Emperor busts back on display at Wimpole Hall
- Published
Sculptures of Roman emperors have gone back on display at a Cambridgeshire estate following an absence of "more than 60 years".
The busts were on show at Wimpole Hall from "at least the 1770s" until they were sold by the estate's previous private owner, the National Trust said.
They show Caracalla, Trajan and two other, as yet unidentified, emperors.
The National Trust said it was "wonderful" to return the 17th Century marble busts to the estate.
They are on display alongside an existing bust of Marcus Aurelius.
Wendy Monkhouse, National Trust curator, said: "Their redisplay in the entrance hall will transform its character, and help visitors to enjoy some of Wimpole's original 18th Century grandeur and glamour."
The National Trust said the government had accepted the busts of Caracalla and one of the unidentified emperors in lieu of inheritance tax.
A grant from the Art Fund helped with the purchase of the other two.