THE VILLA DEI PAPIRI AT HERCULANEUM

The Villa dei Papiri at Herculaneum - buried during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79, then rediscovered in 1750 - contained a large collection of bronze and marble statuary and busts. Before they were published or exhibited, the sculptures were restored so as to appear whole, thereby helping to shape early modern tastes in classical sculpture.

This book describes the nature of the ancient sculptures and their impact on the modern public. Their chance discovery affected the interpretation of the statues―their styles and subjects―over the course of the next 250 years. The ancient sculptures were copied extensively in reproductions of various sizes and patinas.