The STaTe hermiTage muSeum annual reporT

major constructIon anD restoratIon major constructIon anD restoratIon
reSToraTion of The Jordan STaircaSe
In 2010 the Hermitage conducted comprehensive complex
restoration work on the Jordan Staircase. The specialists
restored the grisaille glue paintings on the concave surfaces
on the ceiling where it meets the walls; they took care of
the sculptures, moulded decor, marble flights of stairs and
railings; lost gilding was reproduced. They removed dirt
from the painted plafond Gods on Olympus by eighteenthcentury
Italian artist Gaspar Diziani; the pigment layer was
strengthened, later-date retouches were removed, the varnish
layer was regenerated and lost paint reproduced.
Owing to the restorers’ sparing approach, they succeeded
in retaining the original stucco of the walls and their
moulded decor, as well as the windows and doors with their
original fittings and mountings dating from the 1830s, as
well as mirrors with silver amalgam and the old gilt of decorative
details, which was strengthened, with lost parts reproduced
with gold leaf, in full conformity with the original.
The old lighting fixtures, such as chandeliers and sconces,
were restored and refitted with bulbs. All the utility and
electricity lines were replaced and burglar and fire alarm
systems were refurbished. The work was performed by the
LLC PCF Design-Optimum Prof under supervision by the
Hermitage Restoration and Repairs Department, Department
of the History and Restoration of Architectural Monuments,
KGIOP (Committee for State Protection of Monuments
of History and Culture) and Rosokhrankultura
(Federal Service for the Protection of Cultural Heritage).
reSToraTion of parQueTry
In 2010 parquet floor restoration was carried out in the
Rembrandt Room, in rooms 168–173 (Russian Culture
in the Second Half of the 18th Century), in the Gallery
of Numismatics, in the Oriental Gallery, in rooms 314 and
323–332 (French Art in the Early 19th and in the 20th
Centuries) and in the Knights Room. The area of restored
parquetry totals 2,831 sq. m.
In the Rembrandt Room, 80% of the area of its art parquetry
floor (composed of such valuable woods as beech,
ash and amaranth) was damaged in consequence of the
wear and tear of the protective layer of varnish.
In rooms 168–173 (Russian Culture in the Second Half of
the 18th Century), the depth of worn-out parquet reached
0.5 mm – while the floor was of a complex geometric design
and consisted of parts of valuable woods (such as ebony,
oak, mahogany, boxwood, amaranth, walnut, lemon,
rosewood, ash and birch).
The mosaic parquet floor of the Knights Room made
of valuable woods (such as beech, ash, sycamore, mahogany,
satinwood, ebony and merbau) developed cracks and
reconSTrucTion of The air heaTing SySTem of The winTer palace
In the course of implementing the programme entitled
“Reconstruction of Air Heating System Centres in the
State Hermitage” an appropriate plan was worked out in
2008; in 2009–2010 heat generation centre No 13, which
is designed for St. George’s Hall and the Room of Egypt,
both located in the eastern part of the Winter Palace, was
reconstructed.
When operating the said centre, it was very difficult to meet
the climatic requirements in the rooms because every time
air of right temperatures was delivered to St. George’s Hall
on the first floor, the ground-floor Room of Egypt experienced
temperatures considerably higher than admissible.
Conversely, when the Hall of Egypt on the ground floor
had normal temperatures, St. George’s Hall suffered from
dropping temperatures.
In view of the circumstances, it was decided to divide the
zone covered by the heating unit into two parts and simultaneously
reconstruct the old heating centre and install an
additional heating centre, No 13A, which should prepare
air and deliver it to the Room of Egypt alone.
To accommodate the extra heating unit, repair was done
to an appropriate room in the basement and an additional
intake of outdoor air was arranged through a window
opening on to Black Drive (Church Pit).
The functions of the existing ventilation ducts were revised
so that now some of them served the purpose of recirculation;
a new duct was made and an air distribution grid was
dents caused by moisture and dirt and loss of adhesion
to the foundation. In the course of restoration the specialists
strengthened the foundation of the floor (including
the sleepers, subfloor boards; additional supports were
made and installed as well). Seams and cracks in the patterned
parquets were filled with thin strips of wood; geometric
elements of the designs laid in and attached with
glue. The reproduction of those details of the pattern
that were no longer fit for use was carried out with blanks
strictly corresponding to the dimensions and the wood
type of the original in strict conformity with the restoration
rules. After that the parquet was covered with protective
layers of wear-resistant varnish in accordance with the
method approved by the Committee for State Control, Use
and Protection of Monuments of History and Culture.
On the part of the Hermitage, supervision over the restoration
was carried out by the museum’s Department of Chief
Mechanic. The following companies participated in the
parquetry restoration work: LLC Parquet-Hall, LLC Intarsia,
LLC Yantarnaya Priad and LLC Parketny Mir.
installed to send part of the appropriately heated air into
the Hall of Apollo. In St. George’s Hall, the sizes of openings
in the walls were increased so as to let in more air
from the ventilation ducts at the normal rate of its inflow.
In the Egyptian Room some of the ducts were blocked to
provide a transit air flow to the first floor, into St. George’s
Hall. In both halls decorative brass grids modelled on their
originals were installed (together with regulation grids).
All the intra-wall ducts in this zone of the museum were
cleaned from dust and appropriately processed.
The work performed makes it possible to maintain the required
temperature levels every season of the year.
During the reconstruction of the old heating centre and
the installation of the new one, the Hermitage used up-todate
energy equipment manufactured by these companies:
Rosenberg (ventilation), Grundfoss, Danfoss and Brouen
(plumbing), ABB (power plant), Siemens (automation)
and Munters (cell pack humidifiers).
The system of automatic control over the heating centres
is connected to the central server of the Visonic network,
which enables the operator to manage the work of the
heating centres and regulate the characteristics of the air
right from the central energy control panel.
The work was carried out under supervision of the Restoration
and Repairs Department and the Department of the
Chief Power Engineer.
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