The Villa Dei Papiri at Herculaneum

The Villa dei Papiri at Herculaneum-buried during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79, then rediscovered in 1750-contained a large collection of bronze and marble statuary and busts. Before they were published or exhibited, the sculptures were restored so as to appear whole: it is thus that they helped to shape early modern tastes in classical sculpture.
The book describes the nature of the ancient sculptures and their impact on the modern public. Their chance discovery affected the i…