The first complete, updated catalogue of a museum that is known not so much for its collection of archaeological finds but that of ancient art built up in the sixteenth century.
[National Archaeological Museum of Venice] The first complete and updated catalogue of a museum that is known not so much for its collection of archaeological finds but that of ancient art built up in the sixteenth century with the first donations – especially by the Grimani legates who acquired works excavated in Rome and in the Far East, and others on the antiques market – and steadily enlarged until the twentieth century. A brief history of the museum, which is currently being reorganized, and its impressive premises, the Procuratie Nuove, is followed by detailed information on the various exhibits that are grouped according to type (Greek statues, Greek models in Rome, reliefs, portraits, inscriptions, coins, bronzes, Egyptian and Near-East antiquities) with particular attention being given to the influence of these works on Venetian art over four centuries. The catalogue is enriched by, among other things, a glossary, bibliography and useful map showing the different places.