Farnese Collection to reopen

Image from Flickr

News today that the Farnese Collection in the Naples Museum is to reopen on 2nd October. This is probably the most famous and important collection of ancient sculpture in the world, containing masterpieces such as the 'Tyrannicides', the 'Farnese Atlas' and the 'Farnese Bull' (above). The collection was initially the work of Alexander Farnese (who would become Pope Paul III, 1543 - 49) but passed to the Bourbons (Charles III's mother was Elizabeth Farnese) and was transferred from Rome to Naples. It consists of almost 500 sculptures and inscriptions. The exhibition aims to recreate where possible the context of the pieces, and to arrange and display the collection as it was originally intended by its creator.