The exhibition, which opened recently, will be available to visitors until March 30, The fresco, originally an end slab of a cist grave, was discovered in November in the territory of ancient Capua, now modern Santa Maria Capua Vetere in Italy. Dating to the period of the First Samnite War, it depicts a Samnite warrior on horseback, symbolizing a triumphant return from the battlefield. The warrior is portrayed riding without a saddle, wielding a spear from which hangs a white tunic stained with blood and red spots.
This garment represents a trophy captured from a slain enemy, signifying his status as a hero returning from war. The warrior's head is not covered by a helmet, suggesting he is not in battle but returning with a symbolic bloody trophy. The fresco was initially acquired for the private collection of the Doria family before being sold to the University Museum of Tartu in Estonia.
However, it had not been displayed due to its poor state of preservation, which included several layers of dust and a crack.
Between and , the fresco underwent an extensive restoration at the All-Russian Scientific Center for Art and Reproduction Grabar. The restoration altered its appearance, and it is now unique in its preservation and artistic qualities. Officials of the Pushkin Museum expressed their excitement about the exhibit. After the conclusion of the Tartu Peace Treaty in , the fresco ended up in the Museum of Antiquities and Fine Arts of Voronezh University in Russia, where it remained for about a century.
Due to its fragmented state, it was little known even to specialists, and its physical condition was poor from the very beginning. The restoration process required the development of a special methodology.
