Chapter 2209 Raphael Gallery

During the march, Mikhail introduced the Hermitage Museum to everyone, with a sense of pride in his words.

"The Hermitage Museum is one of the four largest museums in the world, alongside the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum in London, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The number of collections ranks first in the world.

This museum was originally the private official residence of Empress Catherine II. Because of her passion for art and collections, Catherine II purchased about 250 paintings from Berlin in 1764.

These include outstanding works by top masters Rembrandt, Rubens and others. After these paintings were transported to St. Petersburg, Catherine II stored them in the new wing of the Winter Palace.

The name of this newly built wing is Hermitage, which is old French and means 'hidden palace'. The Hermitage Museum got its name from this and has continued to become one of the four major museums in the world.

The Hermitage Museum is the most important landmark building in St. Petersburg, the most important art museum in Russia, and the most typical representative of Russian Baroque architecture in the eighteenth century.

Its main building is the Winter Palace, the palace of the Russian Tsar. It is located on the Winter Palace Square, adjacent to the south bank of the Neva River. It is the most dazzling pearl in St. Petersburg and the most spectacular historical building on the Neva River.

In the development of more than 200 years, the scale of the Hermitage Museum has continued to expand, and finally became a huge ancient building complex including six royal palaces with a total area of ​​more than 1.3 million square meters.

The six palaces are the Winter Palace, the Small Hermitage, the Old Hermitage, the Hermitage Reserve, the Hermitage Theater, and the New Hermitage. connected and coordinated.

Without exception, these six 18th-century Russian Baroque-style royal palace buildings are tall, majestic, unique, gorgeous and elegant, and each building is a classic.

The Hermitage Museum is not only famous for its Baroque architectural classics in various styles, but also for its extensive and rare cultural and art collections, thus ranking among the four major museums in the world.

For now, the Hermitage Museum has a collection of more than three million works of art from ancient times to the present, all over the world, including paintings, sculptures, archaeological relics, ancient coins and many other categories.

If a person visits the Hermitage Museum and wants to see all the antique works of art in the museum, even if he only stands in front of each exhibit for three minutes, it will take sixteen years.

Not counting the other five palaces, the Winter Palace alone has 1,057 rooms for displaying collections and 117 staircases. If you want to visit all 353 open exhibition halls of the museum, the journey is 22 kilometers away.

In these 353 exhibition halls, 5% of the Hermitage’s collection of all treasures are displayed. Even if you look at one piece in a minute, you will have to spend a quarter of your life without sleep if you want to see these exhibits.”

"That's right, that's why I only look at the Department of Western European Art and the Department of Oriental National Culture today and tomorrow, and I can only look at the flowers on horseback. The collection of the Hermitage is too rich, and it is impossible to see it in a short time. read"

Ye Tian continued, with a bit of regret in his tone.

"Wow! This scale is too exaggerated. It seems that visiting the Hermitage Museum and appreciating all kinds of exquisite antique works of art is also an activity that requires a lot of mental and physical energy."

David exclaimed in a low voice, as did the rest of the Valiant Exploration Company employees and security personnel, all surprised by the huge size of the Hermitage Museum.

Seeing their performance, the pride in Mikhail's eyes suddenly became stronger,

The rest of the Russians who were traveling together felt a sense of pride.

For them, the Hermitage Museum is Russia and the brightest pearl in St. Petersburg, and they are indeed worthy of their pride.

While talking, everyone has already walked up the stairs to the second floor of the museum.

What appeared in front of everyone was a resplendent and tall corridor, leading directly to the depths of the museum.

This is a typical baroque building with some Russian cultural characteristics. It is tall, magnificent, magnificent, and the color contrast between architecture and decoration is strong, giving people a strong visual impact.

In this resplendent corridor, from the ground to the walls, to the window lattices facing the river, to the ceiling, and the crystal chandeliers, almost every place and every thing radiates golden light.

The Russians used gilding and inlay techniques to completely decorate this Baroque-style corridor into a golden corridor.

The first time they saw this golden corridor, everyone stopped in unison, appreciating the scenery in front of them, and they were all shocked by it.

At the same time, Mikhail's voice kept coming, introducing this golden corridor to everyone.

"Gentlemen, what you are seeing now is one of the treasures of the Hermitage Museum, the Raphael Gallery, this beautiful gallery is a replica of the gallery of the Pope's Palace in the Vatican.

In 1775, Catherine II visited the Pope's Palace Gallery in the Vatican and visited a series of murals by Raphael. She was deeply shocked by them, and she wanted to revive the murals.

Next, she sent a painter to the Vatican for copying, copied the murals on canvas, and then brought them back to St. Petersburg, and built this golden corridor according to the Pope's Gallery in the Vatican.

This is a promenade with a complex structure, with a continuous semi-dome on the top. Various patterns are inlaid on the pillars, vaults, and end faces of the round arches, and are decorated with a large number of gold carvings.

During World War II, the authorities removed all the gold carvings here because they were worried that the Nacui German army would loot these precious gold carvings. What you see now are basically gilt carvings! "

"Even if it's just gilt carvings, they're brilliant enough that they're so breathtaking that everyone can't keep their eyes open!"

Ye Tian continued, expressing a few words of emotion.

The rest of the people were all dazzled, and they were all shocked by the extremely luxurious corridor in front of them.

After a short pause, Mikhail continued:

"Raphael's Promenade consists of thirteen parts, which are separated by tall arches. Seen from the stairway, this long corridor gives people the feeling of harmonious extension.

The decorative paintings on the walls on both sides are called grotesque paintings, which combine fantasy with the world of animals and plants. A variety of antique artworks are displayed here, mainly musical instruments, human bodies and ancient Greek statues.

On the vaulted ceiling, fifty-two Bible stories headed by "Genesis" are depicted. These oil paintings are also known as the Raphael Bible. Not far along the long corridor is the Raphael Hall.

Because some Italian black glazed pottery is displayed, the Raphael Hall is also called the Black Glazed Pottery Hall, but the most important exhibits in this exhibition hall are two paintings by the Renaissance art master Raphael.

They are Raphael's "Madonna and Child" and "Holy Family", even in the Hermitage, which is proud of the world's major museums for its collection of Western paintings, they are the treasures of the town hall.

In addition to these two treasures of the town hall, the Raphael Hall also displays several other top-level works of art, such as Lorenzo's sculpture based on Raphael's sketches, "Little Boy Died on a Dolphin",... "

Hearing this, how can everyone stand still.

The next moment, Ye Tian couldn't wait to say:

"Mikhail, let's go to the Raphael Hall now, and take a good look at the priceless top artworks. As for the Raphael Gallery and other antique artworks displayed in the gallery, come back later. appreciate.

Especially the palm-sized but famous Raphael painting, "Picture of the Virgin and Child", I have long wanted to come and appreciate it. Since I am here at the Hermitage this time, I can't miss this top art. Taste"

Not only him, but the rest of the people at the scene also had the same idea, wishing they could enter the Raphael Hall immediately and see those priceless top artworks immediately.

Mikhail looked at Ye Tian, ​​then nodded with a smile and said:

"Everyone, please come with me, let's go to the Raphael Hall and enjoy the treasures of our museum."

After speaking, Mikhail made a gesture of invitation, then led Ye Tian and the others into the Raphael corridor, and walked straight to the Raphael hall.

A few minutes later, the group of them entered the Raphael Hall.

As soon as he entered here, Ye Tian only took a look at the environment in the exhibition hall, and Ye Tian secretly complained.

"I'll go! These old men are really big-hearted, and they are so willing!"