The Egyptian Collection at Palazzo Altemps

Four New Rooms at Palazzo Altemps

Rome's Palazzo Altemps is an elegant 15th century aristocratic residence in the heart of Rome's chaotic city centre, just north of piazza Navona. The frescoed porticoes and painted ceilings make it worthy of a visit – many come just to sit in the quiet oasis of its sunny courtyard and look up at the 600-year old building. But, as one of the four locations of the Museo Nazionale Romano, it has a fantastic collection of Roman and Egyptian statues.

Now the Egyptian collection has been given its own special setting, with the opening of four new rooms, previously closed to the public. They were once the plush living quarters of Gabriele D'Annunzio, the Italian poet who married into the Altemps family in 1883 and are an object of interest in their own right, rather than just a gallery backdrop. The Sala delle Dee Madri is particularly extravagant – it is the only room whose 18th century features have been preserved. As well as intricate faux-marble decoration and mirrors, there are four stucco female figures above the two doors, possibly made by Francesco Bogi in 1686.

Apis and the Pharoah

There are several important Egyptian pieces now displayed – to great dramatic effect – in their new surroundings. For example, the statue of the black bull-deity Apis, from the Brancaccio collection, dominates the Sala dei culti pubblici e privati, and the space and lighting allows the visitor to appreciate the size and magnificence of the black diorite bull. Apis was originally worshipped in Egypt's ancient capital Memphis and during Roman times was associated with the cult of Isis. This particular statue dates from the Ptolemaic era, approximately 150 BC, and was taken to Rome at that time. It was discovered on the Esquiline Hill in 1886, in what used to be the gardens of Maecenas.

A statue of a pharoah and a fragment from a relief showing a scene from the cult of Isis is also on view in the room. The pharoah was found in a sanctuary on Rome's Janiculum hill in 1908-1909. He is shown striding forwards with his arms by his sides, wearing a regal headdress and ritual shendyt (kilt). It was made in the third century BC. The stone relief was found in a tomb on the Appian Way in Ariccia (near Rome) and shows the scene of a 'navigum Isidis', a ceremony involving music and dance to bless a sea voyage. Isis, the protector of sailors, stands on a stage with the god Bes, sacred baboons and the bull Apis by her side. The slab dates from 100 AD. 

The Cults of Osiris and Isis

In an adjacent room the statue of Osiris Chronocrator is displayed. This marble statue, executed by Roman artists in the second century AD, shows the god Osiris encircled by a snake – a symbol of the eternal cycle of death and rebirth.

Two marble heads on display in the Sala del clero isiaco are of interest. One is the portrait of a young boy whose head is shaved, having just a lock of hair remaining on his right temple (the so-called lock of Horus was characteristic of young followers of Isis). Another head on view in the room is of a particularly irritable and sardonic looking man. He was apparently a priest of the cult of Isis – indicated by his shaved head and the cross at his temple. Both heads are from the third century AD.

Reliefs and Pharoahs

The next room, the Sala di Serapide, has two pieces of interest. One is a statue of a man dressed as an Egyptian pharoah alongside a smaller female figure, discovered at the Tor Vergara in Populo on Rome's via Giustiniana. Sculpted from a pink marble column in the first century BC, it was thought that the statue represented the emperor Nero and a female relative. However, recent studies identify the statue as Caesar's son Caesarion with his mother Cleopatra. Also in the Sala di Serapide is a striking fragment of an Egyptian-style relief. Actually made in Rome in the first half of the second century AD, it is thought to show a Roman Emperor in Egyptian dress.

The next room – Sala Iseo Serapeo del Campo Marzio – displays the base of a colossal statue. Only the feet of the statue remain, but its large size suggests it was royal. It was made in Egypt at the beginning of the Ptolemaic era (third century BC). A male head in grey granite, thought to be a priest, is also shown in the room and is representative of Egyptian sculpture from the fourth century BC. The priest's features are well defined and show character. A relief in the same room shows a king's offerings to various gods, such as Anedjiti, Osiris and Nekhbet. From the fourth century BC, it was originally from the Egyptian site of Behbeit el-Hagar in the Nile delta, but was then taken to the Temple of Isis in Rome's Campus Martius.

The Bust of Amenemhet III

Other important pieces in the Egyptian collection at Palazzo Altemps include a bust of the pharoah Amenemhet III dating from 1850-1800 BC. The bust was originally part of a larger statue and shows facial features that can be identified with the pharoah. It is similar to a statue on display in the Archaeological Museum in Cairo and is considered to be one of the most ancient Egyptian statues to have been imported into ancient Rome. The Romans placed the statue in the Temple of Isis on the Campus Martius, and then in the Pantheon. It appeared in the Ludovisi collection in 1641.

These important Egyptian artefacts, displayed as they are within an opulent, impressive venue, seem to signify the ancient relationship between the Roman and Egyptian ancient civilisations, pointing to the similarities between the two cultures.

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About The Author

Bija Knowles (follow me: e-mail or )

Last three pieces by this author:

300 Looted Antiquities Displayed in the Colosseum | Hoard of 52,500 Roman Coins Discovered Near Frome by Metal Detectorist | Roman Villa Discovered Near Tewkesbury

Bija Knowles is a freelance journalist based outside Rome, Italy. She graduated in Italian and English Literature from the University of Birmingham, UK, and her main areas of interest are art, travel and history in Italy.