Colonnade of the Greek portrait-statues (Portico Iconográfico). On the right, *6018. Æschines, the Athenian orator; 6023. Homer; 6135. Euripides.—Straight on, we next come to the Portico degli Imperatori, containing Greek and Roman portraits. In the centre, *Hermes of a Greek philosopher. In the side-rooms, Roman sculptures and architectural fragments. The central of these rooms contains the celebrated *Mosaic of the Battle of Alexander.
The remaining rooms contain the *Collection of the larger antique bronzes. The chief rooms (I, II Bronzes from Pompeii, III-V from Herculaneum) are on the S. front of the Museum. Room I. 5003. Young Dionysos (so-called Narcissus). Room II. 5630. Archaic statue of Apollo playing on the lyre; 4997. Victory. Room III. 5625. Hermes reposing, School of Lysippus; 5633. Boy’s head (end of 5th cent.); *4885. Bust of the Doryphorus (spear-bearer), after Polycletus; *5618. Head of bearded Dionysus, after a work of the School of Myron (5th cent.). Room V. 5616. Hellenistic poet (the so-called Seneca).
In the Mezzanino (entresol), on the right, is the *Collection of ancient wall-paintings (Affreschi Pompeiani) from Pompeii, Herculaneum, etc.—Room I. 9105. Briseis carried off from the tent of Achilles; 9559. Nuptials of Zeus and Hera. Room II. 8976. Medea about to slay her children; 9286. Dionysus and the sleeping Ariadne. Passage to R. V, 9180. ‘Cupids for sale’. Room V. 8834. Girl gathering flowers; 9295. Bacchantes and Satyrs; 9133. Centaurs; 9118–21. Rope-dancing satyrs.
The First Floor (Primo Piano) contains, in the E. wing, to the left of the staircase, the two Sale dei Commestibili, devoted to provisions, textiles, pigments, etc. from Pompeii; also seven rooms on the N. side of the building, occupied by the *Collection of the smaller bronzes (Piccoli Bronzi), and by interesting domestic furniture from Pompeii, affording an admirable idea of the ancient style of living.
The whole of the W. wing is occupied by the Pinacotéca or picture-gallery, chiefly of Italian works. Room I. Correggio, Betrothal of St. Catharine. Room II. *Titian, Danae (1545), Pope Paul III. Farnese (1543 and 1545), and Philip II. of Spain. Room III. Sebast. del Piombo, Holy Family, Popes Hadrian VI. and Clement VII. Room IV. Raphael, Holy Family (Madonna del divino Amore). Room V. Sandro Botticelli, Madonna.
The other rooms contain Renaissance objects (Oggetti del Cinquecento), the Engravings, and the National Library.
The Second Floor (Secondo Piano) is dedicated to antique glass, gold and silver plate, cut gems, etc., a most interesting and extensive collection, one of the finest of its kind.
The N.E. Quarter, between the Museum and the Central Station (tramways Nos. 4 and 11; p. [137]), also boasts of its sights.
We follow the long Piazza Cavour (Pl. F, 3) to the N.E. from the Museum, and at the beginning of the Via Foria descend the Strada del Duomo to the right to the (4 min.)—
Cathedral (Pl. G, 3; San Gennaro; best seen about noon), a Gothic edifice, built in 1272–1323, but repeatedly modernized. The third chapel in the right aisle is the famous Cappella di San Gennaro or Cappella del Tesoro, added to the church in 1608–37; the altar contains two phials of the blood of St. Januarius, which is miraculously liquefied thrice yearly. The crypt, below the high-altar, shows the finest example of Renaissance decoration in Naples (1497–1507). From the left aisle is entered the basilica of Santa Restituta, the old cathedral, founded in the 7th century.