96 splendidly restored antique statues from the Torlonia Collection are the stars of the show The Torlonia Marbles. Collecting Masterpieces from March 25, 2020 to January 10, 2021 at Palazzo Caffarelli, Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome.
United by their passion for art and collecting, the Torlonia Foundation and Bvlgari have collaborated to sublimate the world’s most important collection of ancient art. The President of the Torlonia Collection, Alessandro Poma Murialdo, describes the works as “the cultural heritage of humanity as much as that of the Torlonia family, to be preserved for future generations”. They have now been restored to their original splendor. Thanks to an agreement with the Torlonia Foundation, Bvlgari has contributed as principal sponsor to the restoration of 96 Greek and Roman statues from the Torlonia Collection. They will be unveiled to the public in the first stage of a worldwide exhibition tour. The Torlonia Marbles. Collecting Masterpieces running from March 25, 2020 to January 10, 2021.
The exhibition is the result of an agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Torlonia Foundation, more specifically the Ministry’s Department for Archaeology, the Arts and Historic Monuments and the Capitoline Office. The scientific project for the valorization of the Collection has been entrusted to Salvatore Settis, curator of the exhibition with Carlo Gasparri. Electa, the publishing house responsible for the catalog, is also in charge of organizing and promoting the exhibition. The scenography was designed by David Chipperfield Architects Milano.
The exhibition inaugurates a new venue: Palazzo Caffarelli, part of the Capitoline Museums, now operational again thanks to the work and support of the Capitoline Management. The restoration work provided an opportunity to deepen our knowledge of these works and their history. Indeed, several interesting discoveries were made during the work, including traces of color on the Portus Relief dating from the 3rd century BC, a major find on the family’s own property in Porto (circa 1864). The masterpieces (busts, reliefs, statues, sarcophagi and decorative elements), restored by Anna Maria Carruba, were selected from the 620-piece Torlonia Collection as outstanding examples of ancient sculpture, and for their relevance to the history of antiquities collecting.
For Jean-Christophe Babin: “A jeweller’s vocation is to transform the wonders of nature into sublime, timeless creations. So it’s only natural that we should be so enthusiastic about allowing the public to discover this heritage of ancient marbles, created by the great artists of Greek and Roman antiquity over the centuries. This restoration is a celebration of our cultural roots, of an aesthetic sensibility that we still preserve today and which makes us distinctive. We have found a motivated, passionate and highly professional partner in the Torlonia Foundation.
I’m convinced that visitors who finally get to admire up close the pure beauty and expressive power of the statues in the Torlonia Collection will leave a strong and lasting impression.”
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