Marina De Franceschini. "Villa Adriana, Accademia. I Candelabri
Barberini" in Bollettino dei Monumenti Musei e Gallerie Pontificie –
XXXIII, 2015
(A cura di Cristina Pantanella), pp. 69-98
The Accademia Project, created by the author of this article, for several years has been studying the Accademia of Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli (Rome), one of the lesser–known buildings of the complex, which is still in private property.
The survey of the building was obviously linked to the study of its history, excavations and finds, among which are the Barberini Candelabra, one of the oldest discoveries made there.
While preparing a book that will gather the results of the Project, I had the opportunity to examine them closely, discovering their extraordinary beauty.
Despite being in the Vatican Museums since more than two centuries, the Candelabra are not very famous; during the visit they pass almost unnoticed in the midst of so many works of art, and few people know the story of their discovery, restoration and sale. No picture truly shows the magnificent reliefs that decorate their bases.