Faberge museum to open in St. Petersburg

A museum dedicated to the creator of the Faberge eggs will open in St. Petersburg's Hermitage Museum as part of festivities marking the 250th anniversary of the Hermitage in 2014, museum director Mikhail Piotrovsky said. The Museum of Peter Carl Faberge, to be housed in a refurbished exhibition hall in the western wing of the General Staff Building, will include works by Faberge and jewelry items from the Hermitage collection. From time to time private collections will also be displayed. “It will be an exhibition of the legendary Russian jeweler and his contemporaries. We will also present contemporary jewelry and works from precious and semi-precious stones,” Piotrovsky said. JTI Company, a Hermitage sponsor, will provide financial support for the Faberge museum and will also provide assistance in training museum employees. The General Staff Building, on St. Petersburg's historic Palace Square, was designed by Carlo Rossi and built in 1819-1829.