The Hermitage - First Floor - Room 26

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The Hermitage is why I came to StPB and I will concentrate on just that. Anything else will be gilding the Lily.

Have now been to the Hermitage three times and have successfully covered the first floor. The East Asian section was closed on my third visit. It may be that more 'guards' are needed in high traffic areas today. There were hordes of people coming into the place via the front entrance this Saturday . I did not see how many people came into the group entrance but the cloak room for The Friends of the Hermitage was quite full.

I make an attempt to be there at 10:30 when it opens but have yet to accoplish the feat. It was past 11:30 today. I took pictures of the huge figures holding up the portico. On entering I stopped to talk to the woman who works at the kiosk inside the Friends entrance.

Today's task was to finish the Caucasus and earliest Eurasian art and culture. The most important in this group includes the Antiquities from Siberia.
While passing thru the early Eurasian cases many earings are on display. How were earholes made?

A display about Urartu, a group that lasted from the 13th to the 8th century B.C. but had died out by 640 B.C. for no known cause. It is believed that Armania occupies the area now even though only one tenth of the size of ancient Armenia remains. In this area in 1202 the largest parchment manuscript had been produced. The Mush Homiliary was sized 65x50cm, weighed 32kg. Had 600 pages and was made of specially treated calfskin. Each page was one skin. The most striking colour used on the parchment was used Ararat cochineal (vortan karmir) like royal purple and made from insects that were found in Ararat Valley on the banks of the Arax. This info was gleaned from a pillar that houses an IBMcomputer full of info. Hours could be spent just clicking the NEXT arrow.

At the Internet Cafe there are twenty such computers with seat, rolling ball istrad of mouse or touch pad and masses of info about the Ancient World, History of Art, The Bible in Art, Magical Mechanisims and The Hermitage. In all there is 62 hours of MultiMedia Training Curricula available. I have already spent an hour and a half playing with the pictures and info all about the Emperors and the construction and update of the Hermitage

There have been five Winter Palaces built.In 1837 there was a huge fire nad the Palace was redone in 15 months. There ae 1057 rooms equalling 46.000 m squared, 117 staircases,1786 doors,1945windows and two kilometers of main cornice around the building. The Palace is built in a square with a courtyard in the centre. It has been the residence of the Romanovs for 150 years.The Palace is heated by a hot air duct system that still provides the heat in the halls and rooms today. Metal ceiling beams kept the tsars safe. The telephone was installed in 1882 and electricity in the form of the electric arc candle came in 1884. The 900 day Siege of Leningrad in 1941 had a devastating effect on the People of StPB, the City and the Hermitage ... but that is a whole other story.

The Egyptian Treasures, the Roman Statues, the Sumerian Warriors, the Prehistoric Relics, the Bronze Age Utensils, the textiles, weaving tools and jewelleries of all these ages were fantastic, one of a kind items not previously seen. And yet ...

ROOM 26, First Floor, Siberian Antiquities is the most amazing, jaw dropping presentation of ancient artifacts ever. Never, nowhere have I seen anything like it. The surprise of the jade collection in the back room of the City Museum in Sheffield England; ivory pieces in the Vatican; woven feather cloaks in the Anthropological Museum in Mexico City; Van Gogh's Japanese prints; the two Terra Cotta Warriors on display in Michigan; Monet's Lilies; have all at one time been at the top of my OH MY GOD! List.

November 14, 2009 that changed. The things I saw in Room 26 has made my trip to StPB. I will still see Impressionists, some de Vincis, furniture, costumes, architecture and statues but nothing will surpass the beauty of the work done by these ancient nomads of the Altai from the 5th to the 4th century B.C.

