Art of the Roman Empire

Ancient Roman civilization stands to this day as one of the most important and virtuous periods in human history. First form of globalisation established upon foundations such as language, law, and citizenship, the rise of the Roman Empire and the unification of distant peoples entailed an inevitable and contamination of customs and traditions, followed by the creation of a universal language made of images with powerful iconographic and iconological value that spread throughout the Mediterranean. From the orderly urban layouts to the splendid mural paintings and intricate mosaics that adorned the residences, each relic still offers a vivid depiction of life within the Empire.

Curated by Mario Grimaldi and promoted by the Consulate General of Italy in Canton, the exhibition Art of the Roman Empire includes a hundred prestigious loans from the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, which find temporary abodes in the galleries of the Guangdong Museum in Canton. 

Starting with precious sculptural examples in marble, bronzes, frescoes and mosaics, moving on to utensils related to banquets and conviviality, tools for writing and for the creation of paintings and mosaics, to advanced forms of technology, the exhibition rediscovers the multifaceted and colourful Ancient Roman social world.

Beginning with precious marble sculptures, bronzes, frescoes and mosaics, moving through utensils related to table and conviviality, tools for writing and for the creation of paintings and mosaics, to advanced forms of technology, the exhibition Art of the Roman Empire, rediscovers and recounts the colorful Roman social and artistic world.

The birth of the Roman Empire and the unification of distant peoples and peoples led to a profound exchange of customs and the establishment of a universal language of iconographic imagery, visible today in the orderly urban floor plans, splendid wall paintings and intricate mosaics that offer a vivid depiction of life within the Empire.

Thanks to more than a hundred prestigious loans from the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, the Galleries of the Guangdong Museum in Canton house and tell the story of a Roman civilization that still represents one of the most important and virtuous moments in human history.