Cette présente étude propose d’éclairer l’apport de la France durant la première étape du développement de la galerie impériale de peintures, qui donna naissance au Musée de l’Ermitage, à Saint-Pétersbourg. C’est durant cette période que se constitue et se sanctuarise, comme nous tenterons de le démontrer, la galerie des souverains russes au sein d’un nouveau complexe palatial adossé au palais d’Hiver – siège du pouvoir –, en un établissement qui prend rapidement le nom – français – d’« ermitage ». Ce travail se divise en trois parties. Après une présentation de l’apport de la France sous Catherine II (1729-1762-1796), à travers l’étude de la construction des bâtiments de l’Ermitage d’une part, et la formation des collections d’autre part, nous traiterons ensuite des règnes de Paul Ier (1754-1796-1801) et surtout de son fils Alexandre Ier (1777-1801-1825), afin de déterminer comment ils ont géré cet héritage, en soulignant ce que ces souverains ont puisé en idées et en œuvres en France. Il reste enfin à établir, dans un troisième temps et au terme de cette première étape de l’évolution de l’Ermitage, comment la France a stimulé la mutation de la galerie impériale en un établissement tendant de plus en plus vers le musée. / This study proposes to clarify the contribution of France during the first stage of development of the Imperial Gallery of Paintings, which gave birth to the State Hermitage Museum, in Saint Petersburg. It is during this period that the gallery of the Russian sovereigns, within a new palatial complex, is gathered, organized and housed immediately just next to the Winter Palace – the seat of power – in an establishment which is quickly given the – French – name, “Hermitage.”This study is divided in three parts. First, the study will present the contribution of France under Catherine the Great (1729-1762-1796), by examining both the construction of the Hermitage’s building and the formation of the collections. Secondly, we will delve into the reigns of Paul I (1754-1796-1801) and especially his son, Alexander the Great (1777-1801-1825), in order to determine how they managed this inheritance, by highlighting how these sovereigns used the ideas and artworks from France. Finally, the study will establish, how, at the end of this first stage of the evolution of the Hermitage, France stimulated the transformation of the Imperial Gallery into an institution whose trajectory arced towards becoming a museum.

The thesis in its first part outlines in general the iconographical type of pietà and its genesis from the very beginning of the representation of this type until the end of the 14th century. Furthermore the work interprets the literary sources and its impact on the form of medieval pietàs. The emphasis in all chapters of this work will be put in the first place on the type of the so called Beautiful pietàs of the Beautiful Style. In the first, theoretical part of the work the author presents, among others, an interpretation of Beautiful pietàs' gestures. The second part of the thesis treats seven concrete Beautiful pietàs chosen as illustrative representatives of the iconographical type they belong to. The attention will be devoted to the Pietà of Marburg, Pietà of Baden, Pietà of St. Elisabeth in Wrocław, Pietà of the Kreuzenstein Castle, K ivák's Pietà, Pietà from the Hermitage Museum in Petersburg and Pietà of Celje. In the case of these concrete examples will be summarized and interpreted the existing research outputs. Subsequently the author will attempt to solve some of the problems and questions relating to the concrete sculptures concerning in particular the time of their creation, provenance, the original placement and authorship.