Located in the northeastern wing of Stockholm’s Royal Palace is the Museum of Antiquities (Antiknuseet). The museum is Sweden’s oldest public art museum, and one of Europe’s first, opening in 1794. The museum was founded in honor of King Gustav III (1746–1792), who was passionate about collecting art from antiquity. Much of his collection was purchased during his tour of Italy in 1783. He acquired around 200 ancient sculptures, busts, and vases, mostly of Roman origin, and brought them to his palace home. After King Gustav’s death it was decided to share his collection with the people of his country – a rather radical concept at the time — and over the past few centuries many have enjoyed the King’s collection.
The museum features a variety of marble sculptures ranging from an assortment of busts to a variety of mythologic pieces. Last weekend’s One Clue Mystery Photo (shown below) was taken from the Smaller Stone Gallery. It was recognized by George G.
These pieces are displayed in two galleries as they were originally presented in the 18th century (despite renovations to the Gallery).
A few of the pieces that caught my eye in the Larger Stone Gallery are shown below:
The following photos are a sampling of the Smaller Stone Gallery (mostly busts and intimate portraits)
The following painting dates to the 18th century, crafted shortly after the Museum opened to the public. As you can see, not much has changed since that time.
If you Visit:
Enter the Antik Museum via the palace’s Lejonbacken (Lion’s Back) staircase (climbing a few stairs is required). Admission to this museum is included with a Royal Palace ticket (costing around 180 SEK for adults), The museum is only open during the summer months (May – September)
