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This room is located on the second floor of the Winter
Palace in the part originally occupied by the flats of the attending
staff. The main decorative element of the interior is the ceiling
painted in grisaille in imitation of classical ornaments. The room
houses examples of culture and art of Byzantium, the great state of
the past. Most of the exhibits originate from Constantinople, the
capital of the Empire, and from the Byzantine provinces of Asia Minor,
Syria, Palestine and Egypt. Displayed in the room are items from one
of the world's best collections of early Byzantine silver and ivories
dating from the 5th to 7th centuries. The masterpieces of the collection
include the Eucharist Dish of Paternus, made in 498 in Constantinople.
The fine silver dish belonged to Paternus, the bishop of the town
of Tomi (Constanta), and was found near Poltava in 1912. Another outstanding
exhibit is the consul diptych made in Constantinople about 500 A.D.
and representing circus scenes extremely popular in Byzantium. |
