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Reopening of the Gallery of the History of
Ancient Painting following restoration work On 7 December 2005 one of the most beautiful interiors of the New Hermitage, the Gallery of the History of Ancient Painting, was reopened to the public following restoration work. The Gallery was designed by architect Leo von Klenze to be the entrance way to the painting gallery of the Imperial Museum. His interior decoration reminds visitors of the traditions of art in Antiquity, its history and works which we know about only from the descriptions of authors living back then. The paintings built into the walls deal with subjects taken from literary sources and myths; they were executed by the German artist Georg Hiltensperger imitating the encaustic process from Antiquity - using wax-based paints on brass plates. The six paintings in the cupolas were done by Carlozzo Dusi following drawings by Hiltensperger in the Petersburg Academy of Arts. The vaults have bas-relief portraits of famous masters of European art, among them the author of the New Hermitage project. Following completion of the repair and restoration work which lasted almost two years, the Gallery awaits visitors the way it originally looked. In the process of carrying out the work, the covering of the roof over the hall was changed, the outside lanterns were replaced and glassed in and a glass covering was put over three lower lanterns; the source of leaks which had persisted for many years was eliminated. A new lighting system was installed in the hall. The windows were repaired and restored, as were the original window accessories. During the restoration work blank spaces in the vaults and in the walls between the layer of decorative finishing and the brick base were filled in; the sources of salt deposits which formed as a result of leaks were eliminated. Drawings dating from various periods which had been added to the ceilings, cupolas and walls were removed, inasmuch as they distorted the original colors and design of ornamental painting that had been done in tempera and the painted panels done in encaustic technique. Restoration was carried out on the remaining original accessories of all the door panels and missing elements were recreated. The parquet floor of the hall was restored: the elements were strengthened and gaps were filled using wood varieties corresponding to the original pieces (satinwood and plane tree). The work was carried out with great thoroughness and high professional mastery by restorers from the Special Scientific Restoration Workshops of the State Hermitage: restoration of painting - I.A. Khomchenko, V.A. Glazkov, T.V. Ronzhina; restoration of wood - V.A. Gradov, A. Romanov; restoration of metal - G.F. Soloviev; restoration of parquet floors - V.N. Blizniuk. All the restoration work was done on the basis of detailed technical research conducted by staff of the State Hermitage’s Department of Scientific and Technical Expertise of Monuments headed by A.I. Kosolapov under the guidance of staff of the State Hermitage’s Department of the History and Restoration of Architectural Monuments led by Chief Architect of the State Hermitage V.P. Lukin, together with senior researcher M.E. Ilina and Deputy Chief Architect V.V. Efimov. |
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Copyright
© 2006 State Hermitage Museum |
