Built between 1883 and 1887 to a design by the architect Camillo Pistrucci in a restrained Neo-Renaissance style, Palazzo Massimo alle Terme began life as a Jesuit college and kept that purpose until 1960. In 1981 it was acquired by the Italian State and became one of the seats of the National Roman Museum.
The collections are spread over the building’s four floors according to a chronological and thematic arrangement: the ground, first and second floors are devoted to the ancient art section, while the basement houses the numismatics and goldsmithing sections.
In the ground-floor display you can follow the development of the Roman portrait from the late Republican period to the beginning of the Empire, to which the portraits of the family of Augustus and the statue of the emperor dressed as Pontifex Maximus belong.
Among the original Greek works brought to Rome, the Niobid from the Horti Sallustiani and the bronze statue of the Boxer stand out.
The theme of the portrait continues on the first floor, which illustrates the development of the imperial image from the Flavian age to Late Antiquity. Ample space is given to “ideal” sculpture depicting gods and other mythological figures. Among the statuary masterpieces that adorned the imperial residences are the Girl of Anzio and the Roman copies of famous Greek works: the Lancellotti Discobolus, the Crouching Aphrodite and the Sleeping Hermaphroditus. Also remarkable are the bronze sculptures that decorated the Nemi ships, and the Portonaccio sarcophagus.
On the second floor, frescoes, stuccoes and mosaics document the decoration of prestigious Roman residences. An evocative display reconstructs the rooms of the Villa of Livia at Prima Porta and of the Villa della Farnesina at their original size.
Finally, the basement is devoted to the Coin Cabinet of the National Roman Museum, with a route marked by the key stages in the economic history of our country. Luxury and the goldsmith’s art are documented by sumptuous grave goods, such as those of the Grottarossa Girl, displayed next to the small mummy. A selection of objects linked to the customs and habits of the Romans illustrates the costs of daily life. The precious sceptres shown in the Imperial Insignia room complete the picture of the “signs of power” in the Roman period.