The State Hermitage in St Petersburg is one of the world's major museums of art and cultural history. Founded in the 18th century on the basis of the personal collection of Empress Catherine II, its huge collections, displayed in more than 300 rooms, reflect the development of the world art and culture from pre-historic times to the present day. This text, part of the Masterpieces series, showcases the most stunning exhibits, drawing from the Italian, Russian, German, French, Flemish, Dutch, English, Spanish, Hellenistic, Egyptian, Roman, Middle Eastern and Asian collections, detailing works by Leonardo, Giorgione, Titian, Caravaggio, Michaelangelo, Poissin, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Monet, Renoir, Matisse, Rubens, Van Dyck, Hals van Rijn, Holbein, Kandinsky, Valazquez and many more.