The material they worked with was wool, wood, horn, gold, leather, bronze, felt, silver, feather, fur and clay. On display are vessels made of wood with a branch carved into a handle; a two tined iron fork and knife in a scabbard; a wooden pillow carved into a shape resembling a large flat peanut; very very finely knitted braid cases; felt stockings with the toes gathered in much the same way as my Cree moccasins are sewn;harness and masks for horses made of leather, fur and wood; intricate renditions of moose, tigers and griffen; boar fangs wre drilled and covered in gold and made into a necklace; horse tails were wrapped in gold bands; there are samples of knitted textiles, a silk pouch and twill weave; bronze cauldrons stand 60 cm high;battle axes and buckles are made of bronze; very tiny argilite beads make a necklace; birch bark quiver; chain mail; wooden saddle; iron arrow heads; a fire drilling set including a whetstone and a kochedyk ... tool for making knots; iron stirrups and hopple clasps. The area excavated by Sergey Rudenko between 1950-54 was Pazyryk Barrows, ArzhanI and ArzhanII lying on the banks of the Karakol and Ursul in the Central Altai. All the barrows had been looted. The majority of artifacts that survived have to do with the horse burial culture. The objects are so well preserved because they were buried in permafrost.

Again such profound examples of creative sophistication, such attention to detail and such intricate accomplishments in the execution of these masterpieces makes me wonder where the decendants of these artisans are and what else is to be found.

Having overcome my amazement, the tour continued. The rooms that house the collections and the corridors passed thru are as impressive as the artifacts themselves. Because all info is written in Russian and only the obvious is recorded in english ... Boars Tusks... Anklet ... Serpentine Beads ...Bronze Spear ... one doen't get much of the story. In some areas there are the pillar IBM computers but not everywhere .... and then its only one pillar. Have only seen one place where the cardboard placards are present in various languages.

The Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals is a special exhibit sponsered by Kuwait. Lots of knives, pendants, archery rings, bowls, turban embellishments and Katar daggers all done in the Kundan technique ..??? Emeralds, rubies, pearls and diamonds encrust everything. Nephrite jade is sculpted into knife handles and the two sided tops of crutches. The sizes of the jewels is phenominal: a six times incribed Balas ruby at 249.3 carats, a sapphire of 106.6 carats, an aquamarine at 87.7 carats, a diamond at 22.6 carats, an emerald necklace totalling 518.8 carats and another emerald the size of a golf ball ... no carats given.

Also in the same hallway is a temporary exhibit of contemporary art from England ... some way out ... some arresting and interesting i.e. Sandanistas on a rockcliff and a crashed plane in the jungle ... both canvases by Jonathan Waterbridge; a fine line drwing of Temple Bar being moved to behind St. Pauls to Paternoster and The Swarm by Tessa Farmer. She has suspended dried insects on fish line and created little characters that do battle with the insects. The most interesting is the dragonfly being ridden by five little wire figures.

I bought a book today all about the Hermitage. If I am lucky it will catch a ship soon. If unlucky it could take a while to get to Canada ... six months was a quote.
Room 26, First Floor, Hermitage.


The Hermitage is why I came to StPB and I will concentrate on just that. Anything else will be gilding the Lily.

Have now been to the Hermitage three times and have successfully covered the first floor. The East Asian section was closed on my third visit. It may be that more 'guards' are needed in high traffic areas today. There were hordes of people coming into the place via the front entrance this Saturday . I did not see how many people came into the group entrance but the cloak room for The Friends of the Hermitage was quite full.

I make an attempt to be there at 10:30 when it opens but have yet to accoplish the feat. It was past 11:30 today. I took pictures of the huge figures holding up the portico. On entering I stopped to talk to the woman who works at the kiosk inside the Friends entrance.

Today's task was to finish the Caucasus and earliest Eurasian art and culture. The most important in this group includes the Antiquities from Siberia.
While passing thru the early eurasian cases many earings are on display. How were earholes made?

A display about Urartu, a group that lasted from the 13th to the 8th century B.C. but had died out by 640 B.C. for no known cause. It is believed that Armania occupies the area now even though only one tenth of the size of ancient Armenia remains. In this area in 1202 the largest parchment manuscript had been produced. The Mush Homiliary was sized 65x50cm, weighed 32kg. Had 600 pages and was made of specially treated calfskin. Each page was one skin. The most striking colour used on the parchment was used Ararat cochineal (vortan karmir) like royal purple and made from insects that were found in Ararat Valley on the banks of the Arax. This info was gleaned from a pillar that houses an IBMcomputer full of info. Hours could be spent just clicking the NEXT arrow.

