One of the Hermitage exhibits is the Kolyvan vase - a unique example of stone-cutting art. The "Queen of Vases", as she is called, is the largest in the world. The bowl has the shape of an ellipse, the larger and smaller diameters of which are, respectively, 5.04 m and 3.22 m. The weight of the gigantic vase is 19 tons, and the height together with the pedestal is 2.57 m. Experts are surprised at the skill of Altai stone cutters who managed to create a masterpiece from a single block of such hard but brittle material like jasper.
The history of the creation of the vase
In 1819, in Altai, in the Revnevskaya quarry, an 11-meter monolith of green-wavy jasper was found. It was discovered by the master I. S. Kolychev, who was looking for material for the manufacture of stone columns. We managed to separate a piece 8.5 m long from the block, which split in two during preliminary processing.
Most of it, a 5.6 m long block, was used to make a giant vase that was supposed to decorate one of the halls of the Hermitage.
Delivery of a lump of jasper to the Kolyvan factory.
A stone block weighing more than 19 tons had to be lowered from the mountain and delivered for processing to the Kolyvan grinding factory, located 32 km from the quarry.
Preparation of the block for moving to the factory began in 1828. Under the leadership of IS Kolychev, they carried out its "rough trimming", for which the massif was hoisted on special racks, raised above the ground by 1 m.
Promotional video:
Painting by G. K. Tarski: delivery of the monolith to the Colossal Grinding Factory for the manufacture of the "Queen of Vases".
About 1000 people (including those who were involved in clearing the road) took part in the work on the transportation of the block. Wooden drags with straps were placed under the stone. Men were harnessed to them, dragging a lump.
Tools of the 19th century stonemasons, an exhibit of the Altai Museum.
The project for making a vase, the author of which was the architect A. I. Melnikov, was approved as early as 1824, but the discussion of the details continued for several more years. From 1831 to 1843, factory craftsmen were engaged in stone trimming, ornamentation and polishing of the bowl surface.
Tools of the 19th century stonemasons, an exhibit of the Altai Museum.
Features of making a stone masterpiece
The skillful performance of such a complex work amazes even modern craftsmen. The Kolyvan stone-cutters apparently possessed special secrets of working with such an unusual material. Jasper is a very hard stone, but it cracks easily when processed. The more complex the design of the stone, the greater the risk of its destruction. The particular challenge was that the bowl was oval, not round or square.
Tools of the 19th century stonemasons, an exhibit of the Altai Museum.
Modern craftsmen claim that the existing stone-cutting machines cannot be used for processing jasper. They flatly refuse to make such a product, even a small one. Stone cutters say that this kind of work requires many, many years of grueling manual stone processing using abrasive materials.
Model of a grinding machine of the 19th century, an exhibit of the Altai Museum.
One of the archival documents preserved a record that Altai craftsmen successfully coped with the processing of such a breed, they knew exactly "how to handle it without harming the stone in case there are small cracks." There were many small cracks in the block from which the Kolyvan bowl was cut, but the Altai craftsmen were able to grind them perfectly.
Big Kolyvan jasper vase, Hermitage.
Delivery of the vase to the Hermitage
In 1843, the bowl was delivered from Kolyvan to Barnaul, and then to the Urals (special carts were used, which dragged 160-180 horses). Then it was floated on rafts along the rivers up to the Neva. Only in 1849 the Kolyvan vase was installed in the passageway of the New Hermitage building on a specially constructed pedestal. Now this place is the "Hall of the Big Vase".