Apollino, After An Ancient Model, Circa 1800

School of around 1800, after the ancient
Apollino with a lyre
Bronze with a brown patina, solid cast
H. 37.5 cm (Base perforated in the center)

A rare variant of the Apollino, depicted with a lyre resting on a tree trunk and a piece of fabric—which he holds in his right hand, its folds falling naturally along his left arm. The ancient original and its replicas consistently depict the Apollino accompanied by a quiver, in classical nudity. Our bronze, however, retains the same contrapposto pose as well as the facial features of the original.

The Apollino, also known as the Medici Apollo, is a Roman copy of a Hellenistic sculpture depicting the young god Apollo, belonging to the type of the Lykeios Apollo. The statue’s head has proportions similar to those of Praxiteles’ Aphrodite of Cnidus. This resemblance has led some scholars to view it as a copy of an original by Praxiteles, or at least a work closely resembling his style. Other scholars, however, view it instead as an eclectic creation from the Roman period, combining elements borrowed from the “Second Classicism” style. Found intact in Rome in the 17th century—though its exact provenance remains unclear—it was originally part of the Borghese collection before being transferred to the Medici collection at the Villa Medici, where it was cataloged in 1704. The antique sculpture was finally moved between 1769 and 1770 to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence (Inv. No. 229) at the same time as the Niobides group.