Capitoline Museums
Musei Capitolini | |
The Capitoline Museums and the trapezoidal central square of the Campidoglio in 2007. | |
Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Established | 1734 open to public, 1471 bronzes donated by Pope Sixtus IV to the people of Rome |
|---|---|
| Location | Capitoline Hill, Piazza del Campidoglio 1, 00186 Rome, Italy |
| Coordinates | 41°53′35″N 12°28′58″E / 41.8931°N 12.4828°E |
| Type | Archaeology, art museum, historic site |
| Director | Claudio Parisi Presicce |
| Website | museicapitolini.org |
The Capitoline Museums (Italian: Musei Capitolini) are a group of art and archaeological museums located on the Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy. Their principal buildings are the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the Palazzo Nuovo, which face each other across Piazza del Campidoglio, the square designed by Michelangelo in 1536 and completed over the course of the following centuries.[1][2]
The museums are primarily dedicated to the art and history of ancient Rome, with a particular emphasis on Roman sculpture. The collection include celebrated works such as the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, the Capitoline Wolf and the Dying Gaul, alongside inscriptions, coins, and other artifacts illustrating the civic and religious life of the city. The museums also include Renaissance and Baroque paintings, as well as the richly frescoed walls of the Conservators' Apartment in the Palazzo dei Conservatori, which depict scenes from Rome's early history.
The Capitoline Museums traces the collection's origins to 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV donated to the people of Rome a collection of ancient bronzes from the Lateran.[3] In 1734 Pope Clement XII opened the museum to the public, making them among the earliest museums in the world accessible to all citizens.[4][5][6] Today, the Capitoline Museums continue to attract visitors from around the world, hosting temporary exhibitions alongside their permanent collections and serving as a major cultural landmark in Rome.
- ^ Morgan, Charles H. (1966). The Life of Michelangelo. New York: Reynal and Company. pp. 209–211.
- ^ Decker, Heinrich (1969). The Renaissance in Italy: Architecture • Sculpture • Frescoes. Viking Press. p. 283. ISBN 9780500231074.
- ^ "Museum History". Musei Capitolini.
- ^ "The Oldest Museums Around the World". Google Arts and Culture.
- ^ *Lo Stato dell'Arte - L'Arte dello Stato, Gangemi Editore (p. 47) ISBN 9788849280852;
- C. Parisi Presicce, Nascita e fortuna del Museo Capitolino, in Roma e l'antico, realtà e visione del '700, Milano 2010;
- ^ Daylight openings in art museum galleries : A link between art and the outdoor environment. Chrysavgi Iordanidou. 2017. Retrieved 2023-08-16.