The history of the museum can be traced to 1471, when
Pope Sixtus IV donated a collection of important ancient
bronzes to the people of Rome and located them on the Capitoline Hill. Since then, the museums' collection has grown to include many
ancient Roman statues, inscriptions, and other artifacts; a collection of
medieval and
Renaissance art; and collections of
jewels,
coins, and other items. The museums are owned and operated by the municipality of
Rome.
Opened to the public in 1734 under
Clement XII, the Capitoline Museums are considered one of the oldest museums in the world, understood as a place where art could be enjoyed by all and not only by the owners.[1][2]
In 2016, the museum enclosed several of its nude statues in white-colored wooden panels ahead of a meeting between
Iranian president
Hassan Rouhani and Italian Prime Minister
Matteo Renzi that it hosted. The move was criticized by Italian Culture Minister
Dario Franceschini as "incomprehensible," while the museum said that it had done so following a request from the prime minister's office, although Franceschini said that the government had not been informed of the matter in advance. Rouhani also denied asking Italian officials to cover up the artefacts but expressed his thanks to his hosts for making his visit "as pleasant as possible".[3]
Buildings
This section contains collections sorted by building, and brief information on the buildings themselves. For the history of their design and construction, see
Capitoline Hill#Michelangelo.
The Capitoline Museums are composed of three main buildings surrounding the Piazza del Campidoglio and interlinked by an underground gallery beneath the piazza.
The three main buildings of the Capitoline Museums are:
Palazzo Senatorio, built in the 12th century and modified according to Michelangelo's designs;
Palazzo Nuovo, built in the 17th century with an identical exterior design to the Palazzo dei Conservatori, which it faces across the piazza.
In addition, the 16th century
Palazzo Caffarelli-Clementino, located off the piazza adjacent to the Palazzo dei Conservatori, was added to the museum complex in the early 20th century.
Palazzo dei Conservatori
The collections here are ancient sculpture, mostly Roman but also
Greek and
Egyptian.
Main staircase
Features the relief from the honorary monument to
Marcus Aurelius.
2nd floor
The second floor of the building is occupied by the Conservator's Apartment, a space now open to the public and housing such famous works as the
bronze she-wolf nursing
Romulus and Remus, which has become the emblem of Rome. The Conservator's Apartment is distinguished by elaborate interior decorations, including
frescoes,
stuccos,
tapestries, and carved ceilings and doors.
3rd floor
The third floor of the Palazzo dei Conservatori houses the Capitoline Art Gallery, housing the museums' painting and applied art galleries. The Capitoline Coin Cabinet, containing collections of
coins,
medals,
jewels, and
jewelry, is located in the attached Palazzo Caffarelli-Clementino.
Palazzo Nuovo
Statues, inscriptions,
sarcophagi, busts,
mosaics, and other ancient Roman artifacts occupy two floors of the Palazzo Nuovo.
In the Hall of the Galatian can also be appreciated the marble statue of the "
Dying Gaul" also called "Capitoline Gaul" and the statue of Cupid and Psyche. Also housed in this building are:
The colossal statue restored as
Oceanus, located in the museum courtyard of this building
A fragment of the Tabula Iliaca located at the Hall of the Doves
The Galleria di Congiunzione is located beneath the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the piazza itself, and links the three palazzos sitting on the piazza. The gallery was constructed in the 1930s. It contains in situ 2nd century ruins of ancient Roman dwellings, and also houses the Galleria Lapidaria, which displays the Museums' collection of
epigraphs.
New wing
The new great glass covered hall — the Sala Marco Aurelio — created by covering the Giardino Romano is similar to the one used for the
Sala Ottagonale and
British Museum Great Court. The 1996 design is by the architect
Carlo Aymonino. Its volume recalls that of the oval space designed by Michelangelo for the piazza.
