ROME.- The Capitoline Museums have entered a new chapter. For the first time in its long history, Palazzo Nuovo has opened its doors to a temporary exhibition—and it has done so with brilliance. “Cartier and Myth at the Capitoline Museums,” which opened on November 14, 2025, is now welcoming visitors into a world where ancient marbles and modern jewels speak the same timeless language. The exhibition runs through March 15, 2026, but early visitors are already calling it one of Rome’s most evocative cultural events of the season.

This unprecedented show places some of Maison Cartier’s most iconic creations—many drawn from the historic Cartier Collection—alongside the legendary marble statues once collected by Cardinal Alessandro Albani. These sculptures, central to the museum since the 18th century, have shaped the visual imagination of Europe for centuries. Now, Cartier’s jewels enter the conversation, offering a modern interpretation of the ancient world they echo.

Curated by jewelry historian Bianca Cappello, archaeologist Stéphane Verger, and Capitoline Superintendent Claudio Parisi Presicce, the exhibition examines Cartier’s enduring fascination with classical antiquity. From the mid-19th century onward, the Maison has borrowed—and reshaped—the visual grammar of ancient Greece and Rome: geometric motifs, celestial symbolism, mythological animals, and the golden ratios explored by the early philosophers. With the exhibition now open, visitors can witness this dialogue firsthand.

The experience begins dramatically. Guests entering Palazzo Nuovo now encounter a striking scenographic staircase created by Oscar-winning designer Dante Ferretti. The installation feels cinematic, almost ritualistic—part temple, part dream sequence—guiding visitors from the earthly world into the realm of gods, heroes, and myths. It’s an uncanny fit for a museum known for its historic solemnity, yet the shift feels natural, even refreshing.

Inside, Cartier’s creations appear almost alive in the presence of their ancient counterparts. A necklace seems to mirror the flowing drapery of a marble Aphrodite. A sculptural bracelet mimics the tension of a Roman Heracles. Other pieces take inspiration from the forces of nature—sunlight, ocean waves, minerals shaped over millennia—mirroring how ancient artists understood the universe. The interplay between object and statue, between past and present, is subtle, poetic, and endlessly engaging.

One of the exhibition’s most compelling threads is the idea of kosmos—the Greek concept that connects personal adornment with the broader order of the universe. Cartier embraces this philosophy, presenting jewels not as isolated objects of luxury but as miniature worlds. Stones, metals, and lines become symbols of fire, earth, water, and sky.

The exhibition deepens this experience with multimedia elements, including an olfactory installation by Cartier perfumer Mathilde Laurent, whose scents are designed to evoke mythological atmospheres. Hardstone carvings from Cartier’s glyptic workshop further tie the Maison’s contemporary craftsmanship to the legacy of ancient artisans.