A Critical Survey of Roman Fresco Collections in American Museums

This study presents a cross-institutional survey of Roman fresco fragments in American museum collections, examining how these objects reflect the intertwined histories of archaeological practice and cultural property legislation. Roman wall paintings, removed from their archaeological contexts mainly during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, often reached U.S. institutions with incomplete or ambiguous provenance. To assess these patterns, the study compiles a catalogue consisting of a standardized dataset of fresco fragments from a representative group of museums, recording acquisition chronology, collecting histories, and documentation quality. The findings reveal wide disparities in transparency and provenance detail, shaped by historical collecting trends and inconsistent adherence to modern ethical standards such as the 1970 UNESCO Convention. By integrating legal-historical analysis with systematic cataloging, the study aims to highlight persistent gaps in documentation and underscores the need for standardized reporting and collaborative approaches in order to improve accountability and reconstruct the histories of cultural property objects.