May 18, 2024 - Classic Italy
National Museum of Rome

After touring St. Peter's Basilica in the morning, our tour group had the afternoon off to explore Rome.  Some did a Colosseum and Roman Forum tour, some did nothing and rested, but we decided to walk to the nearby National Museum of Rome which Rick Steves gave three stars (the max) and said it was the greatest collection of Roman sculpture anywhere.

Our hotel, InterContinental Rome, is located in the building below.  Also located in the building on the ground floor, right side, is the Hard Rock Cafe.  More about the Hard Rock later.
   

On our way to the National Museum of Rome, we passed by the Fountain of Moses, also called the The Fontana dell'Acqua Felice.  Built in 1587 under the direction of Pope Sixtus V, designed by Domenico Fontana, this Baroque fountain was created to celebrate the completion of the Acqua Felice aqueduct. The central statue depicts Moses holding the tablets of the Ten Commandments.

The statue of Moses was criticized at the time for its large size, not in proportion with the other statuary, but the fountain achieved its political purpose; it was a statement of how the Catholic Church, unlike the Protestant Reformation, was serving the needs of the people of Rome. It also achieved its social purpose of reviving the Quirinal neighborhood; what had been a rustic area of villas was turned into a thriving urban neighborhood by the arrival of a good drinking water supply.
   
The left bas-relief panel, sometimes referred to as a depiction of Aaron, and sculpted by Giovanni Battista della Porta, may instead reflect either the miracles by Moses at Marah, where Moses removed the bitterness of the barely potable water of a spring in Sinai, or more likely the miracle at Masah and Meribah, where he struck the rock to cause water to flow (Exodus 17:5-7).
   
Water flows from the statues into basins, where four lions, originally Ancient Egyptian sculptures, but now copies, once were part of a monumental fountain dedicated to Marcus Agrippa in front of the Roman Pantheon, are spouting water.
   

The bas-relief to the right sculpted by Flaminio Vacca and Pietro Paolo Olivieri, has been depicted as Joshua, but others claim the relief references Gideon in Judges 7:5, as evidenced by soldier's gear and animals lapping water.  Alternatively, given the Roman attire of the soldiers, it may reflect the founding of the ancient Roman Acqua Alessandrina by emperor Septimus Severus; the imagery would lead to having the feat of the aqueduct being compared to the achievements of ancient Rome, or as an example of the restoration of the former glory of the city.
   

Next we came to the Piazza della Repubblica, which is really a wide roundabout, with the impressive Fountain of the Naiads in the center.

The fountain was originally the fountain of the Acqua Pia (connected to the aqua Marcia aqueduct), commissioned by Pope Pius IX in 1870. Completed in 1888, it originally showed four plaster lions designed by Alessandro Guerrieri. These were then replaced in 1901 with sculptures of Naiads by Mario Rutelli.  The naiads represented are the Nymph of the Lakes (recognisable by the swan she holds), the Nymph of the Rivers (stretched out on a monster of the rivers), the Nymph of the Oceans (riding a horse symbolising of the sea), and the Nymph of the Underground Waters (leaning over a mysterious dragon). In the centre is Rutelli's Glauco group (1911/12), symbolizing the dominion of the man over natural force and replacing a previous sculpture.
   
Just off the Piazza della Repubblica is the National Museum of Rome, pictured below.
 
Covering the entire side of a building with an advertisement is a thing in Italy.
   

Per Rick Steves:  The museum is rectangular, with rooms and hallways built around a central courtyard.  The groundfloor displays follow Rome's history as it changes from a republic to a dictatorial empire.  The first-floor exhibits take Rome from its peak through its slow decline.  The second floor houses rare frescoes and fine mosaics.

This statue represents the goddess Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars.  Beginning in the second century BC, the Romans equated her with the Greek goddess Athena.

Did you know the U.S Military Medal of Honor for the Army, Navy/Marine Corps, and Coast Guard depicts Minerva in the center of it? The Air Force uses the head of the Statue of Liberty instead.
   
The appearance of an adult man with an energetic, dominating expression.  The work has been dated to around 30 B.C.
   
This statue portrays an elderly person with a young, nude body.  The statue is dated between 90 and 70 B.C.  It's commemoration in Tivoli indicates that it may have been someone from the area, probably a lieutenant of Sulla who paid for his portrayal himself, or that it was a public honor.
   
 
   
The Emperor Augustus, his head covered, is formally dressed in a toga.  The statue was probably created around 10 B.C.
   
A young women slumps to the ground, arching her back as she attempts to extract the arrow that has pierced between her shoulders.  The sculpture is dated to around 440-430 B.C. and decorated a Greek temple.
   
This bronze statue shows the figure of a man portrayed in heroic nudity, the use of which was reserved for military leaders and sovereigns.  The pose may have been inspired by a statue of Alexander the Great with a Lance between 350-300 B.C.  It has been suggested that the statue portrays a Hellenistic prince of the 3rd to 2nd century B.C., and that the statue may have been plundered in war and moved to Rome.
   
