Outgrowth of the author's thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Naples Federico II, 2009, under the title: Marmi antichi a Napoli nel XVIII secolo : collezioni, rinvenimenti, dispersioni.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Front Matter -- Copyright page -- Dedication -- Acknowledgements -- Figures -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- The Collections of Antiquities in Naples in the 18th Century: a Changing Scenario -- Sources for a Knowledge of the Neapolitan Collections of Antiquities in the 18th Century -- Collections of Antiquities in Naples between the End of the 17th and the Closing Years of the 18th Century -- The Channels of Dispersal of the Neapolitan Marbles from the Viceregal Period to the End of the 18th Century -- Conclusions -- Ancient Marbles in 18th-Century Neapolitan Collections -- Sculptures Found in Naples and Its Surroundings Between the 17th and the 18th Century -- Back Matter -- Archival Sources -- Bibliography -- Index of Ancient Marble Sculptures by Location -- General Index.

In Ancient Marbles in Naples in the Eighteenth Century Eloisa Dodero aims at documenting the history of numerous private collections formed in Naples during the 18th century, with particular concern for the “Neapolitan marbles” and the circumstances of their dispersal. Research has thus made it possible to formulate a synthesis of the collecting dynamics of Naples in the 18th century, to define the interest of the great European collectors, especially British, in the antiquities of the city and its territory and to draw up a catalogue which for the first time brings together the nucleus of sculptures reported in the Neapolitan collections or coming from irregular excavations, most of which shared the destiny of dispersal, in some cases here traced in definitive fashion.