A bronze bust of the Roman emperor Caligula that is small in size but large in historical significance has been found 200 years after it disappeared and 2,000 years since it was cast.
In the mid-18th century, it was given as a gift to the writer, artist, and Whig politician Horace Walpole, who created Strawberry Hill, his own gothic house near Twickenham, southwest London.
The bronze bust considered one of Walpole's collection's crown jewels, changed hands multiple times following his death in 1797. It would be mistaken for an image of Alexander the Great by the 19th century, and the ownership trail would eventually lead to the Schroders investment company, where it would continue to reside unnoticed.
Dr. Silvia Davoli, a curator at Strawberry Hill, rediscovered the bust after ten years of detective work. Renowned Caligula experts confirmed it.
"They had no idea it was Caligula," Davioli said. "I was so happy when I finally saw the bronze and made the link."
Caligula, meaning "little boot," a nickname given to him as a youngster, became the third Roman emperor in AD37 at 24. Many people considered him to be a sexual offender and a spendthrift, and there were even reports that he had an affair with two of his older sisters.
After just four years as emperor, Caligula was murdered by his Praetorian Guard.
It was reported that Walpole was thrilled to receive the bust from Horace Mann, the British ambassador to Italy. Mann claimed that it had been saved from the ruins of Herculaneum after the eruption of Vesuvius.
Furthermore, Davioli said he had found some letters about the gift in their Strawberry Hill archive between Walpole, Mann, and the Duke of Elbeuf, who did the Herculaneum excavation in the mid-18th century.
