CASTELLANI VESSELS COLLECTION

Multisensory itinerary

Video guide (Italian Sign Language) - Textual insight (EN)

VIDEO GUIDE

Italian Sign Language

IN-DEPT ANALISYS

Fortunato Pio and Augusto Castellani

The Castellani Collection takes its name from a family of goldsmiths and collectors who were active in Rome throughout the nineteenth century. The first workshop was established in 1814 by Fortunato Pio Castellani (1794–1865) on Via del Corso. His sons, Augusto (1829–1914) and Alessandro (1823–1883), also developed a strong interest in collecting and the antiquities trade. Alessandro became known primarily as an international dealer and collector, while Augusto considered the collections a cultural heritage to be preserved and made accessible to the public.

In 1919, the last heir, Alfredo (1856–1930), donated the collection to the Italian State. Comprising mainly ceramics, bronzes, and works of goldsmithing, it has been displayed in the galleries of Villa Giulia ever since.

Pithos from Cerveteri, 6th cent. B.C.

The core of the Castellani Collection of ancient vases was assembled mainly between 1860 and 1870 and includes objects dating from the eighth century BC to the Roman period.
These vases come from different regions—including central and southern Italy, Greece, the Near East (today's Middle East and West Asia), and North Africa—and reflect the rich cultural diversity of the ancient Mediterranean. They are displayed according to period, place of origin, and type, allowing visitors to trace the development of ceramic forms, decoration, and function over the centuries.
Greek and Etruscan vases represent the largest part of the collection. Among the Greek examples, Athenian pottery predominates, including works attributed to renowned ancient painters such as Exekias, Oltos, and the Berlin Painter. Many of the Etruscan vases, by contrast, were produced in the workshops of Cerveteri. Much of the pottery was used in the preparation and consumption of wine, which played a central role in ancient society. Other vessels were intended for storing food supplies or for personal care.
This panel highlights key vessel shapes and their functions, helping visitors feel connected to the practical and cultural aspects of ancient life through these objects.

The illustrated forms include the krater, used for mixing wine and water; the kantharos and the kylix, drinking cups for wine; the skyphos, a deep drinking cup; the oinochoe, used for pouring wine; the lekythos and the aryballos, containers for perfumes and ointments; the Nicosthenic amphora, a distinctive vessel associated with the Etruscan wine tradition; and the pithos, a large storage jar used for storing food supplies.
These vessels were made primarily of terracotta, one of the most widely used materials in antiquity. Visitors can touch this material on the tactile table.

Hidrya with Heracles and Cerberus in front to King Eurystheus, 530 B.C.

Ancient vases were not simply everyday objects. Through their painted decoration, they conveyed myths, beliefs, and scenes from everyday life.

One of the most commonly used vessels was the hydria, designed for collecting and pouring water. At the centre of the panel, a tactile reproduction shows the scene depicted on the body of the Castellani Hydria, dating to the sixth century BC. It illustrates the final moment of Heracles’ twelfth and final labour: the hero has captured Cerberus, the fierce three-headed dog that guards the Underworld, and brings him before King Eurystheus, who, terrified, hides inside a large pithos.

Through works such as this, the Castellani Collection conveys not only the beauty of ancient pottery, but also the ways in which images are closely connected to the daily lives of the societies of the ancient Mediterranean.

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