Antikensammlung Berlin

The Antikensammlung Berlin is one of the most important collections of classical art in the world. It is now held across the Altes Museum, the Neues Museum, and the Pergamon Museum on the Museumsinsel in Berlin-Mitte, Germany. The collection contains thousands of ancient archaeological artefacts from Greek, Roman, Etruscan, and Cypriot civilizations. Its main attraction is the Pergamon Altar, alongside Greek and Roman architectural elements from Priene, Magnesia, Baalbek, and Falerii. The holdings also encompass ancient sculptures, vases, terracottas, bronzes, sarcophagi, engraved gems, and metalwork. As a museum of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, it combines public display with a long tradition of scholarly research.

The collection's foundations were laid under Brandenburg Elector Friedrich Wilhelm, who in 1671 acquired parts of the collection of Gerrit Reynst. Lorenz Beger served as electoral antiquarian from 1686 and from 1688 administered the Antiquitäten-Kammer, becoming head of the Brandenburg-Prussian Kunstkammer in the Berlin Stadtschloss in 1693. He contributed substantially to the expansion and systematization of the electoral collections. In 1698, Friedrich III acquired the extensive collection of Roman antiquarian Giovanni Pietro Bellori. König Friedrich Wilhelm I showed little interest, though the frequently cited exchange of 36 statues for two dragoon regiments with Augustus II the Strong is not documented. In 1742, Friedrich II acquired the collection of Cardinal Melchior de Polignac, including the figure of the knucklebone-playing girl. In 1747 he acquired the already famous bronze statue of the so-called praying boy, displayed on the terrace of Schloss Sanssouci until 1786. The collection expanded further in 1758 through the inheritance of Markgräfin Wilhelmine von Bayreuth's collection, including 265 gems, sculptures, and a fragment of the Nile mosaic from Praeneste, and in 1764 through the purchase of Philipp von Stosch's gem collection. Between 1766 and 1768, statues were acquired in Rome through art dealer Giovanni Ludovico Bianconi. In 1767, the Green Caesar and an Augustus portrait from the Julienne collection in Paris were added. The antiquities served as decoration for royal palaces. In 1776, Friedrich II had most antiquities moved to the Antikentempel in Sanssouci park, where they were accessible to visitors by appointment with the castellan. In 1790, six further statues were acquired in Rome through Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff. Friedrich Wilhelm III's cabinet order of 1 September 1798 mandated the unification of the Potsdam Antiken-Tempel collection with similar Berlin collections and their transfer to the Academy of Sciences. The coin and gem collection entered the Antikenkabinett of the Berlin Stadtschloss that same year, along with 48 additional antiquities; 449 more pieces arrived from Sanssouci in 1801. In 1797, Aloys Hirt proposed establishing Prussia's first public museum in Berlin, but Friedrich Wilhelm III initially rejected the idea. After Napoleon's defeat of Prussia in 1806, a large portion of royal sculptures were taken as spoils to Paris by Dominique-Vivant Denon for display in the Musée Napoléon. The pieces returned in 1814/15, and planning for a new museum slowly began. A cabinet order of 12 October 1820 directed that artworks from palaces, gardens, and galleries be selected for the new museum. The decree for construction of a museum to Karl Friedrich Schinkel's plans followed on 24 April 1823. Further acquisitions continued: in 1827 the bronze and vase collection of Consul-General Jakob Ludwig Salomon Bartholdy, and in 1828 the collection of 1,348 ancient vases belonging to General Franz von Koller. The Altes Museum opened on 3 August 1830. The sculptor Christian Friedrich Tieck became first director, and Eduard Gerhard served as first archaeological curator from 1833 to 1855. Gerhard emphasized scientific research alongside display, initiating a systematic catalogue with drawings of ancient artworks from Italy and Greece. This collection of drawings grew to 2,500 leaves and remains in use by researchers. Gerhard sought breadth rather than star objects, and encouraged acquisition of casts instead of expensive originals. The cast collection, existing since 1796 at Berlin's Prussian Academy of Arts, was connected to the museum in 1842. As the collection outgrew its space, Friedrich August Stüler built the Neues Museum between 1843 and 1855 to the north of the original building. Here, archaeological collections were arranged in a chronological and conceptual timeline. The Egyptian collection was displayed on the lower floor, while the cast collection occupied the upper floor according to Stüler's designs, with room decor and wall paintings specifically designed for each subject or epoch. In 1879 the vase collection moved from the Antiquarium into the new building.

The Antikensammlung Berlin houses archaeological objects of Greek, Roman, Etruscan, and Cypriot origin. Its holdings span multiple media and categories: ancient sculptures, vases, terracottas, bronzes, sarcophagi, engraved gems, and metalwork. The collection also includes architectural elements from major ancient sites. From its early emphasis on Greek and Roman works, it expanded through the 19th century to achieve comprehensive coverage. The vase collection, significantly expanded through the bequest of archaeologist Eduard Gerhard's collection and earlier acquisitions such as the Dorow-Magnus collection of 442 vases in 1831, became one of the best in the world. The cast collection, connected to the museum in 1842, grew to become one of the largest of its kind, supporting the museum's research mission through the combination of originals and copies.

The collection's main attraction is the Pergamon Altar. It also holds significant Greek and Roman architectural elements from Miletus (the Market Gate of Miletus), Priene, Magnesia, Baalbek, and Falerii. Among individual works, the collection includes the figure of the knucklebone-playing girl from the Polignac collection, acquired in 1742; the famous bronze statue of the praying boy, acquired in 1747; and the Green Caesar and Augustus portrait from the Julienne collection in Paris, added in 1767. The Nile mosaic from Praeneste, inherited in 1758, and the gem collection of Philipp von Stosch, purchased in 1764, represent further notable components.

The collection is displayed in three buildings on the Museumsinsel in Berlin: the Altes Museum, the Neues Museum, and the Pergamon Museum. The Altes Museum, designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel and opened on 3 August 1830, was the collection's first home. Its central Rotunda, one of the most successful examples of 19th-century museum architecture, displayed the initial selection of statues chosen by Wilhelm von Humboldt's commission. From the Rotunda, visitors passed into two halls of classical gods and heroes, then to rooms with Roman emperor statues, portraits, sarcophagi, cinerary urns, and reliefs. Small objects were initially housed in the Antiquarium in the basement. The Neues Museum, built by Friedrich August Stüler between 1843 and 1855 to the north of the Altes Museum, was designed to accommodate the expanding collection with chronological and conceptual displays, including specifically designed room decor and wall paintings.

The Antikensammlung Berlin is located in Berlin-Mitte on the Museumsinsel. It operates as part of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. The collection is distributed across three buildings: the Altes Museum, the Neues Museum, and the Pergamon Museum. Its website is https://www.smb.museum/museen-einrichtungen/antikensammlung/.