DH.090 Detail of Antinoös Sculpture in Delphi

Preview

Creator

Denis Baly

Creation Year

1978

Image ID

DH.090

Subcollection

DH: Delphi

Abstract

A sculpture of Emperor Hadrian's beloved Antinoös, whom he deified after his death in 130 CE. Hadrian then disseminated sculptures of Antinoös across the empire, making him the most depicted classical figure besides the Roman Emperors.

Description

The sculpture dates from sometime after Antinoös' death in 130 CE and before the end of Hadrians reign in 138 BCE, and was found in a Roman building to the west of the Temple of Apollo. Considering the abundance of his statues, we know remarkably few precise details of his life. Antinoös was a youth from the Roman province of Bithynia, becoming part of the imperial entourage as Hadrian's eromenos and accompanying Hadrian on his numerous tours of the Empire. He drowned in the Nile in his early 20s, and Hadrian was so devastated by his loss that he established a cult around him, dedicating statues across his subsequent travels, primarily in the Eastern Empire. This statue in particular recalls depictions of Apollo, and it is thought that in his left hand he may have held some symbol of the god, such as a bow or lyre. He is presented in a highly stylized, almost effeminate form. Special care was exhibited in the sculpting of his curls, atop which would have sat a bronze laurel wreath, now lost.

Image Notes

Creation date unknown. Photograph processed July 1978. Formerly catalogued as C.022. Notes written on the slide or index: Antinous (head).

Image Format

35 mm slide

Geographic Reference

Delfoi, Greece