"Pair Of Pompeian Deer From Herculaneum By Chiurazzi"
Couple of young deer from Antiquity. Patinated bronze. Early 20th century. This pair of young deer is a reproduction with the same dimensions as the originals kept at the Archaeological Museum of Naples under inventory numbers 4888 and 4886. These are Roman sculptures from the 1st century AD. They were discovered in the Villa dei Papyri during an exploration campaign that lasted from 1750 to 1765 outside the site of Herculaneum. 93 works of art were discovered in this villa known for its exceptional decoration and especially for the numerous manuscripts which were discovered there. The original couple decorated the peristyle of the villa. Begun in 1738 by Charles de Bourbon, the excavations of Herculaneum produced so many antiquities that in 1750 a museum was created in Portici, a town near Naples, in an annex of the royal palace. The collection belonged to Charles de Bourbon, but it was organized by theme and travelers had to take long steps to access the museum, which became known as the richest cabinet of antiquities in Italy thanks to the reproductions made by the artists admitted at the Museum. palaces, as well as engravings of works that circulated among European aristocrats. They have been reproduced by the Chiurazzi foundry since the end of the 19th century and are illustrated in their catalog. 90x80x20cm