Italy displays paintings from an ancient Etruscan tomb, its latest cultural acquisition
The ministry said the panels were bought for 15 million euros and are part of a push to return major antiquities to public view.
- On Tuesday, June 30, 2026, the Villa Giulia National Etruscan Museum in Rome unveiled the Francois Tomb frescoes, featuring the scene "The fratricidal conflict between Eteocles and Polyneices for the throne of Thebes."
- Discovered in 1857 by French archaeologist Alessandro Francois in Vulci, the frescoes were long held by the noble Torlonia family while the Italian government has sought possession since 1921 to reclaim national patrimony.
- Purchased for 15 million euros , the tomb represents the Culture Ministry's third major acquisition this year, with Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli prioritizing big-ticket items over smaller antiquities.
- Recently, the ministry also acquired Antonello da Messina's Ecce Homo for 14.9 million euros and a rare Caravaggio portrait depicting Maffeo Barberini, the future Pope Urban VIII, for $35 million.
- Opening to the public Wednesday, the exhibition includes jewels and Etruscan vases loaned from international collections, which Giuli described as "fundamental" to Italian history and the country's cultural roots.
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Italy Unveils Ancient Paintings Found in Etruscan Tomb After $17 Million Purchase
The frescoes of the François Tomb. Credit: Italian Minister of Culture Italy has unveiled a set of rare Etruscan tomb paintings after paying $17 million to acquire them, museum officials said this week. The frescoes, once part of the François Tomb near ancient Vulci, opened to the public at Rome’s National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia. The Culture Ministry announced in May that it had bought the panels for 15 million euros ($17 million) from …
Italy Scores a Major Cultural Acquisition
Italy on Tuesday put on display one of the best-known examples of Etruscan painting, from a tomb that has become the latest acquisition in the Culture Ministry's buying spree of big-ticket pieces of the country's cultural heritage. The ministry announced in May that it had acquired the fresco panels, dating...
The Italian state has purchased frescoes from an Etruscan tomb, which is at least 2,300 years old, for 15 million euros. It is one of the best-preserved works of the Etruscans, a highly developed people who lived in central Italy before the Romans. The François Tomb, named after archaeologist Alessandro François who excavated the tomb in 1857, is a richly decorated tomb from the city of Vulci. This was the center of power of the Etruscan civiliz…
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