»A stupendous object«. Notes on the discovery of the great Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus

Abstract

When dealing with the origin of the great Battle Sarcophagus from the Boncompagni Collection, now housed in the Museo Nazionale Romano in the Palazzo Altemps, a document from the Vatican Secret Archives can provide further help. The indications found therein allow the conclusion that the land on which the sarcophagus was discovered belonged solely to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, i.e. it belonged to no one else. In the deed of gift one also finds the indication that Ludovico Ludovisi as Cardinal Nipote received the sarcophagus from Pope Gregory XV in 1622 as a private person and not in his capacity as a  cardinal and, thus, it belonged to his personal possessions. The study here is especially concerned with the canons of the Chapter of Santa Maria Maggiore and the other persons mentioned in the document and those who were well known as antique dealers in Rome during the first half of the 16th century. They contributed
to the fact that the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore can be designated a centre for collecting and dealing in the most valuable archaeological objects.