State Hermitage, Armorial Hall | St.Petersburg, Russia

Armorial Hall – The State Hermitage Museum (Winter Palace), intended for ceremonial receptions, was created by V. P. Stasov in the late 1830s. At the entrances to the hall are sculptural groups of ancient Russian warriors with banners, on the shafts of which guards with the emblems of the Russian provinces were fixed, which determined the name of the hall. Images of the coats of arms preserved on the chandeliers. A slender colonnade bearing a balcony with a balustrade, a frieze with an ornament of acanthus leaves, and a combination of gold and white create an impression of grandeur and solemnity. In the center of the hall there is a bowl of aventurine made by Ekaterinburg stone-cutters of the 19th century.