Archaeological museum · Roman Imperial · Pergola, Marche

Gilded Bronzes Museum — Cartoceto di Pergola

The Museo dei Bronzi Dorati in Pergola, Marche, is home to the Gilded Bronzes from Cartoceto di Pergola — the only surviving complete Roman gilt-bronze equestrian group from antiquity. Discovered in fragments in 1946 near the village of Cartoceto, the ensemble originally comprised at least two equestrian figures and two standing women, of which one rider and two women survive. The group dates to the late 1st century BCE or early Imperial period and represents one of the most exceptional finds in Roman metalwork.

At a glance

Type: Archaeological museum — Roman gilt-bronze sculpture
Period: Late 1st century BCE – early Imperial period; discovered 1946
Style: Roman Imperial bronze sculpture with gilding
Location: Pergola, Province of Pesaro and Urbino, Marche, Italy
Coordinates: 43.5576° N, 12.8368° E

Overview

The Gilt Bronzes from Cartoceto di Pergola are the only surviving Roman gilt-bronze equestrian group, making the Pergola museum one of the most significant archaeological destinations in central Italy. The monumental ensemble was composed of at least two people on horseback, of which one rider survives, along with two standing women, all rendered in gilded bronze at near life-size scale. The identities of the figures remain debated among scholars, with proposed attributions ranging from members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty to local magistrates.

History

The bronzes were discovered in fragments in 1946 by a farmer near the village of Cartoceto di Pergola in the Marche hills. After decades of careful restoration and study by the Soprintendenza, the reassembled figures were placed on permanent display in Pergola. The find attracted immediate scholarly attention given the extreme rarity of surviving ancient large-scale gilded bronzes, most of which were melted down for their metal value during the medieval period. The museum was purpose-built to house and contextualise this unique collection.

What you see

The museum displays the reassembled bronze figures — a male rider on horseback and two standing women in Roman dress — alongside explanatory panels detailing the discovery, restoration, and ongoing scholarly debate about their identity. The gilding, partially preserved, conveys the original luminous impact these statues would have had in a Roman civic setting. Supporting exhibits explore the broader context of Roman bronze production and the cultural landscape of ancient Umbria and Picenum.

Cultural significance

The uniqueness of the Cartoceto bronzes — no other complete Roman gilt-bronze equestrian group survives anywhere in the world — gives this relatively small provincial museum an importance that far exceeds its modest setting. The collection draws specialists and enthusiasts of Roman art from across Europe and beyond, anchoring Pergola within a circuit of exceptional Marche archaeological heritage that includes Urbino and Fano.

Practical information

Address: Piazza Garibaldi, Pergola (PU), Marche, Italy
Hours: Check official website for current opening hours and seasonal schedule
Admission: Check official website

Getting there

Pergola is located in the inland Marche hills, approximately 50 km southwest of Pesaro and 60 km from Ancona. The town is most easily reached by car via the SS73 from Pesaro or the SS3 Flaminia from Fano. Limited bus connections operate from Pesaro and Fano. The nearest major rail hub is Fano on the Adriatic coast.

Sources & resources

In the ex-convent of San Giacomo are the gilded bronzes from Cartoceto di Pergola, or simply gilded bronzes from Cartoceto, the Roman equestrian statuary group made up of two knights, two horses and two standing women; they represent the only gilded bronze sculptural group of archaeological origin left from the Roman era.



Hundreds of fragments of gilded bronze, weighing 9 quintals, were discovered by chance in the subsoil on 26 June 1946 in the locality of Santa Lucia di Calamello, by two farmers who were digging in their own field, located in the parish of Cartoceto, in the municipality of Pergola (PU ).

The discovery was reported to the canon Giovanni Vernarecci, honorary inspector of Fossombrone, by his niece Piera Vernarecci who, a student at the University of Urbino and fresh from her exam in History of Art, following the rumors of an archaeological find of great value, had gone on the spot, chasing fragmentary details and indications.



But everything had already been made to disappear; near an evident and fresh covering of an excavation, however, she found and picked up a small piece of gilded bronze which she brought to her uncle in the evening.

The latter went to the place the next day, together with the police, but was unable to get anything delivered. Thanks to his typed testimony we are aware of the fortunate circumstance of the discovery and its execution in a state of emergency.



Worried about the fate of the finds, Vernarecci urgently called the National Archaeological Museum of the Marches in Ancona, where, due to the post-war emergency situation, only one daily employee was on duty: the archaeologist Nereo Alfieri.

Despite the inconvenience resulting from the bombings that had partially destroyed the museum headquarters, Alfieri went to the site of the discovery and took possession of the gilded bronze fragments that had just been excavated, while the owner of the land had urgently gone to Rome; suspecting that the sudden trip was due to an intention to contact the clandestine antiques market, the employee seized the exhibits in the name of the state and managed to have other previously hidden fragments delivered.



In the meantime he warned the Carabinieri of Rome, who monitored the activity of the capital&#39;s antique dealers to prevent any illegal sale.

The first restoration was carried out by the restorer Bruno Bearzi of Florence, who for more than ten years offered his work for free just for the honor of working on such a precious monument.



The restoration turned out to be very difficult, due to the very high number (several hundred) of the fragments, and also because the pieces were intentionally deformed before being buried.

In 1959, after the restoration by Bearzi, it was finally possible to exhibit the bronzes at the National Archaeological Museum of the Marche, where they remained visible until 1972.



From 1972 to 1988 the gilded bronzes underwent a second restoration, by the restoration laboratory of the Superintendency of Antiquities of Florence; this made it possible to integrate numerous other previously unassembled fragments into the statues, up to the recomposition of 318 fragments into the four characters, two males on horseback and two females standing.



At the end of the restoration, after being exhibited for six months at the Archaeological Museum of Florence, the gilded bronzes were once again on display at the National Archaeological Museum of the Marches, but this time no longer as individual pieces, but as a single statue group.

By now it was clear that they represented the only gilded bronze sculptural group left from the Roman era.

https://culturalheritageonline.com/places/gilded-bronzes-museum-from-cartoceto-di-pergola-l5102/

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Gilded Bronzes Museum from Cartoceto di Pergola