Part 19

The PINCIO (Collis Hortulorum, or Hortorum) took its name from the gardens of Sallust adjoining it (Rosin, i. 2). It was afterwards called Pincius, from the Pincii, a noble family who had their seat here (_ibid._). Aurelian first enclosed it (_ibid._).

The Capitol tower is crowned by a statue of Roma; and the great bell formerly announced, by a strange contrast, the death of the Pope and the opening of the Carnival.

_Passing up into the square, in facing the Capitol, on the right, is the_

PALAZZO DEI CONSERVATORI.

(_New Capitoline Museum._)

_Open every day. Fee, half lira. The principal objects in the_ COURTYARD _are, right_:--

1. Statue of Julius Cæsar; the only authentic portrait of him.

2, 4, 9. Colossal fragments, found near the Basilica of Constantine. Supposed to have belonged to the statue of Apollo brought from Pontus by Lucullus. Square base, which contained the bones of Agrippina the elder.

11. Lion attacking a horse. Found in the river Almo, outside Porta S. Paolo.

12, 14. Captive Kings.

13. Large seated statue of Roma.

15. Colossal bronze head of a colossal statue of Apollo, found near the Colosseum. Reliefs of figures representing provinces; and reliefs of military trophies, recently found in the Piazza di Pietra.

28. Statue of the Emperor Augustus.

30. Modern rostral column, with ancient inscription. (See page 26.)

STAIRCASE AND LANDING.

36. Base Capitolina, an altar dedicated to Hadrian, whose bust it now supports, by the inspectors of the streets. On the sides are engraved the names of the magistrates who presided over the streets, which are named, of five of the fourteen regions into which Rome was divided. It has afforded much useful information to archæologists.

41. Alto-relief which formed part of the Arch of Antoninus Pius, found in the Piazza Sciarra, which spanned the Corso, and was destroyed in 1527.

42, 43, 44. Alto-reliefs, part of the Arch of Marcus Aurelius, which stood at the Via della Vita, in the Corso, and was pulled down in 1665.

45. Curious bas-relief, representing Mettus Curtius, on horseback, floundering in the marsh where is now the Forum. Found near the Church of S. Maria Liberatrice.

49, 50. Alto-reliefs from an arch which stood in the Corso in honour of Antoninus Pius.

_At the top of the stairs on this floor are several rooms._ On passing the turnstile keep straight on. The authorities number these rooms in the reverse way to ours.

[Illustration: PLAN OF THE PALAZZO DEI CONSERVATORI. NEW CAPITOLINE MUSEUM.]

FIRST ROOM contains a collection of majolica from the Cini family.

SECOND ROOM.--The vault is by Caracci. On the right of the door are S. Luke; S. Alexio, by Romanelli; the Virgin, by Andrea Allovisi, called L'Ingegno, pupil of Perugino; S. Cecilia, by Romanelli; S. Mark. On the left are S. John, S. Albertorn, and S. Eustachio, by Romanelli; S. Matthew.

THIRD ROOM, _turn left_.--Frescoes of the Punic wars by Bonfigli.

FOURTH ROOM.--Frescoes from the wars of Scipio, and tapestries from the hospital of S. Michael. _Right_, the Boys of Falerii scourging their Schoolmaster, B.C. 392 (Livy, v. 27); the Vestal Tuccia, B.C. 144 (Dionysius, ii. 69); Romulus and Remus; busts of Italian patriots.

FIFTH ROOM.--Garibaldi Museum. Frescoes of the school of Zuccari, representing games in the Circus Maximus, etc. There is a bust in _rosso-antico_ called Appius Claudius, a bronze bust of Michael Angelo, and other busts. Two ducks in bronze are pointed out as the geese which saved the Capitol. Between them is a curious bronze vase, evidently a female portrait. Copy of Raphael's Holy Family.

SIXTH ROOM.--On the wall of this room are preserved the Fasti Consulares, dating from B.C. 481 to the end of the Republic. These fragments were found in the Forum, and faced the podium of the Temple-Tomb of Cæsar. The frescoes are by Benedetto Bonfigli.

SEVENTH ROOM.--Frescoes: Triumph of Marius, and Defeat of the Cimbri, by Daniele da Volterra. Near the door is a relief, representing the Temple at Jerusalem; and in front of it a team of oxen drawing on a car the molten sea (1 Kings vii. 23; 2 Chron. iv. 2).

EIGHTH ROOM.--Scenes of the Roman Republic, by Lauretti.

NINTH ROOM.--Frescoes from the history of the kings, by Arpino.