At the Internet Cafe there are twenty such computers with seat, rolling ball istrad of mouse or touch pad and masses of info about the Ancient World, History of Art, The Bible in Art, Magical Mechanisims and The Hermitage. In all there is 62 hours of MultiMedia Training Curricula available. I have already spent an hour and a half playing with the pictures and info all about the Emperors and the construction and update of the Hermitage

There have been five Winter Palaces built.In 1837 there was a huge fire nad the Palace was redone in 15 months. There ae 1057 rooms equalling 46.000 m squared, 117 staircases,1786 doors,1945windows and two kilometers of main cornice around the building. The Palace is built in a square with a courtyard in the centre.It has been the residence of the Romanovs for 150 years.The Palace is heated by a hot air duct system that still provides the heat in the halls and rooms today. Metal ceiling beams kept the tsars safe. The telephone was installed in 1882 and electricity in the form of the electric arc candle came in 1884. The 900 day Siege of Leningrad in 1941 had a devastating effect on the People of StPB, the City and the Hermitage ... but that is a whole other story.

The Egyptian Treasures, the Roman Statues, the Sumerian Warriors, the Prehistoric Relics, the Bronze Age Utensils, the textiles, weaving tools and jewelleries of all these ages were fantastic, one of a kind items not previously seen. And yet ...

ROOM 26, First Floor, Siberian Antiquities is the most amazing, jaw dropping presentation of ancient artifacts ever. Never, nowhere have I seen anything like it. The surprise of the jade collection in the back room of the City Museum in Sheffield England; ivory pieces in the Vatican; woven feather cloaks in the Anthropological Museum in Mexico City; Van Gogh's Japanese prints; the two Terra Cotta Warriors on display in Michigan; Monet's Lilies; have all at one time been at the top of my OH MY GOD! List.

November 14, 2009 that changed. The things I saw in Room 26 has made my trip to StPB. I will still see Impressionists, some de Vincis, furniture, costumes, architecture and statues but nothing will surpass the beauty of the work done by these ancient nomads of the Altai from the 5th to the 4th century B.C.

The material they worked with was wool, wood, horn, gold, leather, bronze, felt, silver, feather, fur and clay. On display are vessels made of wood with a branch carved into a handle; a two tined iron fork and knife in a scabbard; a wooden pillow carved into a shape resembling a large flat peanut; very very finely knitted braid cases; felt stockings with the toes gathered in much the same way as my Cree moccasins are sewn;harness and masks for horses made of leather, fur and wood; intricate renditions of moose, tigers and griffen; boar fangs wre drilled and covered in gold and made into a necklace; horse tails were wrapped in gold bands; there are samples of knitted textiles, a silk pouch and twill weave; bronze cauldrons stand 60 cm high;battle axes and buckles are made of bronze; very tiny argilite beads make a necklace; birch bark quiver; chain mail; wooden saddle; iron arrow heads; a fire drilling set including a whetstone and a kochedyk ... tool for making knots; iron stirrups and hopple clasps. The area excavated by Sergey Rudenko between 1950-54 was Pazyryk Barrows, ArzhanI and ArzhanII lying on the banks of the Karakol and Ursul in the Central Altai. All the barrows had been looted. The majority of artifacts that survived have to do with the horse burial culture. The objects are so well preserved because they were buried in permafrost.

Again such profound examples of creative sophistication, such attention to detail and such intricate accomplishments in the execution of these masterpieces makes me wonder where the decendants of these artisans are and what else is to be found.

Having overcome my amazement, the tour continued. The rooms that house the collections and the corridors passed thru are as impressive as the artifacts themselves. Because all info is written in Russian and only the obvious is recorded in english ... Boars Tusks... Anklet ... Serpentine Beads ...Bronze Spear ... one doen't get much of the story. In some areas there are the pillar IBM computers but not everywhere .... and then its only one pillar. Have only seen one place where the cardboard placards are present in various languages.

The Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals is a special exhibit sponsered by Kuwait. Lots of knives, pendants, archery rings, bowls, turban embellishments and Katar daggers all done in the Kundan technique ..??? Emeralds, rubies, pearls and diamonds encrust everything. Nephrite jade is sculpted into knife handles and the two sided tops of crutches. The sizes of the jewels is phenominal: a six times incribed Balas ruby at 249.3 carats, a sapphire of 106.6 carats, an aquamarine at 87.7 carats, a diamond at 22.6 carats, an emerald necklace totalling 518.8 carats and another emerald the size of a golf ball ... no carats given.

Also in the same hallway is a temporary exhibit of contemporary art from England ... some way out ... some arresting and interesting i.e. Sandanistas on a rockcliff and a crashed plane in the jungle ... both canvases by Jonathan Waterbridge; a fine line drwing of Temple Bar being moved to behind St. Pauls to Paternoster and The Swarm by Tessa Farmer. She has suspended dried insects on fish line and created little characters that do battle with the insects. The most interesting is the dragonfly being ridden by five little wire figures.

I bought a book today all about the Hermitage. If I am lucky it will catch a ship soon. If unlucky it could take a while to get to Canada ... six months was a quote.
Room 26, First Floor, Hermitage.


The Hermitage is why I came to StPB and I will concentrate on just that. Anything else will be gilding the Lily.

Have now been to the Hermitage three times and have successfully covered the first floor. The East Asian section was closed on my third visit. It may be that more 'guards' are needed in high traffic areas today. There were hordes of people coming into the place via the front entrance this Saturday . I did not see how many people came into the group entrance but the cloak room for The Friends of the Hermitage was quite full.

I make an attempt to be there at 10:30 when it opens but have yet to accoplish the feat. It was past 11:30 today. I took pictures of the huge figures holding up the portico. On entering I stopped to talk to the woman who works at the kiosk inside the Friends entrance.

Today's task was to finish the Caucasus and earliest Eurasian art and culture. The most important in this group includes the Antiquities from Siberia.
While passing thru the early eurasian cases many earings are on display. How were earholes made?

A display about Urartu, a group that lasted from the 13th to the 8th century B.C. but had died out by 640 B.C. for no known cause. It is believed that Armania occupies the area now even though only one tenth of the size of ancient Armenia remains. In this area in 1202 the largest parchment manuscript had been produced. The Mush Homiliary was sized 65x50cm, weighed 32kg. Had 600 pages and was made of specially treated calfskin. Each page was one skin. The most striking colour used on the parchment was used Ararat cochineal (vortan karmir) like royal purple and made from insects that were found in Ararat Valley on the banks of the Arax. This info was gleaned from a pillar that houses an IBMcomputer full of info. Hours could be spent just clicking the NEXT arrow.

At the Internet Cafe there are twenty such computers with seat, rolling ball istrad of mouse or touch pad and masses of info about the Ancient World, History of Art, The Bible in Art, Magical Mechanisims and The Hermitage. In all there is 62 hours of MultiMedia Training Curricula available. I have already spent an hour and a half playing with the pictures and info all about the Emperors and the construction and update of the Hermitage

There have been five Winter Palaces built.In 1837 there was a huge fire nad the Palace was redone in 15 months. There ae 1057 rooms equalling 46.000 m squared, 117 staircases,1786 doors,1945windows and two kilometers of main cornice around the building. The Palace is built in a square with a courtyard in the centre.It has been the residence of the Romanovs for 150 years.The Palace is heated by a hot air duct system that still provides the heat in the halls and rooms today. Metal ceiling beams kept the tsars safe. The telephone was installed in 1882 and electricity in the form of the electric arc candle came in 1884. The 900 day Siege of Leningrad in 1941 had a devastating effect on the People of StPB, the City and the Hermitage ... but that is a whole other story.

The Egyptian Treasures, the Roman Statues, the Sumerian Warriors, the Prehistoric Relics, the Bronze Age Utensils, the textiles, weaving tools and jewelleries of all these ages were fantastic, one of a kind items not previously seen. And yet ...

ROOM 26, First Floor, Siberian Antiquities is the most amazing, jaw dropping presentation of ancient artifacts ever. Never, nowhere have I seen anything like it. The surprise of the jade collection in the back room of the City Museum in Sheffield England; ivory pieces in the Vatican; woven feather cloaks in the Anthropological Museum in Mexico City; Van Gogh's Japanese prints; the two Terra Cotta Warriors on display in Michigan; Monet's Lilies; have all at one time been at the top of my OH MY GOD! List.

