Project co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund
Project co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund
The Collection of Classical Art, numbering around 11,000 objects, features mainly Greek and Roman works that together reveal the richness and diversity of the art and material culture of ancient Greece, Italy and other regions shaped by classical civilisation. Smaller but distinctive groups of Aegean, Cypriot, Etruscan and other artefacts from the Apennine Peninsula complement the collection.
Among its most valuable highlights are the largest and most important holdings of Greek painted pottery in Central and Eastern Europe, including a Panathenaic amphora (https://cyfrowe.mnw.art.pl/en/catalog/489693), and a significant group of inscriptions, especially Greek ones, numerous terracotta figurines showing the development of small-scale Greek sculpture, and rich collections of oil lamps and glass vessels. Some objects are one of a handful of their kind in the world, such as an Etruscan drinking vessel with a system of tubes for mixing liquids.
The history of the collection is a complex one. In its early years, it grew through important acquisitions of private and institutional collections, including the holdings of Józef Choynowski, antiquities from the Erazm Majewski Museum, part of the ancient sculpture collection of Michał Ludwik Pac, and generous gifts from private donors. The Second World War brought devastating losses, but it also marked a turning point in shaping the present collection. After the war, as part of a policy to centralise ancient art holdings, the department received objects from institutions located in territories newly incorporated into Poland, such as a four-legged folding base from a portable altar from Zakrzów, as well as pieces from former private collections.
In later years, the collection expanded its size thanks to finds from archaeological excavations, notably due to Polish research on Cyprus, including a fragment of a votive figure. Donations also played a huge role. In addition, long-term loans – particularly from the Musée du Louvre, several Polish institutions and private individuals – remain an important way of enriching the Gallery of Ancient Art with aspects of the Greco-Roman world that are less fully represented in the museum’s own holdings.
Discover the digital collections of the National Museum in Warsaw and explore thousands of works of art — from painting and sculpture to prints, photography and decorative arts. Browse objects, artists and collections, learning their history through detailed descriptions and high-quality reproductions. Visit the site and see the richness of the MNW collections from anywhere, at any time.
