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This is the top landing of the Main Staircase in the
New Hermitage - the museum building designed by the architect Leo
von Klenze for Nicholas I in the mid-19th century. This interior is
notable for perfect proportions and refined colour scheme. The wide
staircase leads from the small vestibule decorated with dark-red columns
of Finnish granite to the ground floor. The high, perfectly polished
stucco walls imitate Siena marble. The upper gallery, brightly lit
with sunlight, is adorned with twenty columns of grey Serdobol granite
and white stucco walls. The metal ceiling covering the whole space
of the staircase is embellished with metal reliefs in the coffers.
The openwork wrought-iron grilles soften the austere character of
the staircase decor. On the landing are displayed e examples of European
sculpture of the 19th century including works by Lorenzo Bartolini
and Pietro Tenerani. Of interest are also the vases and the standard
lamps created by Russian craftsmen in the 18th and 19th centuries.
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