Seated captive - sign
Seated captive
1st–2nd century AD
Provenance: body found in 1767, together with two columns and a cup carved from the same material
Green breccia marble from Wadi Hammamat (Egypt)
H. 1.63 m
The head covered with a Phrygian cap dates from the 2nd century AD and is reminiscent of the famous “Prisoners” in the Palazzo Farnese; the latter, who probably represent defeated Dacians, are thought to date from the reign of Trajan and may well come from the Forum of Trajan itself (AD 98–117).
The body probably dates from the 1st century AD and represents a defeated Oriental. The reassembled statue stood at the centre of the “Room of the Conquered Barbarian King” in the villa built in Rome for Cardinal Albani (1692–1779).
The head and the hands did not originally belong to the statue.
Albani collection
Cardinal Alessandro Albani (1692–1779), the nephew of Pope Clement XI, was one of the greatest collectors in 18th-century Rome. The collection he installed in the Villa de la Porta Salaria, inaugurated in 1763, was widely studied. It was there that Winckelmann and Cavaceppi laid the foundations for modern art history and restoration. The Albani collection was confiscated by France in 1797 in accordance with the Treaty of Tolentino. It was returned to its owner in 1815, but Louis XVIII bought back twenty antique sculptures, while the Louvre kept certain items in exchange for other works.
Seated captive - sign
Seated captive
1st–2nd century AD
Provenance: body found in 1767, together with two columns and a cup carved from the same material
Green breccia marble from Wadi Hammamat (Egypt)
H. 1.63 m
The head covered with a Phrygian cap dates from the 2nd century AD and is reminiscent of the famous “Prisoners” in the Palazzo Farnese; the latter, who probably represent defeated Dacians, are thought to date from the reign of Trajan and may well come from the Forum of Trajan itself (AD 98–117).
The body probably dates from the 1st century AD and represents a defeated Oriental. The reassembled statue stood at the centre of the “Room of the Conquered Barbarian King” in the villa built in Rome for Cardinal Albani (1692–1779).
The head and the hands did not originally belong to the statue.
Albani collection
Cardinal Alessandro Albani (1692–1779), the nephew of Pope Clement XI, was one of the greatest collectors in 18th-century Rome. The collection he installed in the Villa de la Porta Salaria, inaugurated in 1763, was widely studied. It was there that Winckelmann and Cavaceppi laid the foundations for modern art history and restoration. The Albani collection was confiscated by France in 1797 in accordance with the Treaty of Tolentino. It was returned to its owner in 1815, but Louis XVIII bought back twenty antique sculptures, while the Louvre kept certain items in exchange for other works.