International events: “Herculaneum Antiquities” exhibit underway in St. Petersburg as a part of Cultural Exchange Year for Russia and Italy

On December 17th 2011 the General Staff (The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg) launched “Herculaneum Antiquities” exhibition.

The exhibition organized by the Ministry for the Preservation of the Naples and Pompeii Cultural Heritage, Naples National Archaeology Museum and the Antiquity Department of the Hermitage completes the Russia - Italy Year programme. It includes 40 works of art discovered on the territory of the ancient city of Herculaneum destroyed by the Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD. They used to decorate the so-called Basilica, or Augusteum, a site of the imperial cult. These marble statues of the Emperors Augustus and Claudius, votive inscriptions and large frescoes became widely known in the late 18th century after the beginning of systematic archaeological excavations in Herculaneum.

The frescoes, which are Roman copies (60s and 70s AD) of ancient Greek originals depicting personages from Greek myths (Heracles, Achilles, Medea etc), have made a great impact on Russian and European artists.

The exhibition is supplied by a variety of illustrative materials.