CULTURES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN
The Greco-Roman Collection of the National Museum is a result of the Empress Teresa Cristina Maria’s fascination with archeology, as well as her strong determination. Married by proxy to D. Pedro II in 1843, the same year in which the Infantry of Bourbon and Sicily arrived in Brazil, bringing in their baggage, out of personal initiative, recuperated pieces from the excavations promoted in Herculaneum and Pompeii, all of which nurtured an interest in the Empress from very a young age. Some of these pieces were part of the Queen Carolina Murat collection, Napoleon Bonaparte's sister and wife of the King of Naples. CONTINUE ---►
---► Her brother, King Ferdinand II, continued the excavations that had begun in the 18th Century in both cities, and Teresa Cristina Maria conducted excavations in Veii, an Etruscan site 15 km to the North of Rome. The recuperated pieces nourished the Bourbon Museum, in Naples. Decided to grow the Italian presence in Brazil through formal exchanges, as well as in considering the creation of a Roman archeology museum here, the Empress asked Ferdinand II for new pieces, while she was she simultaneously sending indigenous art pieces to Italy. The largest part of this Greco-Roman collection arrived in Brazil between 1853 and 1859, but continued to be enhanced until the Empress left the country in 1889, when it passed to the custody of the National Museum. The collection is composed, today, of circa 700 pieces.
Enocoa ítalo-protocoríntiaMuseu Nacional
Oenochoe Italo-Corinthian
Vase characteristic of Corinthian potters that settled in Magna Greacia.
Flasks of quadrangular formMuseu Nacional
Square-shaped vases
Green glass
Chalice with cariátidesMuseu Nacional
Chalice with caryatids
Black ceramics (bucchero nero).
Chalice assembled over four supports in the shape of caryatids, in Eastern style. The piece is part of the Empress Teresa Cristina's findings from the excavations that she executed in the Etruscan site of Veii.
Naked torsoMuseu Nacional
Naked Torso
Representation of Venus found in excavations executed in 1853. The position of the goddess, standing up, suggests that it is a representation of the myth of Leda and the Swan. Venus — a central figure of the Roman pantheon — is the goddess of love, of fertility, of beauty, protectress of lovers and travelers. She defended both public and private interests, of men and women, of the young and the old. She usually appears accompanied by her attributes: an apple, a pomegranate, a sandalwood, a dolphin, and a pigeon. Venus and her Greek correspondent, Aphrodite, are usually represented naked or semi-naked.
Tripod vase with masking appliquesMuseu Nacional
Tripod vase with mask appliques
The glass possesses physical particularities that permit procedures impossible to be executed in clay or metal. Roman artisans explored this quality to its maximum. Besides the blown flasks, there were also those made with the aid of molds.
Crater in chalice, italiotaMuseu Nacional
Chalice crater, Italiote
Ceramics.
The scene represents the combat between the two warriors Etéocle and Polinice. A bird between the two carried a band (taenia) of victory. On the left, a woman sitting down holds a tray of offerings. In the top decoration, a frontal female face is surrounded by a gryphon and a panther.
Crater in bell, italiotaMuseu Nacional
Bell crater
Ceramics.
The scene represents three women holding arks of offerings, a bunch of grapes, and a wreath of flower. The central figure is seated over a pile of stones.
Enócoa corinthian with lidMuseu Nacional
Corinthian oenochoe with lid
Corinthian ceramics.
The oenochoe is a jar with a single handle, used to serve wine from the crater to the goblets. The bowl was covered with floral motifs and representations of animals: lions, owls, goats, panthers, and swans.
Twin bottle with two handlesMuseu Nacional
Germinated flask with two handles
Askós ítalo-protocoríntio ring-shapedMuseu Nacional
Italo-Corinthian Askos in ring shape
The Askos is a type of vase used to mix and purify oils
Etruscan WarriorMuseu Nacional
Etruscan warrior
Bronze.
Schematic figure of a warrior standing up, carrying a helmet. His legs are far apart, with his body weight leaning on one of them, in an attitude of attack.
Mirror CablesMuseu Nacional
Mirror cables
Bronze.
The mirrors on the right represent a Kouros of Ionic style, 6th Century A.D. Very frequent in funerary contexts, the mirrors were buried not only with women, but also with men, also appearing in steles and in tomb paintings. The reflecting disks, absent in these exemplars, were frequently adorned with mythological scenes.
Headless female sculptureMuseu Nacional
Female sculpture without head.
White and pink marble.
The piece portrayed is a statuette of kore in archaic style, possibly a copy of the Roman epoch. The standing female figure wears a long draped tunic, raised delicately with both hands. The skilled sculptor that produced it made use of the contrast between the body, made of white marble, and the feet, made of pink marble, as well as the head, now disappeared and probably also made out of the same material, with the intention of representing the human skin. It belongs to the set of objects that was found in a tomb during excavations that were conducted in Veii, in 1853.
DIRECTOR
Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner
VICE DIRECTOR
Cristiana Silveira Serejo
ADJUNCT DIRECTORS
Wagner William Martins
Lygia Dolores Ribeiro de Santiago Fernandes
Luiz Fernando Duarte
CREATION/EXECUTION TEAM
Antonio Ricardo Pereira de Andrade
Valéria Maria Fonseca de Lima
Marci Fileti Martins
Lydia Maria Gomes da Silva
Lorrana Gonçalves de Alcântara
Déborah Rezende Gouvêa
Christina Aparecida de Lélis
PHOTOGRAPHY
Rômulo Fialdini
Valentino Fialdini
