Marmora Romana

Following its inauguration in 2024, a new space in the Antiquarium of Villa Albani Torlonia will open to the public. For the occasion, the exhibition Marmora Romana is presented,  curated by Carlo Gasparri, dedicated to polychrome marbles, the work of the same name, and the memory of Raniero Gnoli (1933–2025), a refined scholar and passionate collector of ancient marbles.

The expansion of the Antiquarium in the Stables of Villa Albani Torlonia is all the more significant as it represents the Foundation's commitment to sharing with the public the results of the important restoration and conservation work conducted in the Torlonia Laboratories, with the support of the Bulgari Foundation, and the research made possible by the support of Chiomenti.

With the opening of this space, twenty new sculptures from the Torlonia Collection are added to the permanent exhibition, fifteen of which have recently undergone the restoration work mentioned above. The Antiquarium thus now houses a total of 44 works, including original sculptures and columns from the Torlonia Museum.

At the heart of the exhibition is the astonishing variety of stone used for Roman buildings and furnishings: busts, capitals, architectural elements, table legs, and sculptures offer a glimpse of the richness of stone materials used in interiors and the transformations these artifacts have undergone over the centuries. Among the masterpieces on display, the Tazza Torlonia, also known as Tazza Medici, stands out, a monumental krater in Egyptian green breccia, dating back to the Roman era, with a Reinassance base. Crafted from a very rare stone quarried in Wadi Hammamat, in Egypt - known in Greek as ectontalitis, meaning "thousand stones" - the Tazza is one of the most precious and sought-after materials of the ancient world. 

Alongside it there are other representative works such as the so-called Alexander from the historic Giustiniani Collection, which actually depicts a female head, today identified as a priestess of Isis, or the goddess herself, based on her typical hairstyle. The head was sculpted from basanite, a prized black Egyptian marble, whose extraction required imperial authorization, suggesting a very high-profile patronage. The artifact likely belonged to a larger-than-life sculpture, most likely intended for a sanctuary of Isis in Rome, perhaps the Iseum in Campo Marzio. Finally, in addition to these important works, a series of busts displayed on ancient column drums stands out, continuing the historical display of the Torlonia Museum.

Photo: Villa Albani Torlonia, facebook official page