The Capitoline She-wolf

This exhibition inaugurates the area of the Capitoline Museums that has been set aside for temporary exhibitions. It deals with the famous symbol of the city of Rome, now fully restored by the City's Artistic Heritage Superintendency in collaboration with the "Roma Caput Mundi" Association and carried out by Anna Maria Carruba with sponsorship from ICCRI - Banca Federale Europea.
For the first time it is possible to see, all together, the most important ancient works associated with the myth of the Lupercal and most of the modern works that portray the Capitoline she-wolf or are in some way derived from it.

The first section deals with the origins of the myth of the miraculous suckling of Romulus and Remus. It analyses previous examples and iconographic models and traces the development, during the period of Ancient Rome, of its artistic representation, which kept its symbolic value right up to the end of the ancient period.

The second section, which sees the she-wolf and the twins placed in two adjoining rooms, is dedicated to the display of the results of the recent restoration programme and of some new and important pieces of information relating to how the sculpture was made and its history - all of which has been brought to us with the aid of modern technology.

The third section narrates the life and times of the Capitoline she-wolf in post-ancient history and its symbolic association with the city of Rome. This is done with some of the small bronzes, drawings, engravings and prints that have appeared from the Middle Ages onwards.

The First Floor of Palazzo Caffarelli also contains an Educational section showing various stages in the restoration programme with the help of a series of photographs and a documentary film, in addition to an interactive multimedia station.

The works exhibited here come from a number of different Italian and foreign museums and cultural institutions.