How does this artwork elucidate its Provenance?
The painting was part of Catherine the Great's collection. The empress was a patron of the arts, literature, and education. The Hermitage Museum, which now occupies the whole Winter Palace (once Catherine's residence), began as Catherine's personal collection. The empress was a lover of art and literature, and ordered the construction of the Hermitage in 1770 to house her expanding collection of sculpture, books, and painting, among which was the Rocky Landscape with a Waterfall. By 1790, the Hermitage was home to 38,000 books, 10,000 gems and 10,000 drawings.. As the painting was part of Catherine's collection, it may be claimed that it entered the Hermitage before 1797.
Waterfall Hermitage Museum Winter Palace Catherine the Great