Collections

Roman marble bust of girl

The Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities’ collection of material from the native cultures of Italy, including the Etruscans, begins in the Bronze Age (around 2500 BC). Later the whole of the Roman Empire is covered until the Edict of Milan in AD 313, with later pagan survivals.

The Department of Prints and Drawings (P&D) has one of the best collections in the world of works by Italian artists. It holds major masterpieces of both drawings and prints by the chief Italian artists up to 1800; the collections of works by Michelangelo and Raphael are one of the Department’s great strengths. It also has significant holdings of works by later artists.

Coins, medals and paper money from Italy are held by the Department of Coins and Medals (C&M), from the earliest Roman currencies to the Euro, , and including an internationally renowned collection of Italian Renaissance medals.

Galleries

The Greeks in Southern Italy (Room 73)

Italy Before the Roman Empire (Room 71)

Rome: City and Empire (Room 70)

Greek and Roman Sculpture (Room 23)

Life in Ancient Greece and Rome (Room 69)

Greek and Roman architecture (Room 77)

Roman Sculpture (Room 83)

Townley Sculptures (Room 84)

Portrait Sculpture (Room 85)

Europe 15th to 18th Centuries (Room 46)

Money Gallery (Room 68)

Objects From Italy On The British Museum Website