Rome comes to Quebec City

By Hilary Nangle, Globe Correspondent

More than 30 Italian museums, including the Capitoline and Vatican Museums, as well as private collections, loaned artifacts and masterpieces to "ROME. From the Origins to Italy's Capital," organized by and on view at the Museum of Civilization, in Quebec City, through Jan. 29, 2012. The exhibition traces Roman civilization from 850 B.C. through the mid-19th century. On view are nearly 300 priceless treasures, including statures, mosaics, frescoes, paintings, busts, sarcophagus, and tapestries.

Never before has any museum attempted to cover the Rome's rich history in a single exhibition. "ROME" takes visitors through 2,600 years spanning five periods of Roman history: Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, and Modern. A number of the works on view haven't been previously displayed publicly anywhere in the world. These include a mid-second century statue of Venus; a circa 1198-1216 mosaic of Pope Innocent III; "Hope" one of three theological virtues from the predella of the Baglioni altarpiece, created in 1507 by Raphael; the Tapestry of the Nativity and central dossal of the baldachin, crafted in the Barberini workshops between 1635-37; and a circular tabletop with the head of Medusa, signed and dated by Francesco Sibilio, in 1825. The exhibition also includes a multimedia installation, "Fontina di Roma," a fountain of film clips in water.

Guided tours, lasting about 45 minutes, provide an excellent introduction to the exhibition and are available in English.