Gli Etruschi e l’Olanda

Count Galeotto Corazzi’s collection of Etruscan antiquities has been housed at the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden since 1826 and represents the first collection of Etruscan artefacts through which the academic world north of the Alps was able to engage with Etruscan civilisation.
A selection of these artefacts is now returning to Italy on an exceptional basis, first to Cortona and now to Milan, in an exhibition that strengthens the bond between the Luigi Rovati Foundation and the MAEC – Museum of the Etruscan Academy.
The Galeotto Ridolfini Corazzi collection dates back to the 18th century, when the spread of intellectual freedoms fostered the emergence of an international elite with an interest in archaeology and ancient civilisations, thereby contributing to the circulation of artefacts and works of art. Among the bronzes on display, some statuettes and artefacts are of a votive and cultural nature, such as the Boy with a Goose, depicting a naked child holding a goose in his arms and wearing a bulla around his neck, the inscription on the right leg of which attests to its votive function; a similar purpose is confirmed by the dedicatory inscription on the bronze statuette of Laran, the god of war depicted wearing armour and a helmet, dating from between 540 and 520 BC; The small bronze statue depicting a Griffin, a mythical creature combining the lion, king of the earth, with the eagle, queen of the sky, dates from the mid-4th century BC; it bears a dedicatory inscription on the right side of its body to Tinia, the god of thunderbolts.
Alongside the Corazzi bronzes, a selection of volumes is on display, highlighting the documentary value of ancient publications for the study of the history of works of art and the history of taste.