Italia Antiqua

Until extensive renovation work on the Altes Museum begins a few years from now, the Collection of Classical Antiquities will display on the upper floor its impressive collection of Etruscan and Roman art to an extent never before seen.

The world renowned Berlin Etruscan collection - one of the largest outside Italy - has not been on permanent display since 1939. Complete tomb finds and magnificent objects of Etruscan art are now on view in the south and east rooms of the Altes Museum. Late Hellenistic cremation urns and sarcophagi, with their original painted surfaces still in tact, form a bridge to the section on Roman tomb art, where visitors encounter a few old favourites such as the Medea sarcophagus from the Pergamonmuseum.

The Roman art on display in the Altes Museum's north and west rooms does not merely include sculptures, but also features mummy portraits, exquisite silverware, cosmetic utensils made of glass and jewellery. For years, many of these objects had been lying dormant in storerooms due to a lack of exhibition space. They now form charming juxtapositions with other pieces in an exhibition which explores such themes as the villa, the Forum and art in the imperial court.

© Museumsportal Berlin