Roman Antiquities at the MET
by Bob Brooke

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, otherwise known as the MET, has one of the greatest collections of Roman antiquities in the United States. Strolling through the galleries of Roman antiquities is like stepping back to a time over two millennia ago.

The 1874 to 1876 purchase of the Cesnola Collection of Cypriot art—works dating from the Bronze Age to the end of the Roman period—helped to establish The MET's reputation as a major Museum of classical antiquities..

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises over 30,000 works,, dating from the Neolithic Period around 4,500 BCE to the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in 312 CE. The MET’s Roman art collection coincides with the expansion of the Roman Empire.

The MET’s first acquired object was a Roman sarcophagus from Tarsus, donated on November 20, 1870. Its first director, Luigi Palma di Cesnola, was appointed on the strength of the acquisition and display of his large collection of antiquities from Cyprus. The third director, Edward Robinson, an accomplished classical archaeologist whose tenure saw an exceptional enrichment of the collections by bequest, gift, and purchase.



The Roman marble sarcophagus, a masterpiece of ornate craftsmanship and preservation, stands as a centerpiece in the Roman Art exhibit. Originating from the collection of the Dukes of Beaufort and gracing Badminton House in England since 1733, its meticulously carved sides and front showcase a breathtaking display of artistry and narrative.

In 2004, the MET reinstalled its Roman galleries. With more than 5,300 objects on view in an area of more than 30,000 square feet, the focal point is the Leon Levy and Shelby White Court—a monumental, skylit peristyle for the display of Hellenistic and Roman art with a soaring two-story atrium. The new galleries present the most important and familiar masterworks in the Greek and Roman collection.

Among the highlights of this vast collection are the numerous nude statues, which not only capture the human form in stunning detail but also offer profound insight into the ideals, values, and artistry of the ancient world. They stand majestically among the classical columns of Court.

The nude statues in The Met’s Roman collection represent more than just physical beauty—they embody the ancient world’s fascination with the human form as a vessel of perfection, power, and divinity. The Romans, inspired by the Greeks, took this tradition and infused it with their own cultural narrative, using nude sculptures to depict not only mythical figures but also prominent citizens, emperors, and warriors in anatomical precision, with every muscle, curve, and posture carefully sculpted to create a lifelike presence.

To the Romans, nudity symbolized power and vulnerability and was often used in sculptures commemorating military victories or political achievements. In some cases, Roman sculptors created the statues of nude emperors as if they were gods, blurring the lines between mortal rule and divine right.

Besides marble and bronze Roman portrait busts, and wall paintings from two villas on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, one at Boscoreale and the other at Boscotrecase, the Museum’s collection includes hundreds of pieces of glassware, silver, and terracotta objects. Visitors learn about Roman everyday life through oil lamps and everyday pottery.. The department's holdings in glass and silver are among the best in the world.

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