Its centerpiece is the bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, which was once in the centre of Piazza del Campidoglio and has been kept indoors ever since its modern restoration. Moving these statues out of the palazzo allows those sculptures temporarily moved to the
Centrale Montemartini to be brought back. It also houses the remaining fragments of the
bronze colossus of Constantine and the archaeological remains of the
tuff foundations of the temple of Capitoline Jupiter, with a model, drawn and computer reconstructions and finds dating from the earliest occupation on the site (in the mid Bronze Age: 17th-14th centuries B.C.) to the foundation of the temple (6th century BC).
In the three halls adjacent to the Appartamento dei Conservatori are to be found the showcases of the famous
Castellani Collection with a part of the set of Greek and
Etruscan vases that was donated to the municipality of Rome by
Augusto Castellani in the mid-19th century.
Centrale Montemartini
This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (June 2008)
In 1997, the Centrale Montemartini was adapted to temporarily accommodate a part of the antique sculpture collection of the Capitoline museums, at that time closed for renovation; the temporary exhibition was so appreciated that the venue was eventually converted into a permanent museum.[5]
Its permanent collection comprises 400 ancient statues, moved here during the reorganisation of the Capitoline Museums in 1997, along with tombs, busts, and mosaics. Many of them were excavated in the ancient Roman horti (e.g. the
Gardens of Sallust) between the 1890s and 1930s, a fruitful period for Roman archaeology.[6]
Gallery
Panorama of busts displayed at Capitoline museum, Rome
^AA. VV. Roma e dintorni, edito dal T.C.I. nel 1977, pag. 83.
ISBN88-365-0016-1. Sandra Pinto, in Roma, edito dal gruppo editoriale L'Espresso su licenza del T.C.I. nel 2004, pag. 443.
ISBN88-365-0016-1. AA. VV. La nuova enciclopedia dell'arte Garzanti, Garzanti editore, 2000,
ISBN88-11-50439-2, alla voce "museo".
^Iordanidou, Chrysavgi. "Daylight openings in art museum galleries: A link between art and the outdoor environment". (2017).
The history of the museum can be traced to 1471, when
Pope Sixtus IV donated a collection of important ancient
bronzes to the people of Rome and located them on the Capitoline Hill. Since then, the museums' collection has grown to include many
ancient Roman statues, inscriptions, and other artifacts; a collection of
medieval and
Renaissance art; and collections of
jewels,
coins, and other items. The museums are owned and operated by the municipality of
Rome.
Opened to the public in 1734 under
Clement XII, the Capitoline Museums are considered one of the oldest museums in the world, understood as a place where art could be enjoyed by all and not only by the owners.[1][2]
In 2016, the museum enclosed several of its nude statues in white-colored wooden panels ahead of a meeting between
Iranian president
Hassan Rouhani and Italian Prime Minister
Matteo Renzi that it hosted. The move was criticized by Italian Culture Minister
Dario Franceschini as "incomprehensible," while the museum said that it had done so following a request from the prime minister's office, although Franceschini said that the government had not been informed of the matter in advance. Rouhani also denied asking Italian officials to cover up the artefacts but expressed his thanks to his hosts for making his visit "as pleasant as possible".[3]
Buildings
This section contains collections sorted by building, and brief information on the buildings themselves. For the history of their design and construction, see
Capitoline Hill#Michelangelo.
The Capitoline Museums are composed of three main buildings surrounding the Piazza del Campidoglio and interlinked by an underground gallery beneath the piazza.
The three main buildings of the Capitoline Museums are:
Palazzo Senatorio, built in the 12th century and modified according to Michelangelo's designs;
Palazzo Nuovo, built in the 17th century with an identical exterior design to the Palazzo dei Conservatori, which it faces across the piazza.
In addition, the 16th century
Palazzo Caffarelli-Clementino, located off the piazza adjacent to the Palazzo dei Conservatori, was added to the museum complex in the early 20th century.
Palazzo dei Conservatori
The collections here are ancient sculpture, mostly Roman but also
Greek and
Egyptian.
