Natural History Museum: vaulted ceiling

Another NatHist blip.
I took hardly any photos today: I had quite a hectic day and didn't really find time to have an amble to find something curious.
This is a vaulted ceiling right by the main entrance to the museum (as you pass into the central hall through the main entrance, there is a ceiling like this directly to your left and your right). The light on the arch on the right-hand side is from the glass doors of the main entrance...
I like the tiles and symmetry, and the way that the copper(y) detail/wire catch the light in the arches; I wish I knew what those metal strips are for (are they simply for decoration, or functional wires or structures?).

I need to check in on others' journals; I've been falling behind, but will catch up!