This painting was inspired by memories of the Hermitage Museum. As students, Igor and Marina would spend hours wandering its silent corridors, lined with antique tapestries, imagining scenes from another era — ladies-in-waiting in sumptuous gowns passing through these halls.

Those walls have witnessed court intrigues, secrets, and quiet dramas, yet they remain silent. Two female figures engaged in a mysterious game appear like heroines from a forgotten historical novel. We are allowed only a single, fleeting glimpse; the rest of the story remains unknown.