November 14, 2009 that changed. The things I saw in Room 26 has made my trip to StPB. I will still see Impressionists, some de Vincis, furniture, costumes, architecture and statues but nothing will surpass the beauty of the work done by these ancient nomads of the Altai from the 5th to the 4th century B.C.

The material they worked with was wool, wood, horn, gold, leather, bronze, felt, silver, feather, fur and clay. On display are vessels made of wood with a branch carved into a handle; a two tined iron fork and knife in a scabbard; a wooden pillow carved into a shape resembling a large flat peanut; very very finely knitted braid cases; felt stockings with the toes gathered in much the same way as my Cree moccasins are sewn;harness and masks for horses made of leather, fur and wood; intricate renditions of moose, tigers and griffen; boar fangs wre drilled and covered in gold and made into a necklace; horse tails were wrapped in gold bands; there are samples of knitted textiles, a silk pouch and twill weave; bronze cauldrons stand 60 cm high;battle axes and buckles are made of bronze; very tiny argilite beads make a necklace; birch bark quiver; chain mail; wooden saddle; iron arrow heads; a fire drilling set including a whetstone and a kochedyk ... tool for making knots; iron stirrups and hopple clasps. The area excavated by Sergey Rudenko between 1950-54 was Pazyryk Barrows, ArzhanI and ArzhanII lying on the banks of the Karakol and Ursul in the Central Altai. All the barrows had been looted. The majority of artifacts that survived have to do with the horse burial culture. The objects are so well preserved because they were buried in permafrost.

Again such profound examples of creative sophistication, such attention to detail and such intricate accomplishments in the execution of these masterpieces makes me wonder where the decendants of these artisans are and what else is to be found.

Having overcome my amazement, the tour continued. The rooms that house the collections and the corridors passed thru are as impressive as the artifacts themselves. Because all info is written in Russian and only the obvious is recorded in english ... Boars Tusks... Anklet ... Serpentine Beads ...Bronze Spear ... one doen't get much of the story. In some areas there are the pillar IBM computers but not everywhere .... and then its only one pillar. Have only seen one place where the cardboard placards are present in various languages.

The Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals is a special exhibit sponsered by Kuwait. Lots of knives, pendants, archery rings, bowls, turban embellishments and Katar daggers all done in the Kundan technique ..??? Emeralds, rubies, pearls and diamonds encrust everything. Nephrite jade is sculpted into knife handles and the two sided tops of crutches. The sizes of the jewels is phenominal: a six times incribed Balas ruby at 249.3 carats, a sapphire of 106.6 carats, an aquamarine at 87.7 carats, a diamond at 22.6 carats, an emerald necklace totalling 518.8 carats and another emerald the size of a golf ball ... no carats given.

Also in the same hallway is a temporary exhibit of contemporary art from England ... some way out ... some arresting and interesting i.e. Sandanistas on a rockcliff and a crashed plane in the jungle ... both canvases by Jonathan Waterbridge; a fine line drwing of Temple Bar being moved to behind St. Pauls to Paternoster and The Swarm by Tessa Farmer. She has suspended dried insects on fish line and created little characters that do battle with the insects. The most interesting is the dragonfly being ridden by five little wire figures.

I bought a book today all about the Hermitage. If I am lucky it will catch a ship soon. If unlucky it could take a while to get to Canada ... six months was a quote.

Have cooked my cabbage and potato ... borscht is next .... have to figure out what sour cream is in rUSSIAN ... WISH THAT WERE THE LEAST OF MY LANGUAGE PROBLEMS.

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Photos

Line Ups Endless
The wait is a good reason for buying the membership to the Hermitage

Room 26 - 2
These are bronce works of art.

Room 26 - 3
Wooden carving ... too fantastic ... moose ion mouth of predator.

Room 26- 4
THE most amazing rendition of a moose .... its the 4th century BC!

The Hermitage at Five
My carriage awaits....

Crossing a Canal to Get Back
There are numerous canals here in aStPB...it was originally marsh land ... it has been considered the venice of the North