Greek and Roman Antiquities at the Hermitage

The collection of classical antiquities is one of the oldest and richest at the Hermitage. It holds sculpture, vases, engraved gems, bronzes and everyday objects of Ancient Greece, Rome and the Greek colonies of the Black Sea. The antiquities rooms occupy the ground floor of the New Hermitage, and the museum has devoted a long-running restoration programme to them.

Where to find it

The antiquities are on the ground floor, roughly in the range of Rooms 107–131, easy to see without climbing up to the picture galleries. Many of the interiors here are deliberately styled “after the antique” — part of the New Hermitage’s idea of a temple of the arts. Find your bearings by room number with the floor plan.

The Hall of Jupiter (Room 107)

The most spectacular room is devoted to the art of Ancient Rome. It takes its name from a colossal statue of Jupiter (late 1st century) — one of the largest antique statues in the museum, from the country villa of the Roman emperor Domitian. Around it are Roman portraits, sarcophagi and copies of Greek originals — copies through which much of Greek sculpture is known today.

The Twenty-Column Hall (Room 130)

This room is styled like an antique temple: twenty columns of solid Serdobol granite run around it. Here the art of ancient Italy is shown — Etruscan sculpture, ceramics and bronze — along with the famous collection of painted Greek vases, with their red-figure and black-figure scenes.

Greek art

Rome sits beside Greece in the collection. Many celebrated Greek statues are known today only through Roman marble copies, and the Hermitage has many — letting you picture the lost originals. A special pride is the Greek painted vases: vessels with scenes of myth, feasting and games, through which we know much of Greek daily life and belief. Beside them are graceful terracotta figurines (including “Tanagra” types), bronze, jewellery and glass.

Special mention goes to the art of the Greek colonies of the Northern Black Sea: these cities on the shores of present-day Russia and Ukraine linked the classical world with the steppe. The gold from their necropolises and from the Scythian burial mounds is set apart in a separate display — the Gold Rooms (by guided session).

Famous exhibits

• the Tauride Venus — the first antique statue to reach Russia, back in the time of Peter the Great; long an ornament of the Tauride Palace, hence the name;
• the Gonzaga Cameo — a celebrated sardonyx cameo (3rd century BC), one of the masterpieces of gem-carving; it was presented to Alexander I;
• Greek vases, Roman portraits, funerary reliefs and finds from the Black Sea colonies.

What to see first

If time is short, prioritise like this:

1. the Hall of Jupiter (107) and the colossal Jupiter — the section’s biggest “wow”;
2. the Twenty-Column Hall (130) — the “temple” interior and the Greek vases;
3. the Tauride Venus — Russia’s first antique statue;
4. the Gonzaga Cameo — a masterpiece of carving in stone;
5. the Roman portraits — the faces of people who lived two thousand years ago.

How the collection was formed

Antiquities began reaching Russia under Peter the Great and especially under Catherine the Great, who bought European sculpture collections (among them the Lyde Browne collection). Later the holdings grew with finds from excavations in the south of Russia and major 19th-century purchases. For more, see the history of the museum.

How to see it

The antiquities pair naturally with the neighbouring Egyptian Hall (also on the ground floor) — see both at the start or end of your visit. To fit them into your route, see the one-day itinerary. From the antiquity of the ground floor it is a natural step up to painting and the Italian Renaissance, which grew out of a fascination with the classical world.

FAQ

Which rooms hold the Hermitage’s classical antiquities? On the ground floor of the New Hermitage, roughly Rooms 107–131; the best known are the Hall of Jupiter (107) and the Twenty-Column Hall (130).

What is the Hall of Jupiter? A room of Roman art (107), named after the colossal statue of Jupiter from the villa of the emperor Domitian.

What should I see? The statue of Jupiter, the Tauride Venus, the Gonzaga Cameo and the collection of Greek vases.

Do I need a separate ticket? No, the antiquities rooms are included in the standard Main Museum Complex ticket.

How does Greek art differ from Roman here? Greek art is often known through Roman copies and through vases; the Roman section is strong in portraiture and monumental sculpture such as the statue of Jupiter.

This is an unofficial, informational website. The contents and availability of rooms can change (restoration, rotation) — confirm details on the official museum website.