The Hermitage collection of prints, drawings and miniatures consists of works by artists from almost all European countries, from the Middle Ages to the present. The pride of the collection are works by old masters such as Titian, Paolo Veronese, Rubens, van Dyck, Rembrandt, Albrecht Durer, as well as more modern masterpieces from the hands of Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet, Pablo Picasso and others.

Works are grouped in the Drawings and Miniatures Sector and the Prints Sector. Since 1948 they have been part of the Department of Western European Art. Works of this kind are too delicate to be exhibited permanently, and are mainly kept in the repository. As a consequence they tend to be less well-known than paintings by the same artists. Temporary exhibitions in the rooms of the Hermitage or in other museums enable the public to enjoy prints and drawings from the Hermitage collection.