This bronze statue is of a boxer in a moment of rest after a fight.  This statue of exceptional quality is principally attributed to an artist of the late Hellenistic period (2nd to 1st Century B.C. inspired by the work of the Greek sculptor Lysippos (4th Century B.C.).
   
 
   

The Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius is portrayed in larger-than-life dimensions.  The race represents Antoninus Pius when he assumed the title of Emperor in AD 138.  The body is a reworking of the Diomedes Cuma-Munich statue type, traceable to a Greek original carbed around 440-430 B.C.

He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors.   His reign is notable for the peaceful state of the Empire, with no major revolts or military incursions during this time. A successful military campaign in southern Scotland early in his reign resulted in the construction of the Antonine Wall.  Antoninus was an effective administrator, leaving his successors a large surplus in the treasury, expanding free access to drinking water throughout the Empire, encouraging legal conformity, and facilitating the enfranchisement of freed slaves. He died of illness in AD 161 and was succeeded by his adopted sons Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus as co-emperors.
   
Bust of Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher and warrior emperor from AD 161 to 180.
   
Lucius Veras, emperor together with Marcus Aurelius from AD 161 to 169.
   
This statue is probably a woman of the Imperial Family, Lucilla, who was the daughter of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina Minor.  The statue was carved sometime after AD 160.
   
 
   
Statue of the Greek god Apollo, recognized as a god of archery, music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and diseases, the Sun and light, poetry, and more. One of the most important and complex of the Greek gods, he is the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin brother of Artemis, goddess of the hunt. He is considered to be the most beautiful god and is represented as the ideal of the kouros (ephebe, or a beardless, athletic youth).
   
The only almost fully preserved example of its type, this statue is a faithful copy of one of the most admired works of antiquity: the bronze Discobolus by the Greek sculpter Myron (450 B.C.).  This statue captured the moment preceding the release of the discus.
 
The Greek original in bronze is lost.  The work is known through numerous Roman copies, both full-scale ones in marble (which is cheaper than bronze) and smaller scaled versions in bronze.   The Discobolus Palombara, the first copy of this famous sculpture to have been discovered, was found in 1781 at a Roman property of the Massimo family, the Villa Palombara on the Esquiline Hill (one of the Seven Hills of Rome).   It is a 1st-century AD copy of Myron's original bronze.
 
Myron's skill is evident in his ability to convey a sense of movement of the body at the moment of its maximum tension and splendor within a static medium, transforming a routine athletic activity into a representation of balance and harmony. Myron is often credited with being the first sculptor to master this style. However, the great effort of the athlete is not reflected in his facial expression, which displays only a tenuous concentration. The torso shows no muscular strain, even though the limbs are outflung. The other trademark of Myron embodied in this sculpture is how well the body is proportioned: the symmetria. The athlete's body demonstrates a sense of proportion, with meticulous attention to detail in every muscle and sinew, capturing the dynamics of a thrower's physical actions. The contrapposto stance, subtly shifting the athlete's weight from one leg to the other, imparts a semblance of motion and adds an element of realism to the artwork.
 
The Discobolus was sculpted at a time when Greece was at the zenith of its artistic and athletic achievements.
   

I've always been fascinated by the story of the Roman Nemi ships.  I was happy to discover this museum had artifacts from the Nemi Ships.

These bronze fittings are the most important set of objects found during work to salvage the famous Nemi ships.

The Nemi ships were two ships, of different sizes, built under the reign of the Roman emperor Caligula in the 1st century AD on Lake Nemi, a small circular volcanic lake in the Lazio region of Italy, 19 miles south of Rome. Although the purpose of the ships is speculated upon, the larger ship was an elaborate floating palace, which contained quantities of marble, mosaic floors, heating and plumbing, and amenities such as baths. Both ships featured technology thought to have been developed historically later.   The larger ship was 240 ft in length, with a beam of 79 ft. The other ship was 230 ft long, with a beam of 66 ft.  There is considerable speculation regarding why the emperor Caligula chose to build two large ships on such a small lake.

Recovered from the lake bed in 1929 by order of Il Duce Benito Mussolini , the ships were displayed in a purpose-built museum constructed over both ships inaugurated in January 1936.  Unfortunately, the ships were destroyed by fire on the night of 31 May 1944. during World War II.  It will never be known whether the fire was started by Allied artillery shelling or deliberate German action.  Only the bronzes, a few charred timbers, and some material stored in Rome survived the fire.

The objects form a decorative apparatus of exceptional richness.
   
Brass rings recovered in 1895. These were fitted to the ends of cantilevered beams that supported each rowing position on the seconda nave.
   

 Two Lion heads.
   
Apotropaic (Gorgoneion) handle in the form of a Medusa head was attached to the head of a wooden beam.
   
View of Lake Nemi in 2014.  Photo from Wikipedia.
   
The remains of a Lake Nemi ship in 1929.   Photo from Wikipedia.
   
One-fifth scale model of a Nemi ship (foreground) in the Nemi ships museum.  Photo from Wikipedia.
   