_Passing through the rooms of the Fasti, from 1540 A.D., we enter the_ HALL OF BUSTS, comprising statesmen, poets, painters, authors, sculptors, all noted in Italian history. At the end is a monument to Canova.

_A door on the right opens into the_

FIRST HALL OF BRONZES.

(_For numbers, see plan._)

1, 2. Cases of small bronze articles found at various times. 3. A bronze biga, or two-horse chariot, with reliefs depicting scenes from the circus; restored upon a wooden frame, and given by Signor A. Castellani. 4. A bisellium, or chair of state. 8. Lectica, or sedan chair. "These infirmities caused him [Claudius] to be carried in a close chair, which no Roman had ever used before; and from thence have the emperors and the rest of us consular men taken the custom of using chairs of that sort, for neither Augustus nor Tiberius used anything but small litters, which are still in fashion for the women" (Dion Cassius). 9, 10. Shelves containing household utensils, &c. 11. Fragments of columns of Bigio marble.

ROOM OF COINS.

The beautiful alabaster pavement of this room was found, as now fixed, upon the Esquiline Hill, on Christmas eve, 1874. It formed part of the House of the Larmæ, where the statues were found. The coins formed part of the Campana Collection, and are of great value. The small case of gems is worth looking into; it contains some fragments not unlike the Portland vase, white reliefs on a blue ground.

_We now enter the new_

OCTAGONAL HALL.

(_The order is liable to alteration, as objects are constantly being added._)

This museum is formed of the remains found in the excavations of the municipality since Rome was made the capital of united Italy. The new circular hall, designed by Signor Vespignani, presents a light and elegant effect. Amongst the most important subjects placed in the new hall, we may mention No. 2, the monument of Quintus Sulpicius Maximus, found in 1870 in the Old Porta Salaria. The inscription states that he died at the early age of thirteen years, five months, and twelve days. He carried off the honours for composing Greek verse against fifty-two competitors. The poem is engraved on the pilasters. The subject is--The arguments used by Jove in reproving Phœbus for intrusting his chariot to Phaeton. Africa's deserts and the negroes' black skins are ascribed to the careless driving of Phaeton on that occasion. No. 5. Venus. 23. Mercury. 11. A bust of Faustina the elder. 13. A youth anointing himself. 14 and 16. Tritons. 15. A half statue of the Emperor Commodus as Hercules, beautifully executed in fine marble, with the lion's skin over his head and knotted upon his chest: in his right hand is the club. A bracket of marble, ornamented at its end with a celestial globe, rested on the pedestal, which formed a shield, a band running round the centre with the signs of the zodiac. This bracket is supported by two kneeling figures, holding cornucopias containing fruit. One is in good preservation; the fragments of the other were also found. 17. Plotina, wife of Trajan. 18. Apollo. 19. Bacchus, with a satyr on a leopard at his side. 21. Sarcophagus of the Calydonian boar hunt. Polyhymnia. 24. Terpsichore. 26. A beautiful nude statue of a young girl or nymph leaving the bath, of Parian marble, standing with sandalled feet by a pedestal, which supports her robe, the left hand fastening up the hair. 28, 29. Two magistrates about to start the racers by dropping a handkerchief. They represent L. A. A. Symmachus, prefect of Rome, A.D. 365, and his son; and are unique. The father was found in one hundred and eighty pieces, and the son in ninety pieces, which have been carefully put together. 31. Colossal statue. 33. Fortune. Apollo with the Lyre. Relief, forging the Shield of Minerva. 38, 42. Athletes starting for the Race. 40_a_. A Cow. 44. Manlia Scantilla. Marsyas bound to the tree; the finest statue in the collection, found in 1879. 48. Didia Clara. 49_a_. A Roman General; a striking statue. 8. The Earth; a sitting statuette in a niche found in the Roman Cemetery. 9. A Baccante.

_In the inner circle._--A magnificent marble vase, found upon the Esquiline, called by the Greeks a Rhyton: it is the work of Pontios, an Athenian sculptor. A vase with figures in relief. The infant Hercules found at the Cemetery of S. Lorenzo. Another vase. The Muse of Astronomy. _Exit._ 74, 75. Hercules taming the Horses: part of a group found in many fragments, and very skilfully put together. Seated statue of a girl. 133. Minerva. 130. A statue of Silenus, which was formerly a fountain. A youth carrying a pig for sacrifice. Cupid playing with a tortoise. 123. Boy with a puppy. 81. Statuette of Venus. 81_a_. A Sleeping Cupid. 124. A large stone shield sculptured with the acanthus leaf. 90. Mithras slaying the Bull. 117, 105, 106. Reliefs relating to the worship of the Persian sun-god Mithras, recently found on the Esquiline Hill.

