The Dionysus Room in the New Hermitage was created for the display of ancient sculpture. Its walls were finished with dark red artificial marble that effectively sets off the marble statues. Roman decorative sculpture, that for the most part repeated Greek prototypes, once adorned gardens, libraries, galleries and porticos. The room gets its name from a large statue of Dionysus (2nd century) that belonged to Catherine II's collection in Tsarskoye Selo. Particularly noteworthy are statues of Silenus Marsyas (second half of the 3rd century B.C.) and Aphrodite (the so-called Taurida Venus).
