The exhibition also features favourite pieces of furniture, such as her writing desk, and models for projects (several etchings and paintings recount the work behind the famous Bronze Horseman, her tribute to Peter the Great). For true art lovers, this exhibit is a no-brainer.