Decorative Display in Stucco, Tempera & Marble “Museo Profano”
Founded in 1767 by Clement XIII, the Profane Museum was established opposite the Christian Museums. As the name state, this Profane Museum was created to display the non-religious objects of the Carpegna Collection that was acquired in 1741 by Pope Benedict XIV. This collection is enriched with objects that documented other aspects of the ancient culture, such as religious statuettes and decorative objects.
The vault of the Profane Museum was painted in 1768 by Stefano Pozzi
An inscription written in Latin painted in a lunette of the Museum memorializes its institution in 1768 while in the same year the painter, Stefano Pozzi, painted on the vault an allegory alluding to the foundation of the Museum; Time, clothed as Saturn, attempts to snatch a statue from a cupid who, by the order of Minerva, is carrying a statue to safety.
