Catherine the Great: World’s Greatest Collector

Interesting online lecture from the Victoria and Albert Museum on Catherine the Great as a collector.

Andrew Price, Jewellery designer and historian, took us on a whirlwind tour of her life and how she used art works to promote her image and to use as diplomatic gifts. He had some sumptuous images. My favourite was the Apollo Desk which opened to show a stage set complete with a model of her greyhound which, when you stroked its head, opened a secret door to show an organ which played the anthem.

Most fascinating was the latter section on her building works. Who wouldn’t want an agate lined bathhouse and a long gallery of busts of Greek philosophers?  He outlined how her poor relationship with her son led to a battle over palaces with her demolishing one she’d built for him and him demolishing one she had built for her grandson six weeks after she died.

This was such conspicuous consumption you just had to admire it!

 

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