The National Archaeological Museum of Venice, situated in the Procuratie Nuove, can be legitimately defined as the heir of the ancient Public Statuary of the Most Serene Republic of Venice, the founding nucleus of the collection partially rearranged in the Vestibule of the National Library of St. Mark’s. The Archaeological Museum boasts an extraordinary collection of Roman and Greek sculptures, as well a large number of ancient coins, marvellous gems and cameos, bronze artefacts, pottery, Egyptian and Assyrian-Babylonian antiques and prestigious findings from the Late Antiquity period.

The National Archaeological Museum of Venice has its most remote roots in the establishment of the Public Statuary of the Most Serene Republic of Venice, set up in the late 16th century thanks to the donations made by Domenico and Giovanni Grimani. Originally situated in the Antechamber of the Libreria di San Marco (St. Mark Library), current Vestibule of the National Library, the Statuary has been one of the first public museums on ancient art in Europe and for centuries it served as a renowned and highly visited cultural point of reference. In 1812 it was moved to Palazzo Ducale (the Doge’s Palace) and during the 1920s it was moved again to the rooms of the former Royal Palace, where it is still situated. Prof. Carlo Anti was in charge of the new layout. More recently, in 1997, two walls of the Public Statuary inside the Vestibule of the National Library have been renovated. The museum, which also hosts private collections, is part of the network of the so-called “Musei Marciani” (museums of St. Mark’s) together with the Doge’s Palace, Correr Museum and the National Library of St. Mark’s