At the time of the museum's opening the Entrance Hall of the New Hermitage was given over to paintings by 19th-century Russian artists. The decor of the interior features bas-relief portraits of Russian artists, sculptors and architects. Today it is used to present works by the famous Flemish artist Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), of which the Hermitage possesses 24. The collection includes all types of portraiture - the genre in which the artist attained universal fame: small, intimate, formal and commissioned. His Portrait of a Man, Self-Portrait and Portrait of Sir Thomas Chaloner are among the museum's masterpieces.
