Last Updated on February 5, 2025
The Torlonia Foundation announced the North American tour of Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection, a major exhibition of ancient Roman masterworks marking the first time these works have been shown outside of Europe. Selections from the Collection, assembled and stewarded by the Torlonia Family beginning in the early-19th century, will premiere at the Art Institute of Chicago in March of 2025 before traveling to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts as part of the Foundation’s mission to showcase these extraordinary historical works to the public.
Established during the course of the 19th century by the Franco-Italian banker Prince Giovanni Torlonia and his son Alessandro, the Torlonia Collection was handed down over generations, eventually growing into the largest private collection of ancient Roman sculptures. Today, the Torlonia Foundation represents the culmination of the Family’s continued passion for art.
Created at the behest of Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1925–2017), the Foundation’s mission is to preserve and promote the Torlonia Collection and Villa Albani Torlonia. The Foundation is an exceptional repository of artistic heritage, with works that speak to some of the most pivotal moments of Western civilization, the history of collecting, and the history of archaeology and restoration.
In 1876, Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1800-1886) created a museum to house and exhibit the Family’s holdings, which was open to small groups until its closure at the onset of World War II. The sculptures remained unseen by the public until the Foundation’s first exhibition at the Musei Capitolini in Rome in 2020. Next year the collection will come to North America after drawing unprecedented audiences (more than 600,000 visitors to date) at the Louvre, the first presentation of the collection outside of Rome.
The curators of Myth & Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection are Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff of the Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition is co-organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and The Museum Box. The work that will be on view has been restored by the Foundation with the support of Bvlgari.
The North American presentation will feature 58 highlights from the Torlonia Collection, including 24 newly-restored works that have not been on view in nearly a century. Works on view date from approximately the 5th century BCE to the early 4th century CE, with the majority of the works dating to the height of the Roman Empire, the High Imperial period (1st–2nd centuries CE). Highlights include examples of the most emblematic genres of ancient marble sculpture, acquired by the Torlonia Family from the most prominent collections of Rome’s patrician families, as well as from excavation finds made on the Family’s own estates throughout Italy.
“By sharing these rare masterpieces with the public, the Foundation aims to deepen appreciation for and foster a renewed connection with the artistic achievements of the ancient world,” Carlotta Loverini Botta, Director of the Torlonia Foundation, said. “The universal spirit that has always informed classical art must continue to be nurtured for generations to come. It is a universal language that thrives on the ongoing reinvention of the classics through engagement with modern culture.”
About the Exhibition
The presentation is organized thematically in six sections, opening with “Icons of the Torlonia Collection,” featuring three of the most historically significant sculptures from the Collection. Portrait of a Young Woman, known as the Maiden of Vulci, among the best-known of the Torlonia Marbles, provides a singular example of Roman female portraiture from the early Augustan era.
The exhibition continues with “Imperial Portraits,” featuring works drawn from the Collection’s expansive holdings of depictions of the reigning emperors of the 2nd century CE and their imperial families, including a remarkable selection of female portraits. These works provide a window into the behind-the-scenes power wielded by the women of elite Roman families, spotlighting an often-overlooked aspect of the ancient society.
The next section, “Torlonia Excavations,” features sculptures found on the Torlonia Family’s properties in Rome and the surrounding suburbs and their estate in Porto, Portugal, an area that served as a key harbor during ancient Roman times. Highlights include Attic Votive Relief, dating to end of the 5th century BCE and representing the earliest sculpture of the entire Torlonia Collection, and Portus Relief, exceptional for its intricate details of a harbor scene.
“Exceptional Restorations” spotlights sculptures that have been transformed into new works, reflecting how from the time of the Renaissance, collectors like the Torlonia Family preferred unfragmented objects to decorate their homes and populate their lived environments. On view is Rondanini Type Medusa on a Trapezophoros (Table Leg) with a Griffin’s Head, an object that appears to be created from distinct ancient sculptural fragments (the Medusa head and the Griffon-headed table leg). Sometimes great artists were engaged to update or perfect ancient fragments: for example,a statue of a reclining ram features an exuberant head carved by Gian Lorenzo Bernini around 1620.
The next section, “Gods and Goddesses,” features sculptures depicting the myriad deities of the broader Roman world, illustrating how, as it expanded, the Roman Empire increasingly embraced aspects of Greek culture such as mythology, cementing a shared Greco-Roman cultural heritage.
The final section, “Funerary Sculpture,” reflects a major strength of the Torlonia Collection: funerary monuments, which underscore the longstanding Roman tradition of commemorating the dead and visually celebrating one’s personal identity for eternity. On view are a number of exceptional sarcophagi (stone coffins), which are among the largest sculpted works in marble to survive from ancient Rome.
The tour reinforces the work of the Foundation to advance the appreciation and understanding of this unparalleled collection and the rich cultural heritage it represents. The Foundation’s mission is carried out through a continuous joint effort between the public and private sectors, including with the cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Culture.
