ABSTRACT
The discussion of Corinthian bronze in Book 34 of Historia Naturalis (Natural History) is very illuminating as far as Pliny's and his contemporaries' ideas on value and collecting are concerned. Corinthian bronze offers the best opportunity to tackle these issues. Pliny records that Corinthian bronze was appreciated more than silver (34.1), and he criticises the fact that artistry has come in his era to hold a secondary role compared to material. The story of the creation of this special alloy of bronze during the capture of Corinth is presented in 34.6-8. Then, the 'wonderful mania' for possessing this metal is highlighted, and for its illustration Verres and Mark Antony are employed. The former, whose name was enough to denote passion for objects (see Cicero, Verrine Orations'), is paired with the latter in order, firstly, for Pliny to make a political statement (Mark Antony is one of the men that Pliny constantly refers to as an example of degeneracy), and secondly, to underline the dangers involved in the passion for artefacts: it could lead to proscriptions, death, eternal disgrace.
