What to See at the Capitoline Museums: The Best 10 Works of Art

Are you thinking of visiting the Capitoline Museums and want to know what wonderful works of art it holds inside? This article is for you!

As you read on, you’ll find out which sculptures and paintings you absolutely cannot miss, plus we’ll provide you with valuable information about the ten best works of art in the museum complex.

You will come away enriched with many interesting facts and details that will make your visit even more interesting and complete.

From the statue of Marcus Aurelius, to Cupid and Psyche to the symbol of the city, the Capitoline Moon and so much more; read on to discover the wonders that await you in this iconic and must-see place for art lovers and beyond!

But wait! Before you go any further, let me remind you of the importance of reserving an online ticket with priority access: there’s no point in wasting precious time trying to plan your visit without proper support: thanks to your online ticket with skip-the-line option, you’ll be able to see with your own eyes the most famous works of art in the Capitoline Museums, accessing them stress-free and without the slightest worry! What are you waiting for? Click here and dive into the wonders of the museum complex.

The best works of art in the Capitoline Museums

Wondering what are the best works of art in the Capitoline Museums? In our humble opinion, there are ten works that you absolutely cannot afford to miss!

We provide you with the list below, and then go on to discover in more detail some historical and artistic curiosities related to them:

• Statue of Marcus Aurelius
• Capitoline she-wolf
• Spinario
• Dying Galata
• Capitoline Venus
• Cupid and Psyche
• Colossal Head of Constantine
• Two paintings by Caravaggio
• Guercino’s Burial of Saint Petronilla
• Marforio

Statue of Marcus Aurelius

This monumental work, depicting Emperor Marcus Aurelius, was erected between 176 A.D. and 180 A.D., or between his glorious victory over the Germanic tribes and the year of his death.

Made of gilded bronze, it is a precious statue since it is the only one of equestrian type and imperial age that has come down to us, since often, as absurd as it may seem to us today, such works were cast to recover bronze.

Thus, this specimen of Marcus Aurelius, was the only model from the entire Renaissance.

Since the tenth century, we have evidence of its presence within the Lateran Square.

It was moved later, in 1538, to the Piazza del Campidoglio, as a center around which to develop Michelangelo’s project.

Due to the damage caused by exposure to the open air, the statue was moved indoors to a valuable room that houses other important works-including the Lupa Capitolina-while a faithful copy of it still stands outside.

The room in which you can admire this marvelous Marcus Aurelius on horseback is the Exedra Hall, the last prestigious architectural achievement of the complex.

It is a glazed hall, which arose within the “Roman Garden” of the Palazzo dei Conservatori. Want to know a little trivia about this work?

Well, here you are: this was exactly it, the statue depicted on the 10,000 lira banknotes that ran from 1962 to 1983!

Capitoline She-Wolf

This wonderful sculpture, of uncertain date, is also made of bronze.

It is believed to have been located in Rome since ancient times, although it is of Etruscan workmanship.

In this work, there is a clear reference to the myth: two twins, Romulus and Remus, were laid in a basket in the Tiber to avoid future claims to the throne of Alba Longa after the same – once belonging to their grandfather – was usurped by their brother.

The latter’s servant was supposed to kill them, but was seized with pity: legend has it that it was a she-wolf who found the two paragons, and decided to take care of them.

The she-wolf suckling the twins thus became a symbol of the city, but the statue you can admire in the Capitoline Museums has a peculiarity: being of Etruscan origin, it did not originally have twins: these were in fact added at the end of the 15th century by Antonio del Pollaiolo.

This wonderful work of art is part of the donations of Sixtus IV della Rovere in 1471, and has always been one of the most important attractions of the Capitoline Museums. It too is located in the same room as Marcus Aurelius: the Exedra room.

Spinario

Yet another masterpiece located in the Exedra Hall, the Spinario is another precious bronze that escaped casting and was donated by Sixtus IV.

Dated between the 3rd and 1st centuries B.C., the statue is of Hellenistic manufacture, stands about 73 cm tall and depicts a young man intent on removing a thorn from his left foot.

