Russia 3 Roubles 2002 - Proof / Silver -150th Anniversary of the New Hermitage

The New Hermitage opened on February 5 (February 17 New Style) is the first public museum of the world art in Russia. The building of the New Hermitage was erected in 1839-1852 by architect Leo von Klenze specially for keeping the museum's collections of works of art. + in the centre - the statue of the Venus of Tauride (a Roman copy of the 1st - IInd centuries after the original of a Grecian sculptor of the IIId century B.C.), to the left - a lekythos in the form of the sphinx (the Vth century B.C.), to the right - a sculptural portrait of the Roman Emperor Philippus Arabs (the IIId century), the inscription at the bottom along the rim: "НОВЫЙ ЭРМИТАЖ" (THE NEW HERMITAGE) divided by the date "150" in an oval, above the date - the building of the New Hermitage. + in the centre - the Emblem of the Bank of Russia [the two-headed eagle with wings down, lower - the semicircular inscription - "БАНК РОССИИ" (BANK OF RUSSIA)] framed by a circle of dots and inscriptions along the rim: at the top - "ТРИ РУБЛЯ" (THREE RUBLES), at the bottom -the year of issue "2002", the letters to the left indicate the metal sign and the fineness, to the right - the fine metal content and the mint trade mark. + The artist: A V. Baklanov. The sculptor: A.A Dolgopolova. St. Petersburg Мint (СПМД). The edge: 300 corrugations.