Iscrizioni falsae nelle collezioni inglesi
Il caso del Fitzwilliam Museum di Cambridge
abstract
This paper considers some forged inscriptions from the epigraphic collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, as the arrival point of a complex series of passages, which began with the emergence of antiquarian collections in England. By investigating these cycles, it is possible to observe how the same epigraphic text, certainly not classical, had to change its nature according to the historical contexts and the sensitivity of its users, developing from an erudite exercise into a functional element, and eventually becoming a ‘true false’.
Keywords: Fitzwilliam Museum • Forged inscriptions • Thomas Hollis • John Disney • Spurious imitations