It is a much-represented subject, boasting several depictions around the world, but the one located in the Capitoline Museums is probably the oldest, just as its attestation in Rome is very dated: consider that as early as the late 12th century an English traveler mentioned it in his writings.

This work also gives us a historical curiosity: appreciated in every age, it seems to have particularly enthused Napoleon, who brought it to France by way of the Treaty of Tolentino during the Napoleonic spoliations.

It thus remained in today’s Louvre, then the Musée Napoleon, until 1815, when it was brought back to Italy.

Dying Galata

A stunning sculpture that conveys suffering and resignation. What we see is in fact a dying warrior who no longer even attempts to get up.

But he is not just any fighter, but a galata (after whom the sculpture is obviously named). We can tell by his mustache and shaggy hair, his short sword and war horn, but especially by the Celtic collar he wears around his neck.

He is thus a soldier of the peoples who fought stubbornly against the Roman Empire, creating not a few difficulties, primarily even for Caesar himself, who may have been the original owner of the statue.

Actually, the present one is a copy of a Hellenistic work located on the temple of Pergamum: the original was built to celebrate Attalus’ victories over these very populations.

Although the original was made of bronze, the splendid copy visible inside the Capitoline Museums is instead made of marble, and was discovered in the early 17th century during excavations at Villa Ludovisi.

Appreciated immediately, many wealthy families commissioned a copy thinking it was a wounded gladiator, thus giving rise to a series of misnomers.

In this regard we provide a small literary curiosity: in the novel “Portrait of a Lady” by Henry James, during a visit of the protagonist to the Capitoline Museums, the work is called precisely “Dying Gladiator. “

As happened to many other works in these incredible Museums, the Galata Morente was also taken to Paris by Napoleon until 1815.

Capitoline Venus

Just like the Galata, it is a Roman copy of a statue of Hellenistic origin.

Dating from the second century B.C., it is nearly two meters high and depicts the goddess of love as she is emerging from the water, covering her naked body with her hands.

The original is the Venus pudica sculpted by Praxiteles, which became a model for the entire ancient world and from which the Venus in the Capitoline Museums is also inspired.

However, this Roman reproduction was so highly regarded that it itself became a model, of which there are over a hundred reproductions worldwide.

The one you will see was found near the Basilica of San Vitale in the late 17th century and donated by Pope Benedict XIV in 1752 to the Capitoline collections.

Since then it has played a key role in the museum: it is in fact housed in a very graceful octagonal room designed in the early nineteenth century, with a mirror on the side opposite the entrance that allows you to observe-in all its completeness-the splendid Venus.

There is a fascinating literary curiosity about her as well: Mark Twain, after admiring her during a visit to the Capitoline Museums, called her “the most illustrious work of art the ancient world could boast” and dedicated a novella to her.

Love and Psyche

This splendid marble sculpture is a copy of an original dating back to the second century B.C. and is kept in the same room as the Dying Galata, or “The Gladiator Room.”

The story of Cupid and Psyche, narrated by Apuleius in his “Metamorphoses,” has as its protagonists the famous god armed with bow and arrows and a mortal so beautiful that she drew upon herself the wrath of Venus, the mother of Cupid.

This graceful statue, just over a meter high, is placed right in front of the window, and the light caresses the two tender lovers intent on giving each other a kiss.

Their story was highly felt in ancient Rome, and it became a symbol of the soul’s passage from the death of the body to an immortal life, since the young woman, marrying the god at Jupiter’s behest, lost her mortality.

Colossal Head of Constantine

We are dealing with one of the most important statues of the late antique world.

An imposing colossus-as high as 12 meters-made of marble and gilded bronze, a copy of which has been reconstructed and can be admired in the gardens of Villa Caffarelli.

You can admire the head and some remains of the original, dated between 313 and 324, in the courtyard of Palazzo dei Conservatori, right at the beginning of your visit.

Originally, the mammoth statue was placed in the Basilica of Maxentius, and it was supposedly composed of different materials precisely because only parts of it were found.

Consider that the head alone measures two meters and sixty centimeters!

Two paintings by Caravaggio

There are as many as two wonderful paintings by Caravaggio housed inside the Capitoline Museums, specifically in the Pinacoteca Capitolina, located on the second floor of the Palazzo dei Conservatori.