_Crossing the Hall of Busts, by Canova's Monument, we enter the_

TERRA-COTTA ROOM,

composed of remains found chiefly in the excavations in building the new quarter of Rome upon the Esquiline Hill. _The principal objects are_:--A coffin containing skulls; a large jar containing a leaden case, in which is enclosed a beautiful alabaster urn; a large and varied collection of Roman lamps, glass, and terra-cotta; also glass in various forms, and for windows, pieces of fresco, &c. _A door on the left leads into the_

SECOND HALL OF BRONZES.

In the centre of the first room is the celebrated bronze wolf of the Capitol (1), thus alluded to by Virgil ("Æn." viii. 630):--

"By the wolf were laid the martial twins, Intrepid on her swelling dugs they hung: The foster-dam lolled out her fawning tongue: They sucked secure, while, bending back her head, She licked their tender limbs, and formed them as they fed."

Cicero (in "Catiline" iii. 8), mentions this object as a small gilt figure of Romulus sucking the teat of a wolf, which was struck by lightning, and which his hearers remembered to have seen in the Capitol.

Dionysius, quoting from an older historian, Quintus Fabius Pictor, speaks of a temple in which a statue is placed representing the above incident. It is a wolf suckling two children; they are in brass, and of ancient workmanship. This latter must not be confounded with the statue mentioned by Cicero, which is generally believed to be the one before us. The fracture on the hind leg may have been caused by lightning, and traces of gilt may still be observed. It is not known where it was found, but in Cicero's time (B.C. 106-43) it was to be "seen in the Capitol." The workmanship of the wolf is of an early period, Etruscan; the twins are Roman.

10. A bull, found in Trastevere in 1849. 4. "Thou seest the faces of Hecate turned in three directions, that she may watch the cross-roads cut into three pathways." She was the patroness of magic, and was also set up before houses to ward off evil. This goddess is often confounded with Diana. 8. The shepherd Martius, a bronze statue of a boy extracting a thorn from his foot. 14. Horse found in Trastevere. 13. Foot found near the Colosseum.

The case on the left contains, amongst other objects, a bronze inscription, with heads in alto-relief, of Septimius Severus, Caracalla, and Julia Pia. 9. Gilt bronze statue of Hercules, found amongst the remains of a temple of Hercules, behind the Church of S. Maria in Cosmedin. 2, 3. Bronze globes, one of which was held in the hand of Trajan's statue on his column. 15. Diana of the Ephesians in bronze and marble. 6. A Camillus, one of the twelve youths who assisted at the sacrifices. 7. Bust of Lucius Junius Brutus, who expelled the Tarquins. 5. A fluted vase, found in the sea at Porto d'Anzio; a gift of Mithridates, King of Pontus, to a gymnasium of the Eupatorists.

_From the Hall of Bronzes we enter the_

ITALO-GRECO AND ETRUSCAN MUSEUM.

Formed by Signor A. Castellani, and presented by him to the senate and people of Rome. The objects were mostly found at Cervetri, Tarquinii, and Veii.

_Passing out into the Hall of Busts, a door on the right leads to the_

PINACOTHECA, OR PICTURE GALLERY.

_Open every day from 10 till 3._

Founded by Benedict XIV., and composed of several rooms. The following are the most celebrated pictures, but each picture has the names of the artist and the subject printed under the frame:--

FIRST ROOM.--_Right_: Romulus and Remus, by Rubens; Holy Family, by Giorgione; S. Cecilia, by Romanelli; Baptism, by Guercino; Magdalen, by Guido; Cumæan Sibyl, by Domenichino; Persian Sibyl, by Guercino; Madonna, by Botticelli; Assumption, by Cola dell'Amatrice; The Redeemed Spirit, by Guido; Madonna, by Francia.

The frescoes on the walls are from the deserted palace Magliana, the hunting-seat of Leo X., which has long been utilized as a farm by a community of nuns, and only inhabited by labourers. The frescoes are all more or less injured, and the feet of each figure, together with the lower part of the pictures, are quite obliterated. They represent the Muses, with Apollo as Musagetes, each figure distinguished by a motto in verse descriptive of the individual character, from the epigrams of Ausonius, and consist of the figures of Polyhymnia; Urania, with a distant view of Florence in the background (perhaps allusive to the pre-eminence of that city in astronomical science); Thalia, with the motto, "Comica lasciva gaudet sermone Thalia;" Clio, who is playing on the double flute; and Apollo, as leader of the Nine, who is seated, and playing on the violin: in the background of this picture is introduced a small group of Perseus slaying Medusa, while Pegasus springs from the blood of the decapitated gorgon. All these frescoes are ascribed to Giovanni lo Spagna, and there is much in their conception and sentiment which reminds us of the far superior works by that pupil of Pietro Perugino.

