Archaeological Museum of Bologna

The collection was formed around an initial group of casts in the Palagi collection, but it expanded considerably between the end of the 19^th and the start of the 20^th century at the behest of Edoardo Brizio and Gherardo Ghirardini, who apart from being the museum’s directors also held the chair in Archaeology at the University. The copies were used at the time as educational tools for the university teaching of the History of Greek and Roman art. The reproductions were purchased from a number of major Italian and European museums, which used to make them in their workshops.

The collection was put on public display for the first time only in 1990, following refurbishment of the museum’s ground floor. In 2015, in occasion of a new refurbishment, the Plaster collection has been moved up to the 1st floor of the Museum, room IV.

It is presented today not only as an interesting example of the history of the disciplines but also as a stimulating educational opportunity and point of interest: through the reproductions, it is possible to reconstruct a history of Antique sculpture through masterpieces, comparing works conserved in a range of widely-separated museums.