Description
The National Archaeological Museum of Naples, the MANN, houses what Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae gave back: statues, mosaics, frescoes and everyday objects. It is considered one of the most important archaeological museums in the world and stands in the historic center, in a seventeenth-century palace.
This is where the cities buried by Vesuvius come to life. Mosaics, paintings and statues were taken from the houses and villas and brought here to be preserved.
The most beloved piece is the Battle of Issus, a mosaic that covered the floor of the House of the Faun in Pompeii: Alexander the Great charging the Persian king, made of tiny tesserae. Nearby are the other mosaics, from the traveling musicians to the dog on a chain.
The Farnese Collection fills the ground floor. The Farnese Bull is the largest sculpted marble group to have come down from antiquity, beside the colossal Hercules and Flora. A little farther on is the Farnese Cup, a hardstone bowl carved between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.
On the second floor are the Roman frescoes, the largest collection in the world: myths, still lifes, portraits and the famous Flora of Stabiae. From the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum come about a hundred statues, two thirds of them in bronze.
The curious head for the Secret Cabinet, about 250 erotic finds from Pompeii and Herculaneum. In the basement is the Egyptian section, the first in Italy. Among the pieces not to skip is also the large model of Pompeii, at a scale of 1:100.
It all began with two inheritances. Charles of Bourbon received the family collection from his mother, Elisabeth Farnese, while the excavations around Vesuvius kept yielding frescoes, mosaics and statues by the dozen. In 1777 his son Ferdinand IV decided to gather everything in a single museum, in the Palazzo degli Studi vacated by the University.
The Farnese statues arrived from Rome even though Alessandro Farnese's will forbade it. The Real Museo Borbonico opened in 1816, with a statue of the king by Canova on the staircase, and there were so many works that paintings covered the walls from the floor to a height of two meters.
Don't miss
• The Battle of Issus.
• The Farnese Bull.
• The frescoes of Stabiae and Pompeii.
• The Secret Cabinet.
Did you know?
• The Secret Cabinet was open only to men and with a permit. Alexandre Dumas, director appointed by Garibaldi, tried to open it to everyone, to the outrage of the visitors.
• During the Second World War the glass windows were painted light blue and the most delicate works were hidden in the basement.
This is where the cities buried by Vesuvius come to life. Mosaics, paintings and statues were taken from the houses and villas and brought here to be preserved.
The most beloved piece is the Battle of Issus, a mosaic that covered the floor of the House of the Faun in Pompeii: Alexander the Great charging the Persian king, made of tiny tesserae. Nearby are the other mosaics, from the traveling musicians to the dog on a chain.
The Farnese Collection fills the ground floor. The Farnese Bull is the largest sculpted marble group to have come down from antiquity, beside the colossal Hercules and Flora. A little farther on is the Farnese Cup, a hardstone bowl carved between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.
On the second floor are the Roman frescoes, the largest collection in the world: myths, still lifes, portraits and the famous Flora of Stabiae. From the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum come about a hundred statues, two thirds of them in bronze.
The curious head for the Secret Cabinet, about 250 erotic finds from Pompeii and Herculaneum. In the basement is the Egyptian section, the first in Italy. Among the pieces not to skip is also the large model of Pompeii, at a scale of 1:100.
It all began with two inheritances. Charles of Bourbon received the family collection from his mother, Elisabeth Farnese, while the excavations around Vesuvius kept yielding frescoes, mosaics and statues by the dozen. In 1777 his son Ferdinand IV decided to gather everything in a single museum, in the Palazzo degli Studi vacated by the University.
The Farnese statues arrived from Rome even though Alessandro Farnese's will forbade it. The Real Museo Borbonico opened in 1816, with a statue of the king by Canova on the staircase, and there were so many works that paintings covered the walls from the floor to a height of two meters.
Don't miss
• The Battle of Issus.
• The Farnese Bull.
• The frescoes of Stabiae and Pompeii.
• The Secret Cabinet.
Did you know?
• The Secret Cabinet was open only to men and with a permit. Alexandre Dumas, director appointed by Garibaldi, tried to open it to everyone, to the outrage of the visitors.
• During the Second World War the glass windows were painted light blue and the most delicate works were hidden in the basement.