Russian Eighteenth-century Furniture in the Hermitage Collection

Saint Petersburg: State Hermitage Publishers, 2015. Hardcover. VG+. Color illustrated paper-covered boards. 431 pp., profusely illustrated in color. Text entirely in English. Translated by David Hicks. This publication is devoted to the State Hermitage collection from eighteenth-century Russian furniture. It is the largest collection in Russia both in the number of pieces it includes and in the variety of structural and decorative design concepts. The variety of structural and decorative design ranges from vestiges of medieval works that lingered on in the homes of gentry and wealthy peasants to the vanguard of eighteenth-century modes based on drawings by the greatest designer-architects of successive periods such as Francesco Rastrelli (1750s), Charles Cameron (1780s), and Giacomo Quarenghi (1790s). The earliest is from the reign of Peter I, when Russian furniture-making had only just begun to develop in line with fashionable European trends. The furniture of the mid-18th century (Empress Elizabeth's reign) provides clear evidence that the fanciful baroque style was reflected in place interiors. It was the reign of Catherine II that saw the heyday of Russian furniture-making: highly artistic pieces were made not only in the imperial capital, but also in many provincial cities. The largest workshops were in St. Petersburg and the furniture they produced struck contemporaries not only by its original design in the fashionable European spirit, but also by the high quality of the workmanship. The Hermitage owns a collection of unique items made in the court workshop of the celebrated furniture-maker Christian Meyer. The publication is intended for a wide circle of readers with an interest in Russian history and culture.