Torlonia marbles: An archaeology of a 19th-century antiquities collection

Matthew Symonds | The Past | 23rd April 2021

Easily the best recent piece about this “greatest private collection of ancient Roman antiquity”. The Torlonia marbles tell such human stories. Sculpture collections were initially used to prove one’s Roman heritage. They then became a means of demonstrating wealth and erudition. Radical restorations were undertaken to show modern superiority over the ancients. Oh, and the sculptures …  “of such high aesthetic quality that the visual impression is almost overwhelming.”