Paintings in the Hermitage

The Hermitage houses the world's largest collection of French paintings. Presented here are more than 750 full-color reproductions detailing the treasures of one of the most renowned and historic collection of paintings, from the Dutch Baroque and Italian Renaissance to Spanish El Greco and French Impressionist.

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In 1765, Catherine the Great began to collect paintings of the highest quality for political as well as aesthetic reasons . Her collection was the seed that grew into one of the greatest museums in the world . Never before has such a vast number of works from this magnificent collection been published in one volume.