Romanov Throne

Coming from Chicago, I have been blessed with the great good fortune to have a world-class art museum available to me at all times. I have been smart enough to take advantage of that location and I somtimes rue the fact that I have not done so often enough.

At any rate, one of the things interesting about the Art Institute of Chicago is the building itself. In St. Petersburg, the world-famed Hermitage is also as much a work of art as the collection. One image of the lacey-look ceiling backs up that claim.

Another interesting thing about the AIC is their collection of armor and medieval weaponry. Filling a transitional gallery that most patrons go through, many people wonder about such items being in an art museum. But of course they belong. And in the Hermitage, there is a large throne room featuring a throne of the Romanovs. Also clearly a work of art, but not necessarily what art patrons usually expect to see.

Some paintings from the Hermitage collection in the next post.