Collection Of 21 Fragments Of Antique Sculpted Marble From Roman Period

Rare collection of 21 fragments of antique white marble from Rome. The collection includes various fragments of sculpted cornices, column elements including base fragments, pieces of stelae and bas-reliefs, carved acanthus leaves from Corinthian column capitals, a cylindrical element probably from an arm of a large statue, and other miscellaneous items. The collection was gathered near the Appian Way in the early 20th century by a family stationed at the Italian Embassy in Rome. The fragments are of a good size, ranging from 5 to approximately 20 centimeters in length. Italy, Ancient Roman Art, 1st-2nd century AD. Provenance: Acquired locally in the 19th century by a family stationed at the Italian Embassy in Rome. One fragment bears an old collector's label. This type of collection is rare on the market. It is reminiscent of the collections of 18th and 19th century archaeological relic enthusiasts, in the direct lineage of illustrious collectors and antiquarians such as the Count of Caylus, who considered fragments as interesting as statuary, which was once privileged. It is in this sense that he wrote in his letters in 1758: “I always ask you to remember that I am not creating a cabinet of curiosities, that vanity not being my aim, I do not care for ostentatious pieces, but that rags of agate, stone, bronze, clay, glass, which can serve in any way to rediscover a custom or the passage of an author, are the object of my desires. I am not creating a cabinet of curiosities, I am creating a course in antiquity, and I am seeking customs, what proves them, what practices them, what demonstrates them.” The diversity of the fragments we present makes this collection not only a highly decorative and coherent whole but also an essential source of information on the marble architecture that once adorned the capital of the Empire.