Ancient Art at the Vatican Museums - Greek and Roman Masterpieces

Long before Michelangelo lifted a brush, the Vatican was already home to the gods of marble.

The ancient sculptures displayed here form the very foundation of Western art — works that once adorned imperial villas and temples, now preserved under papal guardianship.

• The Laocoön Group (discovered 1506) – twisting bodies frozen in agony, embodying the struggle between humanity and fate.
• Apollo Belvedere – radiates serenity, a vision of divine youth and ideal proportion inspiring generations of artists.
• Belvedere Torso – a fragment of raw anatomical power, hailed by Michelangelo as his “teacher.”
• Busts of emperors, philosophers, and warriors – narrate stories of ambition, virtue, and eternity.

The Vatican’s ancient art celebrates humanity’s search for the divine — carved in stone millennia ago, yet timeless in its beauty.