Meet the Romans. Seen in Altes Museum in Berlin

Meet the Romans (people who have lived in ancient Rome, as not all of those on photos above were native Romans). From Caesars to ordinary citizens. The busts which you can see on the photographs you can find in Berlin at the Old Museum (Altes Museum) in the Roman collection on the first floor.

The Altes Museum is one of the oldest and most significant museums in Berlin, Germany. It was built between 1823 and 1830. The museum houses a number of important collections, including the Roman Collection, which is located on the first floor. The Roman Collection is one of the most extensive collections of ancient Roman art in the world, and it includes a wide range of objects, from small figurines to large statues and architectural fragments. The Roman Collection was formed over the course of several decades, beginning in the early 19th century. Many of the objects in the collection were acquired through archaeological excavations carried out by German archaeologists in Italy, Greece, and other parts of the Mediterranean. These excavations yielded a rich treasure trove of Roman art and artifacts, which were brought back to Germany and added to the collection.

Meet the Romans. Seen in Altes Museum in Berlin

Berliner Dom. Three pictures over the main altar

Berlin Cathedral is one of those places where you don’t know what to look at. Everywhere you look, whether you look at the floor, walls, windows or ceiling, you can admire wonderful works of art.

I had less than an hour and a half to visit the Cathedral during a break between sessions of a conference I attended last year and which was held in a hotel in the immediate vicinity of the Cathedral. I could only take pictures, including as many close-ups as possible, so that I could admire the decorations later at home in peace and quiet.

Even a few weeks ago, when I processed a photo of the main altar, I was only looking at the whole picture. However, I did not look at the stained glass windows in detail.

The main altar of the Berlin Cathedral

Today I ultimately processed last photos I made inside. Among the latter, there were close-ups of the stained glass windows from the main altar. There are three of them, in order from left to right – the Birth of Christ, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. It was the latter two that Catholics and Protestants recalled last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The three windows above the main altar of the Berliner Dom were completed in 1905. They were designed by the artist Anton von Werner and produced by the Franz Mayer & Co. stained glass workshop in Munich.

Berliner Dom. Three pictures over the main altar. The triptych from the life of Christ on the stained glass windows above the main altar: the Birth, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.

Berliner Dom. Three pictures over the main altar

Seen at Altes Museum: Cupid and Psyche

A statue in Altes Museum: Cupid and Psyche. This one is a Roman Copy made around 150 AD, after a Greek original made in the 1rst century BC. A photo made in the Roman Collection of the Old Museum in Berlin.

Psyche, a mortal woman of extraordinary beauty, arouses the jealousy of Venus, the goddess of love. Venus sends her son Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with a monster as a punishment for her beauty. However, Cupid himself falls in love with Psyche but forbids Psyche to look at him. Cupid’s demand for Psyche not to see him is a way to ensure that her love is true and not based on his physical or divine appearance. Psyche disobeys and lights a lamp to see Cupid’s face as he sleeps. Cupid flees, feeling betrayed. Psyche, heartbroken, undertakes a journey to win back Cupid’s love. She has to complete a series of impossible tasks set by Venus. Her perseverance and dedication eventually lead to her being granted immortality by Jupiter, the king of the gods, and she is finally reunited with Cupid. Their marriage symbolizes the union of the love and sould (Cupid and Psyche).

Cupid and Psyche originally appeared in the ancient Greek storytelling. Later, the story was written in the 2nd century AD by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis

Seen at Altes Museum:  Cupid and Psyche