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72 Section 3. BERLIN. Old Museum:
The Upper Vestibule, to which a double staircase ascends, is
adorned with a copy of the celebrated antique Warwick Vase in
England. The frescoes, also designed by Schinkel, represent the
struggle of civilised mankind against barbarians and the elements.
A fine view of the Lustgarten with its fountains, the cathedral,
the Schloss, etc., is obtained hence from between the columns.
The Old Museum contains exclusively antique works of art and
examples of applied art dating from the Grseco-Roman period.
First Floor.
The domed and vaulted * Rotunda, which we first enter, is
distinguished by the harmony and effectiveness of its proportions.
It contains the first part of the *G-allery of Sculptures, which
is chiefly indebted for its origin to Frederick the Great, who pur¬
chased at Rome the collection of Cardinal Polignac. Most of its
contents were formerly of mediocre merit, dating from the later
Roman Empire and freely restored, but the purchase of the Sahu-
row collection of Attic sculptures in 1884 and other acquisitions
have placed the gallery upon quite a different footing. The sculp¬
tures mentioned in the following description are of marble when
nothing is said to the contrary. Large Illustrated Catalogue of
the Antique Sculptures, 1891 (25 Jl); Kekule von Stradonitz, the
Greek Sculpture, 1906 (with illustrations; 5 Jl).
In the middle of the Rotunda: 1452. Lion in Pentelic marble
(4th cent. B.C.). Between the columns are decorative sculptures by
Roman artists, some freely restored. To the left: 178. Goddess
restored as Hera; 278. Satyr, after Praxiteles; 583. Hellenistic
draped statue; 215. Meleager, after a Greek work in the manner of
Scopas. To the right: 496. Roman woman praying; 587. Noble
Roman lady as Fortuna. — The Rotunda is adjoined by the North
Room (p. 73), which we traverse to the left to Room I. (inscriptions
and architectural fragments). Then follows the —
II. Archaic Room, with Greek sculptures of the 6th century B.C.
On the left: 1555. Torso of Apollo from Naxos; 1574, 1575 (and
1576, on the right), Seated female figures from Miletus; 1577. Torso
of a large female figure (standing). — On the right: *308. Bearded
head from JEgina, an admirable Attic work; 1614. Portion of a
parapet with sphinxes, from Miletus; modern coloured reproduc¬
tions of Poros sculptures (three-bodied demon and bulls' heads)
from the Acropolis at Athens; 734. Fragment of a painted stele;
1531. Fragment of the sepulchral stele of a girl, with traces of
colouring, from Attica. In a wall-cabinet: 1474. Graceful small
female head from Selinus (1st half of 5th cent.); 732, 731. Early
Spartan reliefs (hero-worship). — In the middle, volutes from the
corner of an ancient building at Miletus.