from the estate of Roma Vecchia
550-540 BC
laminated and melted bronze, on modern wooden reconstruction
cat. 20289

The chariot, which was found towards the end of the 18th century, entered the Vatican Collections in 1804, having been sold by Antonio Pazzaglia, famous engraver of precious stones, who had cared for its restoration according to the logic of the antique market of the time: by assembling original and heterogeneous (by chronology and origin) parts. A recent restoration has permitted reconstruction of the chariot starting from the few original elements of which we are certain. The wooden structure, no longer preserved, was reconstructed thanks to the surviving fragments of the bronze covering and with a comparison with the information that emerged from the study of similar vehicles of the same period. A worthy example of bronze art is given by the metal cap with the eagle's head that covered the extremity of the shaft, finished off with a chisel and a punch.