Statue of Antinous (Delphi): Difference between revisions

Antinous of Delphi
Antinous of Delphi
	The statue at the museum
Year	c 130 AD
Medium	Marble
Movement	Roman
Subject	Antinous
Condition	Forearms missing
Location	Delphi Archaeological Museum, Delphi, Greece

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The Statue of Antinous at Delphi is an ancient statue that was found during excavations in Delphi.

Antinous was a young Greek of extraordinary beauty from Bithynia, who became the beloved companion or lover of the Roman emperor Hadrian but later died in the Nile under mysterious circumstances.

History

Stricken by the death of Antinous, Hadrian, who was an admirer and a passionate devotee of classical Greek Antiquity, and also a patron of the Oracle of Delphi, gave orders that statues of the beautiful young man, whom he had loved so passionately, should be erected in all sanctuaries and cities of his vast empire. Furthermore he decreed the institution and establishment of Games in honor of Antinous, who thereafter was honoured and worshipped as a god. Thus a statue of Antinous was erected within the sanctuary of Delphi, after his death, in 130 AD, and it was one of the most beautiful and impressive cult statues.

During the excavations, the statue was discovered upright on its pedestal, next to the wall of a brick chamber, alongside the holy Temple. Roman coins minted to honour Αntinous show the statue accompanied by the epithet "Propylaeus", from which it is legitimate to infer that it was originally placed at the entrance to the sanctuary. The statue suffered damage and was broken at the height of the knee, so that it had to be moved closer to the temple of Apollo, in a sort of chapel, where it was found during excavations in relatively good condition. Its idealized characteristics as well as the intense polishing of its marble surface with a special oil (which helped it to survive gleaming and in excellent condition) indicate that it belongs to the time of the radical Hadrian.

Description

Taking a closer look at the statue, the head of young Antinous is tilted to the side as if he is in a state of reflection. Around its thick and masterfully carved hair (which surrounds the face and falls on the forehead and cheeks, lending a mournful quality to its beautiful, full of vain youthful figure), several holes can be seen by which a bronze laurel wreath was once attached. His body is carved in representation of that beautiful nudity which belonged to the figures of gods and heroes of classical antiquity,^[1]^[2]^[3] and the posture is typically contrapposto.

References

^ Permanent exhibition of the Archaeological Museum of Delphi - Statue of Antinoos.
^ Rosina Colonia, The Archaeological Museum of Delphi, (Athens, Ministry of Culture -Archaeological Receipts Fund, 2009), pp. 29-35.
^ Panos Valavanis, Sanctuaries and Games in ancient Greece. Olympia - Delphi, Isthmia - Nemea - Athens, (Athens, 2004).

External links

Media related to Delphi Antinous at Wikimedia Commons

[1] Permanent exhibition of the Archaeological Museum of Delphi - Statue of Antinoos.

[2] Rosina Colonia, The Archaeological Museum of Delphi, (Athens, Ministry of Culture -Archaeological Receipts Fund, 2009), pp. 29-35.

[3] Panos Valavanis, Sanctuaries and Games in ancient Greece. Olympia - Delphi, Isthmia - Nemea - Athens, (Athens, 2004).

