Rotunda Gallery

The Rotunda Gallery is a reflection of the vision and taste of three important figures in the early history of the museum. These figures include Carl Brandt, the first director of Telfair, Detlef Lienau, the architect of the space, and Gari Melchers, the museum's fine arts advisor. The gallery, along with the Sculpture Gallery, was created during a renovation that took place from 1883 to 1886, transforming the Telfair mansion into an art museum. Designed by Brandt and Lienau, the Rotunda evokes the grandeur of a 19th-century European salon. Within the gallery, visitors can admire four murals created by Brandt, depicting the great practitioners of the four primary art forms: Apelles for painting, Iktinus for architecture, Praxiteles for sculpture, and Albrecht Dürer for printmaking. The inclusion of three ancient Greek artists in these murals reflects the late 19th-century admiration for classical art and culture.