GAZPROM Presents Catherine I. Painting in Portovaya

Catherine I. - Andreas Møller, 1712, oil on canvas, gilt wooden frame from the 18th century

On 9 April 2010, GAZPROM OJSC management committee chairman Alexey Miller presented a painting of Catherine I in front of Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and a variety of business and political representatives at a ceremony to mark the start of construction of the Nord Stream pipeline in Portovaya bay, Vyborg, near St. Petersburg, Russia.

The portrait was painted in 1712 and shows Empress Catherine I, who is still considered an ambassador of modern Russia, before her rise to rule. The work originates from the House of Hanover and was auctioned at Sotheby’s in 2005. It was purchased by GAZPROM Germania GmbH in November 2009.

Miller pointed out the historical significance of the portrait and the centuries of German-Russian partnership that the painting symbolizes: “Greifswald, where the portrait was painted, is today the site at which the Nord Stream pipeline goes on land in Germany.” In addition, Nord Stream’s second line is due to be completed in 2012, the 300-year anniversary of the portrait’s painting.

After the ceremony, the portrait was handed over to Mikhail Piotrovsky, the director of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg – lending the portrait the recognition of one of the most important museums in the world.