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What place does the exhibited object have in the reception of classical antiquity? What is at stake in acquiring such objects, in displaying them, in viewing them, in the museum and beyond? This two-day international conference will bring together those working on classical reception studies and English literature, as well as art historians, museologists, curators, archaeologists and intellectual historians to discuss the part played by the display of objects in the reception of the classical world from the eighteenth century to the present.

While the study of reception is flourishing in classics, with research spanning Dante to computer games, the reception of texts has tended to dominate, leaving largely neglected the display of sculpture, pottery and other ancient artefacts. This conference aims to establish exhibited objects as an important aspect of the reception of ancient Greece and Rome. It will provide a forum for discussion of theoretical issues arising from the reception of such objects, as well as the particular challenges facing those involved in planning displays or exhibitions of antiquities. We will also consider the relationship between different modes of display – the object as cast, as souvenir, as authentic antiquity. Speakers will explore such varied topics as the role of exhibited objects in Winckelmann’s periodisation of the antique, the commodification of specific objects, literary responses to collections in Italy and the link between classics, museums and national identity.