Where time unfurls in gold...

The child’s blue eyes widen with amazement as her blonde pigtails sway slightly from side to side when she turns her head to look at The Peacock Clock inside The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. The iconic clock was a gift to Empress Catherine II from Grigory Potemkin, a Russian defence leader and nobleman.

The workmanship of celebrated English jeweller, inventor and entrepreneur James Cox is evident in this clock, whose movement is expertly hidden behind a big mushroom displayed at the centre. There are two clock dials — the Roman figures represent hours, while the minutes are shown in Arabic figures. A dragonfly rotating at one-second intervals serves as the clock’s second hand. The child watches as the owl, the peacock and the rooster are set in motion.

While the cage rotates, the owl moves its head, opens and shuts its eyes and raises its paw. The intricate cage is adorned with little bells that play melodiously. That is the cue for the star of the clock, the peacock, to step in. It raises its regal head, opens its resplendent tail and slowly turns around before turning back and folding its tail. Just as you think the spectacle has ended, the rooster crows a few times.

The Peacock Clock is just one of the three million works of art and artefacts at The State Hermitage Museum. Since 1988, The Hermitage has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest picture gallery. It would take you 11 years to see the entire collection of this magnificent museum if you spent one minute at each exhibit and eight hours a day at the museum. Viewing the entire collection requires walking 24 kilometres. Counted among Russia’s masterpieces, the museum is one of the most well-known in the world.

The majority of the collection is housed inside the Winter Palace, the former official residence of the Romanov Tsars. Construction began in 1754 and was completed in 1762. Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, an Italian architect whose works can be seen across Russia, designed the Winter Palace in a distinguishing architectural style known as Elizabethan Baroque. There are 350 rooms housing rich exhibits. One of the largest state rooms of the Winter Palace is Saint George’s Hall, or the Great Throne Room. Saint George was the patron saint of the Russian Tsars, and the image of Saint George slaying the dragon can be seen here.

The State Rooms not only house exquisite artwork but also provide a glimpse into the grandeur of the Russian Tsars. The Diamond Room and the Gold Room contain an amazing collection of diplomatic gifts from Europe and Iran. The Diamond Room also showcases jewellery and jewel-encrusted artefacts of the Romanov Tsars.

The Twenty-Column Hall was designed as a Greek temple. You are instantly drawn to the monolithic columns made from Serdobol granite. The floor features a stone mosaic design and, as you glance at the coffered ceiling, an elaborate painted surface stares down at you. Karelian birch display cases showcase art collections acquired from ancient Italy. Vases dating back centuries and statues narrating mythology surround you in this lavish room. Room after room displays exquisite artwork by reputed painters. The sheer number of these treasures will astound you.

You continue to walk from one space to another, awed by the stunning exhibits meticulously sourced from around the world. You reach the domestic chapel, where the Imperial family attended services when they lived in the Winter Palace. You notice that there are no benches inside the chapel because attendees stand during services.

Inside the Room of the Great Vase, a Russian soldier’s green uniform mirrors the main exhibit — The Grand Kolyvan Vase, a jasper masterpiece. Counted among the largest stone vases in the world, it weighs 19 tonnes. Dwarfing humans, the green jasper vase stands 2.57 metres high. This queen of vases took 12 years to create.