The Vitaliano Donati collection at the Turin Egyptian Museum

Abstract

Preliminary announcement of the discovery of a manuscript found in Turin which lists the collection of ancient artefacts and scientific specimens sent by Vitaliano Donati from Alexandria to Turin on 20 February 1761. Donati's collection was one of the founding elements of the original Egyptian collection in the Regio Museo di Antichità, University of Turin. Today, the bulk of the collection is unidentified and only three statues attributed to Donati are on display at the Egyptian Museum in Turin. In addition, there is no published evidence that confirms the size of the collection or describes the objects.