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Roman Serdyuk

A Kerch sculptor who in 1987 led the restoration of the griffins of the Mithridat Stairs and created bowls — copies of antique vessels found during archaeological excavations.

Overview

Roman Serdyuk is a renowned Kerch sculptor. In 1987 he led the restoration project of the Great Mithridat Stairs in Kerch, during which the griffins (destroyed back in the 1850s, with contemporary engravings serving as the model) and stone bowls — copies of antique finds — were recreated. His team effectively reproduced the historical appearance of the stairs.

During the so-called "restoration" of 2017–2018 by the St. Petersburg company "Meander," Serdyuk's griffins were dismantled (February 2018), but later restored and transported to the Kerch Lapidarium.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • 1987 — led the restoration of the Great Mithridat Stairs, created the griffins and bowls.
  • Serdyuk's griffins — recreated from 19th-century engravings, became one of the main ornaments of the stairs.
  • Bowls — made as copies of antique vessels found during archaeological excavations on Mount Mithridat.
  • 2018 — dismantling of the griffins by the company "Meander"; later transported to the Kerch Lapidarium.
  • A Grave for Mithridates — an article by Ivan Klepyk ("Krymska svitlytsia", 2019, No. 45-46); the principal source.
  • Kerch — the city where the sculptor worked.
  • Panticapaeum — the antique context of the bowl prototypes-finds.