The CORRIDOR contains views of Rome by Vanvitelli.

SECOND ROOM.--Annunciation, by Garofalo; Madonna, by P. Veronese. Portraits by Vandyck, etc.

THIRD ROOM.--Baptism, by Titian; Sebastian, by Bellini; S. Barbara, by Domenichino; Innocence, by Romanelli.

FOURTH ROOM.--_Left_: S. Lucia, by Spagna; Europa, by P. Veronese; Burial and Assumption of Petronella, by Guercino; Sebastian, by Caracci; Cleopatra and Augustus, by Guercino; Sebastian, by Guido; Baptism, by Tintoretto.

_Leaving the Palazzo dei Conservatori, and crossing the Piazza, we enter_

THE MUSEUM OF THE CAPITOL.

_Open every day from 10 till 3. Entrance half a lira each person._

THE COURTYARD.

1. Marforio, a recumbent statue of the Ocean, celebrated as having been made the medium of replying to Pasquino. It stood near the Arch of Septimius Severus. 2, 4. Antique columns surmounted by a bust of Juno (2) and an unknown bust (4). 3, 18. Satyrs. 7. Colossal bust of Trajan. 8, 13. Sarcophagi found in the Catacombs of S. Sebastian. The walls are adorned with inscriptions and fragments; also some fragments from the Temple of Concord in the Forum.

LOWER CORRIDOR.

1. Endymion and his dog, found outside Porta S. Giovanni. 3. Minerva. 5. Livia Augusta, standing on a pedestal, found near the pyramid of Caius Cestius, and relating to him. 7. Head of Cybele. _Entrance to Hall of Mosaics._ 8. Captive Dacian King, from the Arch of Constantine. 10. Faustina, Sr., standing on a relief of the arms of Alba Longa. 14. Polyphemus. 15. Hadrian in sacerdotal costume. 16. Porphyry fragment. 17. Hercules killing the Hydra. 18. Porphyry fragment. 19. Colossal statue of a Roman warrior found on the Aventine, supposed to represent Mars; a very fine work. _Entrance to Hall of Inscriptions._

HALL OF MOSAICS.

(_Left-hand end of Corridor._)

FIRST ROOM.--In the centre is a vase of black basalt sculptured in relief after the Egyptian style. Along the right wall are three panels of peperino stone representing two dogs and a stag in an archaic style.

Several mosaics have been recently placed here, found in the recent excavations:--A standing male figure spinning. Hercules conquered by Love, represented in Cupids playing with a bound lion. A group of figures and fragments from the house of Avidius Quietus, found in making the new Via Nazionale, notably a galley with sails set and colours flying approaching a port which is well represented with its lighthouse.

SECOND ROOM.--The walls are covered with inscriptions, and round the room are sarcophagi, cippi, bases, and urns. Amongst others a beautiful alabaster cinerary urn (5), which stands on a base inscribed to Fabius Cilone, prefect of Rome under Septimius Severus, who had performed the annual sacrifice to Hercules at the Ara Maxima, at the entrance to the Circus Maximus. 7. Base to Faustina, found near the Temple of Saturn. 9. Base erected by Nobilior, B.C. 189, to Hercules Musarum.

THIRD ROOM.--This is decorated in a similar manner to the second. 2. Sarcophagus, with the hunt of the Calydonian boar; on the lid are Cupids hunting. Diana sent a boar to ravage the country of Calydon, for the King Œneus neglecting her divinity. All the princes of the time assembled to hunt the boar, which was killed by Meleager, the king's son. This sarcophagus was found on the Via Appia. 4. Sarcophagus representing deer and boar hunts, found on Via Appia. 9. Circular base with inscription to the prefect Catius Sabinus, who had performed the sacrifice to Hercules: interesting, with the one in the other room, as showing that the rite instituted by Evander was kept up till a late period. To the right of the door is the fragment recording the cancelling of the debts of the people throughout Italy in 118 by Hadrian. Near by is one to Aulus Septicius Alexander, a seller of floral wreaths on the Sacred Way. At the end of the room an inscription to S. Severus, 196. It was used by the city Conservatori in 1676 (see rear) to record their privileges. Placed here in 1886.

HALL OF INSCRIPTIONS.

(_Right-hand end of Corridor._)

FIRST ROOM.--1. Square altar representing the labours of Hercules; also busts of no importance.

