Italy Unveils $17 Million Etruscan Frescoes at Villa Giulia, Extending 2026 Art Buying Spree
Updated
Updated · artnet News · Jul 1
Italy Unveils $17 Million Etruscan Frescoes at Villa Giulia, Extending 2026 Art Buying Spree
3 articles · Updated · artnet News · Jul 1
Summary
$17 million fresco panels from the François Tomb have gone on permanent display at Rome’s National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia after Italy bought them this year from the Torlonia family.
Painted between 340 B.C.E. and 240 B.C.E., the works are among the most important surviving Etruscan artworks, preserving rare evidence of a civilization whose written record was largely lost.
The panels depict Etruscan history and Greek myth, including enemies from Rome and nearby cities being slaughtered, Achilles sacrificing Trojan prisoners, and Mastarna—identified with Rome’s Servius Tullius—freeing an Etruscan nobleman.
Jewels and vases found in the tomb have been reunited for the opening exhibition through loans, while Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli cast the purchase as part of a push to protect and broaden access to Italy’s heritage.
The acquisition follows two other major ministry buys this year: Antonello da Messina’s Ecce Homo for $14.9 million in February and a Caravaggio portrait for $35 million.