Main sponsor Bvlgari contributes to restoration of 96 ancient marble statues from the Torlonia Collection
Watches & Jewelry
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© Fondazione Torlonia PH Lorenzo de Masi
United by their shared passion for art, Bvlgari and Torlonia Foundation have joined to restore the world’s most important private collection of ancient art, owned by the Foundation. As main sponsor, the high jewelry Maison has contributed to the restoration of 96 Greek and Roman statues. They will be displayed in public during the first event in the world tour of the exhibition The Torlonia Marbles. Collecting Masterpieces, which will run from March 25, 2020 to January 1, 2021 at the Palazzo Caffarelli on the Capitoline Hill in Rome.
The Torlonia Foundation was set up in 2014 by Prince Alessandro Torlonia in order to preserve and promote the Torlonia Collection, one of the most important collections of ancient marble sculptures in the world, and Villa Albani Torlonia, one of the most emblematic examples of neoclassical architecture. The artworks held by the Torlonia Collection and Villa Albani Torlonia have been carefully conserved by the family and are part of an ambitious conservation program.
The Torlonia Collection, which Alessandro Torlonia terms “a cultural heritage for humanity, as well as for the family to be preserved for future generations,” was assembled in Rome through a series of acquisitions, from architectural digs and by reorganizing sculptures from different Torlonia family residences.
From March 25, 2020 to January 1, 2021 the Palazzo Caffarelli will present 96 marble works – busts, reliefs, statues, sarcophagi and decorative elements – selected among the 620 pieces in the Torlonia Collection. They have been restored to their original splendor thanks to meticulous restoration carried out in collaboration with Bvlgari, the main sponsor of this ambitious program.
The cradle of Bvlgari since 1884, the Eternal City has always been a boundless source of inspiration for the jeweler, providing the backdrop for its historic boutique on Via dei Condotti, from which the Maison’s celebrated reputation spread around the world. In contributing to the restoration of statues from the Torlonia Collection, Bvlgari pays tribute to its Greek and Roman roots and to the deep affinity with the majestic beauty that has always inspired its creativity.
“A jeweler’s vocation is to transform nature’s gifts into creations of timeless beauty. So it was only natural that we should be keen to support a project that aims to return to the public this heritage of marble sculptures created over centuries by extraordinary Greek and Roman artistic talent. This restoration is a celebration of our cultural roots, of an aesthetic sensibility that we still have to this day, and that makes us special. In Fondazione Torlonia we have found a determined, passionate and highly professional partner,” said Jean-Christophe Babin, Chief Executive Officer of Bvlgari.