Armorial Hall of the Winter Palace
Encyclopedia
The Armorial Hall of the Winter Palace
is a vast chamber originally designed for official ceremonies. The Armorial Hall is located between the Military Gallery
and the palace courtyard
.
The current hall was designed by Vasily Stasov
in the late 1830s, after the original hall was damaged by an extensive palace fire in 1837; it was this time that the fluted columns were gilded. Along with St George's Hall and the Nicholas Hall, it was one of the palace's main areas for entertaining. The edges of the hall are decorated with vast stucco panoplies
. In the center of the hall sits a lapidary
vase made of aventurine
from 1842.
Under the direction of Anatoly Lunacharsky, who became the Commissar of Enlightenment after the October Revolution
, the Armorial Hall was used as a concert hall, with a capacity of up to 2,000.
Today, as part of the State Hermitage Museum, this room retains its original decoration.
Winter Palace
The Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia, was, from 1732 to 1917, the official residence of the Russian monarchs. Situated between the Palace Embankment and the Palace Square, adjacent to the site of Peter the Great's original Winter Palace, the present and fourth Winter Palace was built and...
is a vast chamber originally designed for official ceremonies. The Armorial Hall is located between the Military Gallery
Military Gallery
The Military Gallery is a gallery of the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The gallery is a setting for 332 portraits of generals who took part in the Patriotic War of 1812...
and the palace courtyard
Gardens of the Winter Palace
The gardens of the Winter Palace, St Petersburg, are little known, as the great imperial palace of the Romanovs was never intended to have gardens...
.
The current hall was designed by Vasily Stasov
Vasily Stasov
Vasily Petrovich Stasov was a Russian architect.-Biography:Stasov was born in Moscow....
in the late 1830s, after the original hall was damaged by an extensive palace fire in 1837; it was this time that the fluted columns were gilded. Along with St George's Hall and the Nicholas Hall, it was one of the palace's main areas for entertaining. The edges of the hall are decorated with vast stucco panoplies
Panoply
A panoply is a complete suit of armour. The word represents the ancient Greek πανοπλια. The word παν means "all", and όπλον, "arms". Thus "panoply" refers to the full armour of a hoplite or heavy-armed soldier, i.e...
. In the center of the hall sits a lapidary
Lapidary
A lapidary is an artist or artisan who forms stone, mineral, gemstones, and other suitably durable materials into decorative items such as engraved gems, including cameos, or cabochons, and faceted designs...
vase made of aventurine
Aventurine
Aventurine is a form of quartz, characterised by its translucency and the presence of platy mineral inclusions that give a shimmering or glistening effect termed aventurescence....
from 1842.
Under the direction of Anatoly Lunacharsky, who became the Commissar of Enlightenment after the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, the Armorial Hall was used as a concert hall, with a capacity of up to 2,000.
Today, as part of the State Hermitage Museum, this room retains its original decoration.