Main staircase
Features the relief from the honorary monument to
Marcus Aurelius.
2nd floor
The second floor of the building is occupied by the Conservator's Apartment, a space now open to the public and housing such famous works as the
bronze she-wolf nursing
Romulus and Remus, which has become the emblem of Rome. The Conservator's Apartment is distinguished by elaborate interior decorations, including
frescoes,
stuccos,
tapestries, and carved ceilings and doors.
3rd floor
The third floor of the Palazzo dei Conservatori houses the Capitoline Art Gallery, housing the museums' painting and applied art galleries. The Capitoline Coin Cabinet, containing collections of
coins,
medals,
jewels, and
jewelry, is located in the attached Palazzo Caffarelli-Clementino.
Palazzo Nuovo
Statues, inscriptions,
sarcophagi, busts,
mosaics, and other ancient Roman artifacts occupy two floors of the Palazzo Nuovo.
In the Hall of the Galatian can also be appreciated the marble statue of the "
Dying Gaul" also called "Capitoline Gaul" and the statue of Cupid and Psyche. Also housed in this building are:
The colossal statue restored as
Oceanus, located in the museum courtyard of this building
A fragment of the Tabula Iliaca located at the Hall of the Doves
The Galleria di Congiunzione is located beneath the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the piazza itself, and links the three palazzos sitting on the piazza. The gallery was constructed in the 1930s. It contains in situ 2nd century ruins of ancient Roman dwellings, and also houses the Galleria Lapidaria, which displays the Museums' collection of
epigraphs.
New wing
The new great glass covered hall — the Sala Marco Aurelio — created by covering the Giardino Romano is similar to the one used for the
Sala Ottagonale and
British Museum Great Court. The 1996 design is by the architect
Carlo Aymonino. Its volume recalls that of the oval space designed by Michelangelo for the piazza.
Its centerpiece is the bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, which was once in the centre of Piazza del Campidoglio and has been kept indoors ever since its modern restoration. Moving these statues out of the palazzo allows those sculptures temporarily moved to the
Centrale Montemartini to be brought back. It also houses the remaining fragments of the
bronze colossus of Constantine and the archaeological remains of the
tuff foundations of the temple of Capitoline Jupiter, with a model, drawn and computer reconstructions and finds dating from the earliest occupation on the site (in the mid Bronze Age: 17th-14th centuries B.C.) to the foundation of the temple (6th century BC).
In the three halls adjacent to the Appartamento dei Conservatori are to be found the showcases of the famous
Castellani Collection with a part of the set of Greek and
Etruscan vases that was donated to the municipality of Rome by
Augusto Castellani in the mid-19th century.
Centrale Montemartini
This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (June 2008)
In 1997, the Centrale Montemartini was adapted to temporarily accommodate a part of the antique sculpture collection of the Capitoline museums, at that time closed for renovation; the temporary exhibition was so appreciated that the venue was eventually converted into a permanent museum.[5]
Its permanent collection comprises 400 ancient statues, moved here during the reorganisation of the Capitoline Museums in 1997, along with tombs, busts, and mosaics. Many of them were excavated in the ancient Roman horti (e.g. the
Gardens of Sallust) between the 1890s and 1930s, a fruitful period for Roman archaeology.[6]
Gallery
Panorama of busts displayed at Capitoline museum, Rome
^AA. VV. Roma e dintorni, edito dal T.C.I. nel 1977, pag. 83.
ISBN88-365-0016-1. Sandra Pinto, in Roma, edito dal gruppo editoriale L'Espresso su licenza del T.C.I. nel 2004, pag. 443.
ISBN88-365-0016-1. AA. VV. La nuova enciclopedia dell'arte Garzanti, Garzanti editore, 2000,
ISBN88-11-50439-2, alla voce "museo".
^Iordanidou, Chrysavgi. "Daylight openings in art museum galleries: A link between art and the outdoor environment". (2017).