The Torlonia Marbles: Collecting Masterpieces

Last published in a nineteenth-century catalog, the distinguished Torlonia Collection of more than 600 priceless Greek and Roman works–marbles and bronzes, reliefs and sarcophagi, depictions of gods, and portraits of emperors–is one of the most important assemblages of classical sculptures still in private hands anywhere in the world. This eagerly awaited volume presents a selection of nearly 100 sculptures, which have been chosen for their quality and historic significance and which will be featured in an unprecedented exhibition designed by David Chipperfield and held in the Villa Caffarelli, near the Musei Capitolini in Rome, before touring globally. The legendary aura surrounding this, Rome’s last princely collection, is due not only to its extraordinary scope and the high quality of the works, but also to the fact that the collection has not been available to the public for decades.

This revelatory book features multiple essays by leading experts on the history of the collection and scholarly entries for the works detailing important discoveries made through archaeological research as well as the cleaning and conservation of the sculptures.

Salvatore Settis is the former director of the Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (1994-99) and of the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa (1999-2010), where he also taught classical archaeology and art history. He currently chairs the Scientific Council of the Musée du Louvre and has curated or co-curated a number of exhibitions.

Carlo Gasparri taught archeology and history of Greek and Roman art in the universities of Urbino (1975-90), Viterbo (1990-93) and Naples (1993-2014). He is emeritus professor of the University of Naples Federico II and has authored several books about archeology and Greek and Roman art.