Farnese Collection

[2] The items in the collection were acquired or requisitioned by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, who became Pope Paul III (1534–1549).

Michelangelo had designed internal niches to display statuary in the massive Palazzo Farnese (1546) in Rome.

It also included the inheritance left in 1587 by Margaret of Parma, the widow first of Alessandro de Medici and then of Ottavio Farnese.

She also possessed a collection of famous engraved gems, which formerly belonged to Lorenzo de' Medici, including the Farnese Cup, and important marble sculptures such as the Pergamene statues.

[3][4] The collection contains many copies of ancient Greek statues, and provides a broad review of classic Roman sculpture.

The Farnese Hercules at the Naples National Archaeological Museum
Apollo seated with lyre . Porphyry and marble, 2nd century AD. Farnese collection, National Archaeological Museum, Naples
Nike , 2nd-3rd century, in the Naples National Archeological Museum . Photo by Paolo Monti , 1969
Farnese Hermes in the British Museum [ 5 ]