Sul ruolo dei sarcofagi nel collezionismo inglese tra XVIII e XX secolo

Before the 18th century, the presence of sarcophagi is rather sporadic in English collections, contrary to the discreet affirmation of statues. A trend reversal occurs during the 18th century. The figure of Cardinal Alessandro Albani was crucial in this change: indeed, he had collected about thirty sarcophagi in his famous palace at the ‘Quattro Fontane’. Moreover, he greatly influenced the taste of the time and had many contacts with English touristes. At the same time sarcophagi began to arrive in English country houses, through the intense antiquities trade of Gavin Hamilton and Thomas Jenkins. For this reason, the sarcophagi arrived mostly from Rome, but some pieces came also from Asia Minor. The phenomenon reaches a spectacular manifestation between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century with the collections of the American magnate, William Waldorf Astor, at Cliveden House in Buckinghamshire and at Hever Castle in Kent. Giving some significant examples, we will discuss the development of the interest in sarcophagi in English collections.