Italy's State Acquisition of Etruscan François Tomb Frescoes for €15M

On May 29, the Italian state announced the acquisition of the frescoes from the François Tomb, a masterpiece of Etruscan painting, for €15 million. The 37 panels and two cippi, owned by the Torlonia, Sforza Cesarini, and Gaetani families, are now displayed at the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia in Rome. The tomb, discovered in 1857 by archaeologist Alessandro François in the Ponte Rotto necropolis at Vulci in Latium, on land belonging to Prince Alessandro Torlonia, dates to around 340 BC and features scenes mixing Greek mythology and Etruscan history, including the sacrifice of Trojan prisoners by Achilles and the episode of Mastarna, associated with Servius Tullius. The acquisition ends over a century of attempts by the Italian state, beginning in 1921, to secure the frescoes. Museum director Luana Toniolo stated, 'After more than a century, a masterpiece of stone and color is restored to the community.' This purchase is part of a broader strategy by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government, in power since 2022, to assert national identity through heritage. Recent acquisitions include an Ecce Homo by Antonello da Messina (c. 1473–1474) for $14.9 million on February 9, and Caravaggio's Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini (c. 1597–1598) for €30 million on March 10. Critics warn of instrumentalization of heritage for nationalist narratives. The frescoes will be on view from July 1 to December 31, 2026.