Roman emperors have conquered a stately home after four marble statues were put on display.
The busts of four Caesars, which date back to the 17th century and were made in Italy, had been previously on display at Wimpole Hall when the house was privately owned. They were then sold to a private collector, but have been given to the National Trust, which now runs Wimpole Hall, after being accepted by the government as part of the Inheritance Tax in Lieu scheme.
They went on display in Wimpole Hall’s entrance hall on Saturday, alongside a bust of Marcus Aurelius, which was already owned by the National Trust.
Wendy Monkhouse, National Trust curator at Wimpole Hall, said: “Their redisplay in the entrance hall will transform its character, and help visitors to enjoy some of Wimpole’s original 18th century grandeur.
“We can trace the provenance of the busts with Wimpole’s collection to at least the 1770s but they may have been among the possessions of the great collector Edward Harley who loved Roman coins and antiquities as well as enlarging his famous library.”
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