Relief from the Hadrianeum

To a significant degree, the Farnese family's ownership of ancient sculpture was the result of a series of excavation projects in Rome, funded over time by members of the family. These excavations resulted, fortuitously, in the discovery of marble sculpture from important monuments of imperial Rome. At the date that is not known for sure (but pre-dating the death of Paul III in 1549), a group of reliefs was discovered. Their presence in the Farnese collection is altread attested by about 1550. Other survivors of the same group, found at different times, came into other important collections in Rome. The subjects depicted were personifications of provinces of the Roman empire, and trophies. These once formed part of the decorate programme of the complex known as the Hadrianeum, the temple dedicated in the Campus Martius to the deified Hadrian by Antoniunus Pius (AD 145). This building, which 16th century antiquarians identified as the Basilica Antonini, was still partially visible at the that time, integrate into the building house the Customs service. Information from the national archeological museum of Napoli.