Exhibition "But if tobacco is so like you ..." in the Hermitage
In the Blue Bedroom (room number 307) of the State Hermitage Museum continues to work exhibition "But if tobacco is so like you ...», devoted to the culture and history of tobacco use in Europe
in the Blue Bedroom (room number 307) of the State Hermitage Museum continues to work exhibition "But if tobacco is so like you ...», devoted to the culture and history of tobacco use in Europe.
The exhibition, whose title is borrowed from an early poem by Pushkin, the first time the one hundred and twenty subjects related to the tobacco culture of Europeans XVII - beginning of XX century. It is believed that tobacco appeared in the Old World countries in the late XV century, shortly after the discovery of America, along with many new materials, customs, art objects, flowers and vegetables. There are many versions of both the title and the history of the spread of tobacco. It was cultivated as an ornamental plant, admiring flowers, grown in beds or in pots. Tobacco use as a medicinal remedy for headache, toothache, rheumatism, cough and other diseases. For centuries the tobacco culture has come a long and difficult path of existence - from the ritual action in ancient America to sverhpribylnogo goods, have conquered the world.
Snuff-box. 1724-1725
Master Daniel Govers (Guer)
France, Paris
Gold, carnelian, glass, silver, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, chasing, puntsirovanie
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Snuff-box with the monogram of Alexander I. 1800
Master Pierre Etienne Terem
Russia, St. Petersburg
Gold, enamel, diamonds, silver, coinage, guilloche
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large group of exhibits are boxes designed for storage of tobacco: tabachnitsy, tobacco pouches, snuff boxes. Last logged in human life XVIII century so strongly that even the century came to be called "the age of snuff." Snuff divided into laptops and desktops, were selected by fashion and season. Visitors can see the elegant boxes that belonged to a secular ladies and gentlemen, made of stone and tortoise-shell, ivory and porcelain, pearl and rock crystal.
A number of snuff-boxes belonging to the European monarchs: Augustus the Strong, Frederick the Great, Louis XV, as well as the Russian Emperors: Peter I and Peter II, Anna Ioanovna, Elizabeth and Catherine II, originate from the Treasure Gallery of the Hermitage. Above the creation of these precious works - portraits, monograms, allegorical and historical subject compositions - with large European masters. By the end of XVIII century snuff became the subject of collecting. Snuff-boxes made of gold and silver, decorated with precious stones, were used not only for its intended purpose, they were considered a valuable gift and are equal in importance to the awards and decorations.
special group called Soldiers of the snuffbox, Made from copper and brass and designed for storing tobacco in field conditions.
Among the exhibits are allocated for tobacco float - a rare, completely gone from the existence of the object for shredding tobacco leaves. They are made of wood, ivory, pearl, silver.
On For centuries Europeans addiction sniffing and chewing tobacco and smoking is also accompanied, which in the XIX century, has replaced the old passion. For tobacco smoking (folded leaves, crushed leaves, leaves with the addition of various herbs and other ingredients) has begun production of cigars, cigarettes, cigarettes, and their varieties. For storage of produced special cases - sigaretnitsy, cigarette, cigar boxes, which exhibited the works of masters of many countries in Western Europe and Russia.
production tubing required a special skill and understanding of the process of smoking . The exhibition shows several clay pipes found during excavations in the territory of the Winter Palace in 2006. They have survived in fragmentary state, but are important to us, as belonged to the first builders of St. Petersburg. Their concise decision contrasts with a high artistic level of the tubes made for members of the royal family. Dimensions of tubes, as well as the materials from which they are made, stories paintings and carved decoration are extremely diverse.
Complementing the exhibition indispensable attributes associated with the process of smoking - an ashtray and matchbox, lighters, various stand and cases.
The exhibition color illustrated catalog (State Hermitage Publishing House, 2010).
exhibition curator and author of introductory article directory - Olga G. Kostyuk, a leading researcher of the Department of Western European Applied Art of the State Hermitage, PhD.
exhibition runs until October 10, 2010.
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