The room in which you can admire these masterpieces is the one that houses the great painting of the seventeenth century in Rome and takes its name from another splendid work that can be admired here, the Burial of Santa Petronilla by Guercino.

As for Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, you will be able to observe the Buona Ventura (1597) and the Saint John the Baptist (1602).

The Buona Ventura perfectly represents the innovations introduced in painting by the artist and depicts an episode of daily life in 16th-century Rome.

The two subjects depict a gypsy woman and a young knight, dressed in realistic clothing of the time: the young woman, seductively, takes the knight’s hand with the aim of reading his future, but in the meantime she takes his ring off.

As for the St. John the Baptist, on the other hand, we see a completely naked young man happily embracing a ram while looking toward the viewer.

We can see the painter’s famous play of light, thanks to which the figure seems to suddenly emerge from the darkness to materialize in a disarming reality, so much so that the young man seems almost about to break through the wall!

Guercino’s Burial of Saint Petronilla

A splendid altarpiece painted by Guercino during the pontificate of Gregory XV Ludovisi (1621-23).

A work so majestic that the room in which it is housed, the same as the two Caravaggio paintings, is named after her.

This altarpiece depicts Petronilla, a martyr from the early days of Christianity: we see her at the bottom as she is being buried, while at the top she can be seen in elegant dress in the presence of Jesus Christ.

This magnificent work of art is among those that were taken to France and only regained after the fall of Napoleon, thanks to the recovery work of Antonio Canova.

Marforio

A huge marble sculpture possibly depicting the god Neptune. It was found in the Forum of Augustus near the Temple of Mars Ultor from which it takes its name.

Following various moves, it reached the New Palace in the 17th century, where it can still be admired today.

A curiosity about this marble giant: the Marforio is one of Rome’s six “talking statues,” so called because, since the 16th century, Roman citizens had been posting anonymous notes on it.

The subject of such writings were mostly criticisms, anonymously addressed to rulers, and they took the name “pasquinate” because the most famous statue on which they were placed was that of Pasquino.

The phenomenon continues to this day, although the Marforio “no longer speaks,” no longer being of free access since 2008, when it was included within the Capitoline Museum area.

Capitoline Museums Rome: tips for visiting

The Capitoline Museums are really well structured so as to offer the best possible visit to its guests.

The tour begins at the Palazzo dei Conservatori, whose courtyard you can immediately admire, after depositing your bags and jackets in the free checkroom.

Visitors can move freely within the museums, but we strongly recommend following the indicated route: the panels-with their increasing numbers-indicate the way to follow.

On the same panels you will also find brief artistic explanations of the works observed, as well as other important directions, should you have opted to hire an audio guide.

If you proceed in an orderly manner, you will be sure to explore the museum in its entirety, without missing anything.

In addition, about halfway along the route, you can opt for a little restorative stop on the panoramic terrace with attached bar in Palazzo Caffarelli.

We recommend devoting a few extra minutes to the works we are telling you about, artistically and historically very relevant, able like few others to give you unique emotions.

Of course, the Capitoline Museums are full of other statues and paintings, as well as valuable tapestries and artifacts, all deserving of the right amount of time to be appreciated!

Visiting the Capitoline Museums: frequently asked questions

What to see at the Capitoline Museums: conclusion

Well, here we come to the conclusion of our article on the ten works not to be missed while visiting the Capitoline Museums.

We have looked together at the main works contained within the museum complex, from its wonderful bronze statues to its marble statues to the great paintings of the Capitoline Picture Gallery.

Obviously, what we have provided is an essential guide for your visit, with some curiosities about the most important and appreciated works, but during your experience you will find many other wonders, such as the Hall of the Philosophers or the Sarcophagus of Severus.

Before concluding, I have answered the most frequently asked questions about the Capitoline Museums and the treasures it holds.

But if by chance you have any other curiosities or questions about the works of the Capitoline Museums, leave us a comment and we will be happy to answer them!

And don’ t forget to book your ticket online to skip the line and have an unforgettable experience in a place where the ancient world takes us by the hand, inviting us to discover all its beauties!