Catherine the Great towers over more than three decades of 18th century Russian history, stamping her personality on what is often regarded as Russia's Golden Age. Her reign saw the transformation of a backward and unstable empire into a major European power, with a court and a capital city whose opulance dazzled contemporary travellers. For many Catherine was a model of the enlightened monarch, a lavish patron of the arts and sciences, whose reforming zeal left no aspect of Russian life untouched. Painting, architecture, jewellery and sculpture reached new heights of sophistication as Russian and foreign artists flocked to the court. Perhaps the finest memorial to the splendour of her era is the State Hermitage Museum in Leningrad, the collection founded by Catherine herself in a magnificent palace besides the Neva. This book, showing many of the Hermitage's finest treasures, captures the spirit of Catherin's court, her lovers and her entourage. It also brings to life the work of the artists, explorers, writers, scientists, and soldiers who served Catherine. Above all, it illuminates the character of an empress dedicated to power, pleasure and the glory of Russia...