This gallery, conceived by Leo von Klenze as a prelude to the picture gallery of the Imperial Museum, is intended to remind visitors of the history of ancient art. The walls are decorated with 80 paintings on subjects from Ancient Greek myths and literary sources. The artist Georg Hiltensperger created them imitating the ancient encaustic technique - with wax-based paints on brass plates. The vaults carry bas-relief portraits of famous European artists, including the designer of the New Hermitage - Leo von Klenze. The gallery is used to display works by the outstanding Neo-Classical sculptor Antonio Canova (1757-1822) and his followers.
