Bronze Room. Greek, Roman, and Etruscan bronze work. Many famous Greek statues were cast in bronze, but no complete statue of the first rank is in the Museum, the value of the metal having occasioned the melting down of most works. The statuettes are generally Grï¾µco-Roman, but the Greeks sculptured bronze reliefs on vases, lamps, mirrors, and the like, sometimes casting solid, but more generally working the hollow shell by the repousse method. We turn to the left.
Circular Case 1. Archaic Greek lebes (cauldron). Pedestal 2. Archaic Greek statuettes. Table Case A. Bronze cups, from Galaxidi, the port of Delphi; reliefs. Standard Case B. Select larger bronzes: 447. Archaic Aphrodite (?), of primitive solid casting; 679. Etruscan statuette; Archaic equestrian figure; 265. Colossal greaved leg, of the 5th century B.C. (on the greave an archaic Gorgon's head); Young priestess; 848. Seated philosopher. Table Case C. Etruscan mirrors, with incised designs. Pedestal 3. 1084. 'Pourtales Aphrodite,' a 4th century original; 666. Seated woman; 665. Strigil with handle in the form of Aphrodite; statuette of a young negro. Circular Case 4. 650. Bronze bucket, with reliefs, among which are 'harpies' (comp. p. 335); cistï¾µ. Circular Case 5. 557. Amphora with figures for handles; 637. Circular casket. Pedestal 6. Mirrors on sculptured supports. Table Case D. Decorative reliefs. Pedestal 7. 847. Head of a Greek poet (perhaps Sophocles; not Homer). Pedestal south 266. Large head of Aphrodite (?), in a fine 4th century style. Pedestal 9. 268. Head of an African, from Cyrene. Pedestal 10. 269. Finely modelled figure (from a group) of Marsyas starting back when Athene threw away the flutes. Pedestal 11. Statue of Apollo from the Egyptian Delta (the inlaid eyes remain). Pedestal 12. 267. Winged head from a statue of Hypnos (sleep), found at Perugia, but of the school of Praxiteles (set on a cast from part of the marble replica at Madrid); the stripling god half runs, half flies, scattering his poppy. Table Case E Greek mirror-cases with repousse and incised designs. Circular Case 13. 560. Elaborate archaic cauldron; 588. Tripod-support for a cauldron. Pedestal 14. Bronze head of Augustus, from Meroe, in the Sudan (the enamelled eyes remain). - The Wall Cases contain bronzes of various periods; the larger specimens (right) are generally later than the smaller specimens (left).
The following room, known generally as the Room of Greek and Roman Life, is in three sections. Its north bay is the Italic Room, its central portion the Room of Greek and Roman Life proper, while its south bay contains terracotta reliefs and is a continuation of the Terracotta Room. The Romano-British objects are in a room by themselves and the Roman glass is in the Glass Room.
ITALIC ROOM. To the right are primitive (Bronze Age) Italian pottery, bronzes, beads, etc. (many from Falerii and Albano). Table Case A, Bronze decoration and ploughing scenes; 356. Curious pair of collars (circa 8th century B.C.). To the left, Etruscan remains, many from the Polledrara tomb at Vulci; local bronzes (made thin for funeral use), ivory spoons, engraved ostrich-eggs, and porcelain scarabs with cartouches of Egyptian kings, no doubt imported by Phoenician merchants.