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|Statue of Antinous found at Delphi}}
-{{Sculpture
+{{Infobox artwork
- | image_file =024MAD Antinous.jpg
+| image_file = Antinoos, AM of Delphi, 201431 (edited).jpg
- | alt    = Antinous
+| caption = The statue at the museum
- | title  = Antinous of Delphi
- | artist =
+| alt = Antinous
- | year   = c 130 AD
+| title = Antinous of Delphi
- | type   = [[Marble]]
+| artist =
+| year = c 130 AD
- | city   = [[Delphi]], [[Greece]]
+| movement = Roman
- | museum = [[Delphi Archaeological Museum]]
+| subject = [[Antinous]]
- | italic title=no
+| medium = [[Marble]]
+| city = [[Delphi]], [[Greece]]
+| museum = [[Delphi Archaeological Museum]]
+| italic title = no
+| condition = Forearms missing
 }}
-The '''Statue of Antinous''' at [[Delphi]] is an ancient statue of an armless man that was found in [[Delphi]] during excavation.
+The '''Statue of Antinous''' at [[Delphi]] is an ancient statue that was found during excavations in [[Delphi]].
-[[Antinous]] was a young Greek of extraordinary beauty from [[Bithynia]], who became the beloved companion or lover of the Roman emperor [[Hadrian]] but later died in Nile under mysterious circumstances.
+[[Antinous]] was a young Greek of extraordinary beauty from [[Bithynia]], who became the beloved companion or lover of the Roman emperor [[Hadrian]] but later died in the Nile under mysterious circumstances.
-Dismayed by the death of Antinous, Hadrian, who happened to be an admirer and a passionate supporter of classical Greek Antiquity, as well as a benefactor of the Oracle of [[Delphi]], ordered that statues of the beautiful young man, whom he had loved so passionately, be erected in all sanctuaries and cities of his vast empire. Furthermore, he ordered the institution and establishment of Games in honor of Antinous, who since then was honored and worshiped as a god.
+== History ==
-Thus, a statue of Antinoos was erected within the sanctuary of Delphi, after his death, in 130 A.D. and it was one of the most beautiful and impressive cult statues. During the excavations, the statue was discovered upright on its pedestal, next to the wall of a brick chamber, alongside the holy Temple. From the roman coins minted to honor Αntinous, we are informed that the representation of the statue was accompanied by the epithet "Propylaeus". So, it is legitimate to assume that it was originally placed at the entrance of the sanctuary. Later on, it suffered damages and broke at the height of the knee, so it had to be moved closer to the temple of Apollo, in a sort of chapel, where it was found during excavations, in relatively good condition. Its idealized characteristics as well as the intense polishing of its marble surface with a special oil (which helped it survive gleaming and in excellent condition), is indicative of the time of Hadrian.
+[[File:Discovery Antinous Delphi 1894.jpg|thumb|left|Discovery in 1894]]
+Stricken by the death of Antinous, Hadrian, who was an admirer and a passionate devotee of classical Greek Antiquity, and also a patron of the [[Oracle of Delphi]], gave orders that statues of the beautiful young man, whom he had loved so passionately, should be erected in all sanctuaries and cities of his vast empire. Furthermore he decreed the institution and establishment of Games in honor of Antinous, who thereafter was honoured and worshipped as a god.
+Thus a statue of Antinous was erected within the sanctuary of Delphi, after his death, in 130 AD, and it was one of the most beautiful and impressive cult statues.
+During the excavations, the statue was discovered upright on its pedestal, next to the wall of a brick chamber, alongside the holy Temple. Roman coins minted to honour Αntinous show the statue accompanied by the epithet "Propylaeus", from which it is legitimate to infer that it was originally placed at the entrance to the sanctuary. The statue suffered damage and was broken at the height of the knee, so that it had to be moved closer to the temple of Apollo, in a sort of chapel, where it was found during excavations in relatively good condition. Its idealized characteristics as well as the intense polishing of its marble surface with a special oil (which helped it to survive gleaming and in excellent condition) indicate that it belongs to the time of the radical Hadrian.
+== Description ==
+Taking a closer look at the statue, the head of young Antinous is tilted to the side as if he is in a state of reflection. Around its thick and masterfully carved hair (which surrounds the face and falls on the forehead and cheeks, lending a mournful quality to its beautiful, full of vain youthful figure), several holes can be seen by which a bronze laurel wreath was once attached. His body is carved in representation of that beautiful nudity which belonged to the figures of gods and heroes of classical antiquity,<ref>[http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/4/eh430.jsp?obj_id=4672 Permanent exhibition of the Archaeological Museum of Delphi - Statue of Antinoos.]</ref><ref>Rosina Colonia, ''The Archaeological Museum of Delphi'', (Athens, Ministry of Culture -Archaeological Receipts Fund, 2009), pp. 29-35.</ref><ref>Panos Valavanis, ''Sanctuaries and Games in ancient Greece. Olympia - Delphi, Isthmia - Nemea - Athens'', (Athens, 2004).</ref> and the posture is typically [[contrapposto]].
+==See also==
+*[[Antinous Farnese]]
+*[[Antinous Mondragone]]
+*[[Capitoline Antinous]]
+*[[Townley Antinous]]
-If we take a closer look at the statue, we see that the head of young Antinous is tilted to the side like he is in a state of reflection. Around its thick and masterfully carved hair, which surround its face and fall on its forehead and cheeks, thus adding a mournful quality to its beautiful, full of vain youthful figure, we can see several holes that were used to attach a bronze laurel wreath. His body is carved in a way that gives it that beautiful nudity which characterized the statues of gods and heroes of classical antiquity. However, the nostalgic Hadrian classicism is not enough for the statue to stand worthy of the art of its genuine classic models.<ref>[http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/4/eh430.jsp?obj_id=4672 Permanent exhibition of the Archaeological Museum of Delphi - Statue of Antinoos.]</ref><ref>Rosina Colonia, ''The Archaeological Museum of Delphi'', Athens, Ministry of Culture -Archaeological Receipts Fund, 2009, 29-35.</ref><ref>Panos Valavanis, ''Sanctuaries and Games in ancient Greece. Olympia - Delphi, Isthmia - Nemea - Athens'', Athens, 2004. </ref>
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
+== External links ==
+{{Commons category-inline|Delphi Antinous}}
+[[Category:Collection of the Delphi Archaeological Museum]]
 [[Category:Hellenistic-style Roman sculptures]]
-[[Category:Antinous types]]
+[[Category:Sculptures of Antinous]]
-[[Category:Delphi]]
+[[Category:Statues in Greece]]
+[[Category:Nude sculptures in Greece]]
+[[Category:Sculptures of men in Greece]]
+[[Category:Marble sculptures in Greece]]
+[[Category:Archaeological discoveries in Central Greece]]
+[[Category:Sculptures in Delphi]]