Catherine the Great

A collector of many lovers during her 34-year reign as Czarina of Russia at the end of the 18th century, Catherine the Great collected art as well. The extraordinary treasures she amassed for her Winter Palace, which is now the Hermitage Museum, laid the foundation for one of the worlds great collections. This catalogue of an exhibition jointly sponsored by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Art Gallery of Ontario reveals the grandeur of her ambitions and highlights her acquisitions. These include paintings by Chardin, Bourdon, Le Lorrain, Tiepolo, Vien, and Boucher, among others; precious stones, often adorning items like snuff boxes, jewelry, furniture, architectural models, and many other priceless objects, shown in 210 color images here.