The Capitoline Museums

Map

Equestrian statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius

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In 1471 Pope Sixtus IV (r. 1471-84) donated to the people of Rome five ancient bronzes (including the famous She-wolf and the Spinario), which were deposited in the Palazzo dei Conservatori on the Capitoline hill. Over the centuries this nucleus was enriched with finds and acquisitions to create one of the greatest collections of classical sculptures in the world. 

The collection is now housed in three buildings: the Palazzo dei Conservatori, the Palazzo Caffarelli-Clementino and the Palazzo Nuovo, under the name of the Musei Capitolini (Capitoline Museums). 

One of the most famous exhibits in the collection is the bronze equestrian statue of the emperor Marcus Aurelius (r. 161-80), the only one of its kind to have survived (almost intact) from the days of ancient Rome. 

In the 1990s a new hall was built in the courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori to house the statue, which since 1538 had graced the Piazza del Campidoglio. 

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Hall of Marcus Aurelius

Boy with Thorn (Il Spinario)

Constantine the Great

The Capitoline Wolf

The Colossus of Constantine

Marforio

The Dying Gaul