print;
drawing book
- Museum number
- 1901,1022.2531.15
- Title
- Series: Signorum Veterum Icones
- Description
-
Sculpture of Hermes, often called the 'Belvedere Antinous'; front view directed to right; Hermes stands naked in a contrapposto pose, facing right; his left arm and right hand are missing; a garment hangs over his right shoulder and arm
Etching
- Production date
- 1669-1671 (c.)
- Dimensions
-
Height: 221 millimetres
-
Width: 83 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- The statue, now in the Vatican in Rome, is a Roman copy, perhaps from the time of Hadrian, after a lost original of the fourth century B.C. attributed to Praxiteles or one of his pupils. Several other copies are known from Hellenistic and Roman times, and this copy is now considered to be one of the lowest quality. The etching shows the statue in reverse after drawings by Ferreris. Neither these nor any intermediary drawings by De Bisschop have come to light. In his list of contents and locations, De Bisschop says that the statue represents either Milo or, as others "who speak with more authority" think: Antinous. Then he speaks about Antinous, gives Boissard and Prudentius as his sources, and concludes with remarks on the provenance of the sculpture: "This most artful statue was discovered some time ago not far from the baths of Titus and the church of S. Martino ai Monti in a place called Hadrianello. Some people think that this place is where the baths of Hadrian were located, but according to others, Hadrian's baths stood in the place where we find now the church of S. Aloisius (in Fauno: Pope Sergius I, in Marliani: D. Aloysii... templum)." For all this refers to Marliani and Fauno, in both cases with titles and chapter numbers.
The statue was depicted from four different angles, each on separate plate. For all four plates see: 1901,1022.2531.13-16. For more information about this edition and other present volumes in the British Museum see comment 1850,0810.652.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1901
- Acquisition notes
- For comment see: 1901,1022.2531.1
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1901,1022.2531.15