{"id":1485,"date":"2016-02-17T08:17:31","date_gmt":"2016-02-17T07:17:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=1485"},"modified":"2025-04-15T10:56:22","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T09:56:22","slug":"greek-roman-antiquities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/khm\/greek-roman-antiquities\/","title":{"rendered":"Greek &#038; Roman Antiquities (Kunsthistorisches Museum)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/greek.jpg\" alt=\"Statue of Pericles\" class=\"wp-image-14832\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/greek.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/greek-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>When you enter Gallery 10 in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM), a change of flooring and presentation tells you that Ancient Egypt just gave way to the delights of Ancient Greece and Rome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Full of Greek and Roman art, jewellery, pottery and other artifacts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cameos and gemstones a particular highlight <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Beautifully atmospheric gallery layout<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Book your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/vienna-attractions-c60335\/tickets-for-kunsthistorisches-museum-wien-skip-the-line-p974058\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LG_KHM\" rel=\"sponsored\">KHM museum tickets<\/a>*<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/khm\/overview\/\">Kunsthistorisches Museum overview<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/vindobona\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"32729\">Roman Vienna<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ancient-greece-and-rome\">Ancient Greece and Rome<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"297\" height=\"447\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/khmromangreek2.jpg\" alt=\"View of a gallery in the antiquity collection at the Kunsthistorisches Museum\" class=\"wp-image-62924\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/khmromangreek2.jpg 297w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/khmromangreek2-199x300.jpg 199w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 297px) 100vw, 297px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Collection of Greek and Roman Antiquities; press photo \u00a9 KHM-Museumsverband)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The transition to the classics in the Kunsthistorisches Museum comes across through both the style of the surrounds and the items themselves. For example, the first Greek statues you meet already represent a leap forward in artistic quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The curators clearly put a lot of thought into how items are displayed in this area (see the highlights below), particularly the use of light and shadow. As with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/khm\/egyptian-collection\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1483\">Egyptian collection<\/a>, the galleries create an aura of gravitas, depth and a touch of pathos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might, however, need your guidebook or an audio guide to really appreciate what you&#8217;re seeing: this is the one section in the museum where English is relatively spartan (at the time of writing).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So what raised my eyebrows in this collection?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-highlights\">The Highlights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Gallery 11 features a huge <strong>original mosaic<\/strong> in the floor, taken from a 4th century villa near Salzburg<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The mosaic tells one of the versions of the story of Ariadne and Theseus (he of Minotaur-slaying fame).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Gallery 13 has a delightful display of <strong>busts<\/strong>, each on its own high column<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As you walk toward this gallery, a glance at the entrance portal reveals a majestic <strong>Emperor Vespasian<\/strong> seemingly waiting to welcome you. His head is from 70AD, his torso from sometime in the first century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(The temple to Vespasian and Titus in Rome actually served as a model for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/schonbrunn\/romanruins\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"149\">Roman ruins<\/a> in the grounds of Sch\u00f6nbrunn Palace.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The framing of the emperor from afar offers a perfect example of how the curators created something special through the design of the entire Greek and Roman wing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><em>Ad:<\/em><br><\/div><div data-tiqets-widget=\"discovery\" data-cards-layout=\"horizontal\" data-content-type=\"venue\" data-content-ids=\"141961,145515\" data-partner=\"visitingvienna\" data-tq-campaign=\"D_KHMSchatzVenue\"><\/div><script defer src=\"https:\/\/widgets.tiqets.com\/loader.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This gallery of busts possesses an eerie quality enhanced by the subtle and varied lighting and shadows cast on the marbled floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Look also for the <strong>mummy portraits<\/strong>, which they placed on mummies in Rome-influenced Egypt in the second century AD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Gallery 14 features <strong>Greek vases<\/strong> and other ceramics. The kind of thing you&#8217;ll be familiar with from souvenir shops in Athens and Kos, except these are the real things<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The &#8220;Kabinetts&#8221; leading off the rooms each focus on a special topic, such as Cypriot ceramics from the bronze and iron ages or Etruscan art. You&#8217;ll find more vases here than you can shake a souvlaki at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Gallery 15 is another atmospheric display, this time featuring <strong>bronze statues of the gods<\/strong> and other figures of mythology<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The dark settings with pools of light for each piece make a dramatic impression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Roman tableware, jewellery, decorated oil lamps and fibulae (brooches for fastening clothing) fill the rest of the room.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"297\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/khmromangreek1.jpg\" alt=\"View of the gallery of busts from antiquity at the Kunsthistorisches Museum\" class=\"wp-image-62923\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/khmromangreek1.jpg 297w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/khmromangreek1-178x300.jpg 178w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 297px) 100vw, 297px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The use of light and dark creates a stark impression; press photo \u00a9 KHM-Museumsverband)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Gallery 16 is probably my favourite with its <strong>miniature reliefs<\/strong> (cameos) and <strong>engraved gems<\/strong> from Rome.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These items found use as signet rings, pendants, and other adornments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, the room is lit darkly, with wall cabinets and spotlights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At a distance, the gem cabinets glitter like a collection of brightly-coloured beetles. As you walk past, watch how certain gems catch the light: particularly the orange carnelians. The effect is why this gallery features in my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/khm\/what-to-see-at-the-kunsthistorisches-museum\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"82317\">top highlights for the museum<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The room also includes the <strong>Gemma Augustea<\/strong>, a large cut onyx stone from ca. 9-12 AD with a 17th-century gold setting. It honours the Emperor Augustus and features various deities and personifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like many precious works in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the item came into Habsburg ownership through the acquisitional efforts of Rudolf II (1552-1612). This is the same emperor who commissioned the remarkable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/austrian-crown\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"18904\">crown of the Austrian Empire<\/a>, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Gallery 17 also profits from the creativity of the museum staff. Spot-lit cabinets house a wide range of <strong>Roman and early Germanic jewellery<\/strong> and other items of bronze, silver and gold.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/romanbracelet.jpg\" alt=\"Roman gold bracelet. Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art\" class=\"wp-image-42868\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/romanbracelet.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/romanbracelet-300x228.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Example of a Roman Gold bracelet with a carnelian stone, 3rd century AD. Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The treasures come from various finds and locations, such as Nagyszentmikl\u00f3s in modern-day Romania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most people visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/khm\/paintings\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1487\">paintings<\/a> by old masters or the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/khm\/kunstkammer\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1489\">wonders<\/a> of the Kunstkammer. But the Greek and Roman section is definitely worth your time for the visual impression alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if all that whets your appetite for more of the same, try:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/khm\/ephesos-museum\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"9952\">Ephesos Museum<\/a>: view antiquities from excavations of the huge same-named Greek and Roman settlement<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/roman-museum\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"35392\">R\u00f6mermuseum<\/a>: an informational museum on life in Roman Vienna (when the city was known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/vindobona\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"32729\">Vindobona<\/a>), with items of a more everyday nature than those in the Kunsthistorisches Museum<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When you leave the collection, the arched marble magnificence of the corridor outside edged in Roman busts makes an appropriate finale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next up: the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/khm\/paintings\/\">picture galleries<\/a> with their Bruegels, Titians and more&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you enter Gallery 10 in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM), a change of flooring and presentation tells you that Ancient Egypt just gave way to the delights of Ancient Greece and Rome. Ancient Greece and Rome (Collection of Greek and Roman Antiquities; press photo \u00a9 KHM-Museumsverband) The transition to the classics in the Kunsthistorisches Museum [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14832,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1485","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-khm","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1485"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82342,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485\/revisions\/82342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}