An artistic depiction of a Nemi Ship by CM Knight-Smith, c 1906.   Photo from Wikipedia.
   
Reconstruction of Nemi Ship A.  Photo from Wikipedia.
   
The museum's courtyard.
   

This fresco is an example of ancient Roman decorative art, possibly from the late Republican or early Imperial period. The artwork features a detailed and colorful depiction of mythological or theatrical scenes, characteristic of Roman wall painting styles influenced by Hellenistic art.

The upper section of the fresco shows figures engaged in what appears to be a dramatic or heroic narrative, with dynamic poses and expressive gestures. The lower section contains intricate decorative bands featuring miniature figures, possibly representing processions, rituals, or daily life scenes, commonly found in Roman frescoes to provide context and embellishment.

Such frescoes were typically used to adorn the walls of Roman villas, public buildings, and tombs, reflecting the wealth, taste, and cultural values of their owners. The vibrant colors and elaborate detailing indicate the high level of craftsmanship in Roman painting, influenced by Greek artistic traditions.
   
These are the fascinating frescoes of the Villa of Livia, an ancient Roman villa at Prima Porta 7.5 miles north of Rome along the Via Flaminia.
 
It may have been part of Livia Drusilla's dowry that she brought when she married Octavian (later called the emperor Augustus), her second husband, in 39 BC. However, it may also have been a gift given to her by Octavian upon their betrothal. The ancient sources (e.g. Suetonius) tell us that Livia returned to this villa following the marriage. It was her sumptuous country residence complementing her house on the Palatine Hill in Rome.
 
The site was rediscovered and explored as early as 1596, but it was not recognized as the Villa of Livia until the 19th century.  In 1863–1864, a marble krater carved in refined low relief was discovered at the site. On April 20 1863, the famous heroic marble statue of Augustus, the Augustus of Prima Porta, was found at the villa; it is now in the Vatican Museums (Braccio Nuovo). The magisterial Augustus is a marble copy of a bronze statue that celebrated the return in 20 BC of the military standards captured by the Parthians in 53 BC after the defeat of Crassus at Carrhae.
 
In the 19th century, the villa belonged to the Convent of Santa Maria in Via Lata. The villa and gardens have been excavated and can be visited. There are three vaulted subterranean rooms, the largest of which contained superb illusionistic frescoes of garden views in which all the plants and trees flower and fruit at once.
 
   

In terms of layout, the room is underground and dimensionally 40 feet long by 20 feet wide.  There are no separating moldings, no painted architecture, and no visible structural elements — the room unexpectedly transports the viewer "outside" in a completely enclosed underground space with a barrel-vaulted ceiling.  The enclosure is striking because of the spatial play of the room itself with its illusionistic quality, there is incredible accuracy of plant species, and the variety provides a landscape that in reality cannot exist as one garden.

A low stone wall contains the thickest and largest plantings, and in between the viewer and the space rests another fence with a narrow grass walkway.  The garden layout encompasses a "perfect combination of variety and abundance with stylization and order" as nature grows freely while simultaneous evidence of human activity is present, specifically as some birds exist in cages and a neatly manicured lawn is visible closest to the dining room space.
   
The statue of Augustus found in the Villa;  now in the Vatican Museums.  Photo by Joel Bellviure, downloaded from Wikipedia.
   

Here is an example of ancient Roman mosaic art, likely depicting a Nilotic scene—an artistic theme inspired by the landscapes and wildlife of the Nile River in Egypt. Such mosaics were popular in Roman homes and public buildings, reflecting the Roman fascination with exotic lands and their flora and fauna.

The mosaic features detailed depictions of animals such as hippopotamuses and crocodiles, as well as lush vegetation and water lilies, evoking the fertile environment of the Nile. Scenes of hunting, human figures interacting with animals, and architectural elements in the background further emphasize the exotic and lively character of the composition. The intricate border with geometric and decorative motifs frames the central scene, highlighting the artistic craftsmanship.

These types of mosaics were often used to decorate dining rooms (triclinia) or bathhouses, symbolizing abundance, the richness of nature, and Rome's connection to the wider world through trade and conquest. The presence of such artworks in Roman villas demonstrates the influence of Egypt on Roman culture following the conquest of Egypt in 30 BCE.
   

Close by the National Museum of Rome is the Baths of Diocletian.  The building still stands, sort of, but has been converted into the Church of Santa Maria Degli Angeli.

Per Rick Steves:  "Of all the marvelous structures built by the Romans, their public baths were arguably the grandest, and the Baths of Diocletian were the granddaddy of them all.  Built by Emperor Diocletian around A.D. 300 and sprawling over 30 acres -- roughly five times the size of the Colosseum -- these bath0s could cleanse 3,000 Romans at once.  They functioned until A.D. 537, when barbarians attacked and the city's aqueducts fell into disuse, pluging Rome into a thousand years of poverty, darkness, and BO."

You can go into the building but it is a church now, and after St. Peter's Basilica, we were churched out and headed for the hotel.
   
 
   
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