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Portrait of Hadrian (MT 545), about 130. Roman, Imperial Period. Torlonia Collection, Rome. © Torlonia Foundation. Photo by Lorenzo De Masi.
Nearly half of these sculptures, which range in date from the 5th century BCE to the early 4th century CE, have been newly cleaned, conserved, and studied specifically for this exhibition, offering a rare opportunity to experience their first public presentation in decades.
The Torlonia Collection is not only the largest private collection of Roman marble sculptures in Italy, but it is also arguably the most important of such private collections in the world. Comprising 622 works and a wide range of sculptural types and subjects, its holdings rival those of major institutions in Europe, including the Capitoline and Vatican Museums.
Statue of Cupid and Psyche (MT 174), second half of 2nd century CE
Roman, Imperial Period. Torlonia Collection, Rome. © Torlonia Foundation. Photo by Lorenzo De Masi
This veritable “collection of collections” was formed in the 19th century by Prince Giovanni Torlonia (1754–1829) and his son Prince Alessandro (1800–1886), primarily through the purchase of several groups of ancient sculpture assembled in early modern Rome, as well as through extensive archaeological excavations on Torlonia estates in Italy. The taste at this time was for complete works of art, and restorations and other interventions carried out across the decades—in some instances by famed sculptors of the day—have impacted the sculptures’ current appearances while also enriching their histories.
Portrait of a Young Woman, known as the Maiden of Vulci (MT 489), mid–1st century BCE
Roman, late Republican Period. Torlonia Collection, Rome. © Torlonia Foundation. Photo by Lorenzo De Masi
By the 1870s, the collection was placed on view in a private museum in Rome, and a number of its masterworks became world-famous—among them the lovely portrait of a young woman known as the “Maiden of Vulci” as well as the “Torlonia Girl.” In the wake of the Second World War, Alessandro Torlonia’s museum closed, and the collection went unseen for generations. During this closure, the Torlonia Foundation was created at the behest of Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1925–2017) to continue to both study and conserve the collection and the Villa Albani Torlonia.
Beginning in 2020, a series of exhibitions across Europe have brought selected highlights of the Torlonia Collection to public display once more. Myth and Marble debuts these masterpieces to a North American audience, presenting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience these exceptional ancient sculptures and explore the fascinating stories they reveal about both their ancient pasts and their modern afterlives.
Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection is co-organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and The Torlonia Foundation, in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum, Musée des beaux-arts Montréal, and The Museum Box. The exhibition is curated by Lisa Ayla Çakmak, Mary and Michael Jaharis Chair and Curator, Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium, and Katharine A. Raff, Elizabeth McIlvaine Curator, Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium.
Lead support for Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection is provided by Shawn M. Donnelley and Christopher M. Kelly.
Major funding is contributed by the Jaharis Family Foundation, the Boshell Family Foundation, Dwyer Brown and Nancy Reynolds, Marion Cameron-Gray, and two anonymous donors.
Members of the Luminary Trust provide annual leadership support for the museum’s operations, including exhibition development, conservation and collection care, and educational programming. The Luminary Trust includes an anonymous donor, Karen Gray-Krehbiel and John Krehbiel, Jr., Kenneth C. Griffin, the Harris Family Foundation in memory of Bette and Neison Harris, Josef and Margot Lakonishok, Ann and Samuel M. Mencoff, Sylvia Neil and Dan Fischel, Cari and Michael J. Sacks, and the Earl and Brenda Shapiro Foundation.
The works of the Torlonia Collection have been restored by the Torlonia Foundation with the support of Fondazione Bvlgari.
Find all the information you need—plus helpful tips—to plan your visit
Explore the works in our collection and delve deeper into their stories.
Light Grey Marble Floor Tiles Join us for a wide range of programs—there's something for visitors of all ages.