Have you ventured to the 2nd floor lately? In Room 202, you’ll find tons of study space and antique-looking lamps that give off cozy, library vibes. Another thing that makes Room 202 unique? It houses the Cast Gallery.
The Cast Gallery, a permanent Ellis Library collection owned by the School of Visual Studies, includes historic casts created in the 19th and 20th centuries by professional cast makers from the original works. Some museums, like the Louvre Museum in Paris, had their own casting shops; MU’s cast of the Venus de Milo, for example, was likely made from a cast of the original at the Louvre. Other casts were purchased from some of the most prominent casting companies of the 19th century, including Domenico Brucciani – these may include our casts of the Laocoön and his Sons and the Apollo Belvedere, made from casts of the original works in Rome. The chalky white of the paster material was inexpensive, relatively lightweight, and could be painted – like our Charioteer of Delphi cast, which was painted to look like the original Greek bronze object. Whether painted or left white, however, the effect of these often monumental objects in their fully three-dimensional aspects provides a viewing experience that is the closest analogue to visiting the originals.
Learn more about the cast gallery: https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/mulibraryexhibits/castgallery