Rome: National Roman Museum

25 February

Another Rome post! Seriously, I've been there like 8 times now and I see new stuff every single time. This particular visit, I decided to hit up the Roman National Museum, home to the 2nd best collection of Roman and Greek sculptures (the first being the Vatican). Quick head's up: most of the sculptures are nude.

It always amazes me that with the right light, they really do look like real people.

Now this guy, if I'm not mistaken, is actually a Greek original. No doubt he was the champion of some early kind of boxing tournament.

Back when sculpture was still a big deal, the test of a true artist was to create a discus thrower, same pose and all. There's a fractured copy right next to this one as well as some others in the Vatican museum.

The most intricately carved object I've even seen, and this is a tomb of all things. What amazes me the most is how intact it is. I've tossed in a close-up to illustrate my point.

All in all, I took pictures of almost every statue in the museum, bearing in mind that they all might be useful as reference for some drawing or painting in the future. After the museum, I went to a nearby church that had been built on Diocletian's Bathes, only to be disappointed by the fact that they don't actually let anyone below. Defeated, I met up with some friends and caught the train home.