Netsuke
Thanks to this project, you will have the chance to independently work with digital models of works of art from the collection of the State Hermitage. We hope that this unique technology will provide an opportunity to take a new look at and have a new appreciation for the beauty of exhibition pieces in small detail and from rare angles.
Artists from various eras and cultures have left us an amazing legacy including, among other things, pieces of decorative and applied art: jewelry, ornamented weaponry, elements of costumes and kitchenware representing the pride of museum collections all over the world. These are often not just masterpieces remarkable for their perfection, made of filigree work, but also complete messages hidden in ornaments and the smallest of finishing elements. They can only truly be understood if held in one’s hand. After all, this is what the artists intended. When the owner would turn a chased bowl in his hand or shift a carved dagger from hand to hand, fantastical scenes of the relating story, myth or legend would come alive before him. The tiny figures, netsuke, would only begin to speak once in the hand of the curious, slowly revealing their secrets. This is now possible for you as well, thanks to the project “Hermitage under a Magnifying Glass”. With photographic accuracy, a 3D model not only conveys the color, shape, texture, patina, and fine detailing of the technique, it also allows the object to be rotated, while also zooming in and out. Welcome to the world of new technology and amazing discoveries!