The information comes off the kultura-portal.ru, website of the Kultura weekly.
Deserving the closest attention is a black-figure crater,which presents, on one side, Heracles fighting a sea god, and on the other, Dionysus with his retinue. There are impressive archeological finds from Olympia, and a precious amphora. Painted by famous artist Darius of Apulia, it represents the abduction of Chrysippus by Laius-an extremely rare mythological subject in Ancient art. There is a Zeus of Dodona, bronze statue of Late Classicism. Also of major notice is a red-figure crater of the 420s B.C., representing Hermes with dancing Pans. It was in the Gotha castle museum before the war.
A part of the Berlin Museum's renowned Ancient collection was preserved during the war in a bunker near the Berlin zoo. Nazis blasted the bunker shortly before Soviet troops started storming Berlin. All reference books refer to the collection as entirely lost.
What was left of the collection were soiled and charred fragments. Soviet experts collected all and brought, in 18 crates, to Russia with the hope eventually to restore at least some, says Irina Antonova, Pushkin Museum Director General.
All WWII trophies were preserved in Russia in the utmost secrecy. The Berlin antiques were no exception.
Dr. Ludmilla Akimova, major art scholar, and Pushkin Museum artist restorers joined hands with colleagues of the Igor Grabar All-Russia Art Restoration Center, the Tretyakov Gallery and the Stroganov art school to venture on a formidable job in 1999. They restored 600 items, literally raising them from the ashes. Another 6,000 fragments are in waiting for their deft hands. The museum expects to see the project ready in several years.
The exposition will last into October 2.
