INTESA SANPAOLO SPONSORS THE

“LAST SUPPER IN POMPEII” EXHIBITION IN OXFORD, AN EXPLORATION OF THE CUSTOMS OF THE CITIZENS OF POMPEII JUST HOURS BEFORE THE ERUPTION OF VESUVIUS

 

 

Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology – Oxford (UK)

From Thursday 25 July 2019 to Sunday 12 January 2020

Items on display from the Archaeological Park of Pompeii and Paestum, and

the National Archaeological Museum of Naples

 

 

Oxford (UK), 24 July 2019 – Tomorrow will see the opening of the “Last Supper in Pompeii” exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology of Oxford, an initiative sponsored by Intesa Sanpaolo. The sponsorship forms part of a wider collaborative agreement between the banking Group and the prestigious Oxford University, which includes training initiatives, scientific research, exchange projects and scholarships. Given a snapshot image of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, visitors will discover daily Roman life – from the farmed fields to the taverns, the marketplace, the triclinium (dining room), the kitchens and the places of worship.

 

Over 300 archaeological artefacts are on display (some only recently discovered), including objects used in daily life such as tools, vases, the carbonised remains of food preserved by volcanic ash, mosaics, and treasures from the Archaeological Park of Pompeii and Paestum, the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, the British Museum, the Museum of London Archaeology, and private collections.

 

The exhibition was curated by Paul Roberts, Sackler Keeper of Antiquities at the Museum and curator of the record-breaking exhibition Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum, which was held in 2013 at the British Museum. Re-evoking the extraordinary atmosphere of a traditional Roman banquet, the exhibition lets visitors embark on a journey through Roman dining and gastronomy, highlighting the Roman people’s love of food and good wine.

 

The Bank’s support of this exhibition, which contributes to elevating the reputation and increasing the wealth of Italian artistic heritage (particularly in the field of archaeology) is part of an extensive programme from Intesa Sanpaolo in support of esteemed initiatives and artistic and cultural institutions, both in Italy and abroad. The Group also contributes to Italy’s cultural life with its own exhibitions in the Gallerie d’Italia, the museum hub with three complexes in Milan, Naples and Vicenza, which has links with leading international museums.

 

 

FOR PRESS MATERIALS AND IMAGES, PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINK: http://bit.ly/ashmoleanpompeii

 

 

 

Press information

 

Intesa Sanpaolo, Media Relations and Institutional, Social and Cultural Activities

Silvana Scannicchio Tel. +393357282324 | stampa@intesasanpaolo.com

 

 

Press Office, Maria Bonmassar

Tel.  +39334.6516702 - +39335.490311 | ufficiostampa@mariabonmassar.com

 

 

 

 

KEY INFORMATION

Title: Last Supper in Pompeii, curated by Paul Roberts

Location: Ashmolean Museum, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2PH

Date: 25 July 2019–12 January 2020

Ticket prices: £12.25 / £11.25

Info: www.ashmolean.org