SECOND ROOM.--3, 4, 6, 11. Monumental cippi, with working tools in bas-relief; likewise the same emblems on 10, fragment of a column. 6. Inscription to Marcus Æbutius. 4. Lapis Capponianus. 3. Cossutius. 11. T. Statilius Aper, and to his wife Orcivia Antides; found on the Janiculum. He was a surveyor; the verse stating that he died at the age of twenty-two years, eight months, and fifteen days.

5. Sarcophagus found on the Via Appia, representing a fight between Roman and Gallic cavalry, when, in 223 B.C., Marcus Marcellus killed Virdomarus, the chief of the Insubrian Gauls, and so carried off the third Spolia Opima (Livy, "Ep." xx.; Florus, ii. 4; Eutropius, iii. 6; Plutarch, in "Marcellus"). The central figure is strikingly like the figure of the wounded Gaul miscalled the dying gladiator.

12. Inscription to Vettius Agorius Prætextatus, prefect 367, and his wife, Paolina. 14. Bust of Crispina, wife of Commodus. 13. Inscription from villa of Herodes Atticus, Via Appia, used afterwards as a milestone under Maxentius.

2. Monument to Bathyllus, an actor of the time of Augustus, afterwards custodian of the Temple of the Deified Augustus.

THIRD ROOM.--1. Sarcophagus found in a mound on the road to Frascati, called Monte del Grano. Inside the sarcophagus was found the Portland vase now in the British Museum, which contained the ashes. The sarcophagus is surmounted by the figures of a man and woman in repose. The reliefs illustrate the life of Achilles. 2. Relief of Priests of Cybele. 6. Cosimati mosaic, with reliefs from life of Achilles. 12, 13. Portraits in relief of Nero and Poppæa. 15. Pluto and Cerberus, found in the Baths of Titus, 1812.

STAIRCASE.

On the walls are encased the fragments of the marble plan of Rome found in 1534-50, 1867, behind the Church of SS. Cosmo and Damiano. They had originally served for the panelling of the wall that formed part of the Temple of Rome built by Hadrian. The plan was made in the third century, in the time of the Emperor Septimius Severus (193-211). It is called the "Pianta Capitolina," and is of great use to archæologists in studying the ground plan of the different buildings marked upon it, though not as showing their relative positions.

After many years of study we have succeeded in putting this puzzle together, and have published the marble plan, systematically arranged in ten sheets, price six shillings, with descriptive letterpress.

_The doors at the top of the stairs lead us into the_

HALL OF THE DYING GAUL.

"He leans upon his hand; his manly brow Consents to death, but conquers agony; And his drooped head sinks gradually low; And through his side the last drops, ebbing slow From the red gash, fall heavily one by one."

This perfect statue of "a wounded man dying, who perfectly expressed how much life was remaining in him," has for many years been miscalled "The Dying Gladiator;" but it has of late years been more correctly described as a wounded Gaul. It was found, together with the Gallic group in the Ludovisi Villa, amongst the ruins of the gardens of Sallust, and with that formed part of a large group representing the death of Anerœstus, the Gallic chief, who with other leaders killed themselves after their defeat by the Romans in 226 B.C., near Orbitello--Attilius, the Roman consul, having been previously killed in the fight (Polybius, ii. 2). 7. Lycian Apollo, found near the Aquæ Albulæ on the road to Tivoli. 6. Female carrying a vase, standing on an altar dedicated to Hercules by C. Ulpius Fronto, A.D. 126; found in the Forum Boarium. 5. Bust of Bacchus. 4. Amazon, the finest of its class in existence. 3. Alexander, by Lysippus. 2. Juno. 16. Bust of _Et tu, Brute_. 15. Isis. 14. Flora (?), found at Hadrian's Villa, thought to be Sabina, the wife of Hadrian. 12. Antinoüs, found at Hadrian's Villa. 10. The Faun of Praxiteles, found at Civita Lavinia, amongst the ruins of the Villa of Antoninus Pius. This is the Marble Faun of Hawthorne. 9. Girl protecting a dove. 8. Zeno, the Stoic philosopher.

HALL OF THE FAUN.

1. The celebrated and beautiful faun in rosso-antico, found at Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli. 5. Tydeus, the father of Diomedes--a hollow mask. 3. The Endymion sarcophagus, found under the high altar of the Church of S. Eustacio; the cover belongs to another sarcophagus. 8. Boy with a scenic mask. 16. Boy with a goose, found near S. John's Lateran. 18. Sarcophagus representing the battle between Amazons and Athenians. On the wall above is the bronze table on which is engraved a portion of the Lex Regia conferring the imperial power on Vespasian, and from which Rienzi demonstrated to the people their political rights. It was discovered near the Lateran about 1300, and was kept in the Basilica.

HALL OF THE CENTAURS.