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Baldassare Peruzzi, A Woman and Two Men, an ink drawing

This intriguing pen and ink drawing by the Sienese born arti…
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Design for a Medal

This small, finished drawing shows a design by Bernini (1598…
Giovanni Antonio Canaletto, Al Dolo, an etching

Canaletto (1697-1768) created an image of Venice which had a…
Giulio Romano, Three Shell-Shaped Salt Cellars, pen and ink wash designs

These three designs for metal, probably silver, salt cellars…
Michelangelo Buonarotti, Study for Adam, a drawing

This beautiful red chalk drawing of the male nude is for the…
Raphael, The Virgin and Child, a drawing

This drawing is made of black chalk with a few touches of wh…
Excerpt from the travel diary of Charles Townley

Charles Townley (1737-1805) was a collector of classical ant…
Aes signatum or money ingot

The Roman historian Livy (about 59 BC - AD 17) mentions that…
Bronze follis of Theodohad

Following the fall of Rome in the late fifth century, a numb…
Cast and chased silver medal of Emperor Charles V, by Leone Leoni

Like his contemporary and adversary, Benvenuto Cellini, Leon…
Cast bronze medal commemorating the Pazzi Conspiracy by Bertoldo di Giovanni

The medal tells the story of an attack on the Medici family,…
Cast bronze medal of Andrea Doria, by Leone Leoni

The sculptor-goldsmith Leone Leoni (about 1509-90) could fai…
Cast bronze medal of Christina, queen of Sweden by Massimiliano Soldani

Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-89, reigned 1644-54) was a v…
Cast bronze medal of Giovanni Bellini by Vittorio Gambello

Giovanni Bellini (about 1430-1516) was the most celebrated a…
Cast bronze medal of Isabella d'Este, Marchioness of Mantua, by Gian Cristoforo Romano

Isabella d'Este (1474-1539) was brought up at the artistical…
Cast bronze medal of Isotta degli Atti by Matteo de' Pasti

The legend around the veiled portrait translates as: 'To Iso…
Cast bronze medal of John VIII Palaeologus, Emperor of Byzantium, by Pisanello

According to art historical tradition, this is 'the first tr…
Cast bronze medal of Leon Battista Alberti by Matteo de'Pasti

Leon Battista Alberti (1404-72) was one of the leading human…
Cast bronze medal of Pope Julius II commemorating the building of St Peter's

Although traditionally attributed to the leading Renaissance…
Four gold ducats of the Sforza dukes of Milan

Realistic, characterized portraiture on coin designs was the…
Gold 105 zecchini of Ludovico Manin, doge of Venice

Containing over 350 grams of pure gold, this is the biggest …
Gold augustale of Emperor Frederick II, as king of Sicily

In the early Middle Ages most of western Europe had been con…
Gold aurei of Nero

The coinage of the earlier Roman Empire allows us to study t…
Gold aurei with portraits of the young Faustina II

Roman ladies of the imperial court were keen followers of fa…
Gold aureus of Aurelian

When Aurelian became emperor in AD 270, the Roman world was …
Gold aureus of emperor Marcus Aurelius, set in a gold ring

In modern Britain, a gold sovereign set in a finger ring or …
Gold quarter dinar and a tari of Roger II

The island of Sicily first came under Muslim rule in AD 827.…
Silver decadrachm

Greek colonists began founding cities on the island of Sicil…
Silver decadrachm of Syracuse

Among the finest of all Sicilian coins are those of the city…
Silver decadrachm of Syracuse

The first half of the fifth century BC in Sicily was charact…
Silver denarius showing Juno Moneta

The origins of the modern English words 'money' and 'mint' l…
Silver didrachm with wolf and twins design

The Romans first started to make and use silver coins around…
Silver ⅓ stater of Zancle

Coins were first issued by the Greek cities in Sicily from a…
Strip of three Roman bronze coins (asses)

The ancient city of Rome was huge by any standards - approac…
Struck bronze medal of Cosimo I de' Medici by Domenico Poggini

Giorgio Vasari, painter and biographer of artists, designed …
Alabaster cinerary urn with reclining figure on lid

This once richly-painted cinerary urn (container for the cre…
Black Glaze pourer (askos) in the form of an elephant

This vase would have been used at table to pour small quanti…
Black Gloss drinking cup (poculum) with a painted inscription

From the third to the first centuries BC workshops in wester…
Black-figured amphora

A flourishing school of vase-painting at Vulci in Etruria pr…
Black-figured water-jar (hydria) with mythical and real scenes

The Etruscans not only imported Greek pottery, but also copi…
Bronze bowl (lebes)

This large and elaborately decorated bronze bowl was used as…
Bronze candelabrum with the figure of a warrior

In the ancient world light was usually provided by lamps fil…
Bronze casket (cista) with an incised scene of Bellerophon and Pegasus

This bronze casket ( cista ) was used primarily to hold a la…
Bronze container for cosmetic items

This bronze container became known as the cista mystica or '…
Bronze figure of a cow

Following the discovery of the ancient Roman cities of Hercu…
Bronze figure of Nike, goddess of victory

Nike is shown here running forwards. Her right foot is place…
Bronze figures of mounted Amazons

These small bronze figures of mounted Amazon are two of four…
Bronze figurine of Hermes

The wide-brimmed petasos (sun hat) probably identifies this …
Bronze gladiator's helmet

This bronze helmet is said to have been found in the gladiat…
Bronze head of Hypnos

Hypnos first appears in mythology in the works of one of the…
Bronze horse and rider

This bronze horse and rider is one of the earliest pieces of…
Bronze lampstand

The bronze shaft and tripod feet of this lampstand are cover…
Bronze mirror showing Herekele and Mlacuch

The scene shows Herekele (the Etruscan name for Herakles) li…
Bronze mirror with Eos and Kephalos in relief

Elaborate bronze mirrors were produced in large numbers in G…
Bronze rattle (sistrum)

Rattles such as this were usually made of bronze, but someti…
Bronze statuette of a reclining banqueter

Feasts, with music and entertainment, were important in Etru…
Bronze statuette of a warrior

In 1836 a chance find revealed many votive bronzes in and ar…
Bronze statuette of a young man

The skill of Etruscan bronze-smiths is shown both in the ver…
Bronze statuette of Vanth

Vanth was the servant of Charun (Greek Cheiron), lord of the…
Bronze strigil with handle in form of a girl

This large bronze strigil is very unusual in having a handle…
Bronze tintinabulum in the form of a winged phallus

Phallic amulets like this were often hung in the doorways of…
Bronze tripod-stand for a bowl

This magnificent bronze stand was probably used to support a…
Bucchero ware drinking cup

This elegant drinking-cup was made during the Etruscan Archa…
Bucchero ware water jug (hydria)

This heavy-looking bucchero ware jug has a moulded foot and …
Canopic jar

This anthropomorpic (human-shaped) vessel was a container fo…
Cobalt-blue glass beaker

This remarkable beaker, blown into a silver case, may illust…
Colossal marble foot

This colossal right foot was once part of a statue of severa…
Decorated bucchero ware bowl (olla)

There are only about 100 surviving examples of bucchero ware…

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