Victorious Cupid by Caravaggio, on special loan from Berlin and never before seen publicly in the UK, takes centre stage alongside two ancient Roman sculptures. Once part of Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani’s celebrated collection, these works evoke the grandeur of a 17th-century Roman palazzo, where art, scholarship and debate intertwined.

Painted from life, Cupid’s playful smile and outstretched wings contrast with fallen symbols of human achievement. The exhibition recreates this historic display, allowing visitors to experience Caravaggio’s startling vision alongside classical sculpture as Giustiniani’s contemporaries might have, bridging art, history and the dynamism of early modern collecting.