The Barberini Apollo

We’re now going to take a look at a colossal statue of a God which certainly has its place in this museum, that of Apollo, God of the Arts. Facing Alexander, you’ll see a doorway in the wall behind the statue. Walk through this into the next room which is filled with busts of Roman emperors. We’ll meet you in the rotunda which is room 12.

PRESS PAUSE

Are you now in the rotunda? With the doorway behind you, walk straight ahead towards the enormous statue of Apollo holding a lyre. This is a truly impressive work of art. The museum curators had the excellent idea of placing this statue in a gilded alcove which sets it off perfectly. Of course if this statue is of little interest to you, feel free to move on to the next chapter at any moment. Now, let's describe what we see here. You may be surprised to learn that this is a statue of Apollo, as at 1st sight it looks more like a woman and everything about the figure is very feminine. Beginning with the garments, the God is dressed from head to foot in a long, intricately pleated robe. Usually only the female form was clothed in ancient sculpture whereas the men were depicted in heroic nudity, as we saw earlier. The body beneath the drapery of the garments is also quite surprising.

Begin by looking at the bust. There is absolutely nothing masculine about this – in fact we can clearly make out a rather ample bosom. The hips are also voluptuous, which is the total antithesis of the male anatomy. Finally, take a look at the long curly hair falling elegantly onto the shoulders. Despite all these features, this is indeed the God Apollo, as is evident from the large lyre on his right. So why this androgynous appearance? In this instance, the God is likened to his muses, the companions of Apollo who personified the various artistic disciplines such as poetry and music. In short, the God Apollo embodies all these artistic disciplines in a single character. One feature is particularly highlighted here – his lyre is almost ostentatious in its representation. The reason for this is to dispel any doubt as to the identity of the figure, as a lyre is the essential attribute of Apollo. Now let's talk about the materials used in this statue. You’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s made entirely of marble, which in fact is not the case. Take a look at Apollo’s eyes. Can you see you how they’re deeply set and surrounded by dark circles? Originally the pupils were made of encrusted multicoloured stones. The black marks round the eyes were made by a bronze base. We can see that the hollow of the eyes has turned green from the metal. The arms have also disappeared. If you look at the armpits you’ll see a rectangular hole that marks the location of a join. In order to highlight the arms, they were actually executed in a material other than marble, probably bronze, or even a precious metal such as silver. You’ll be wondering whether in this instance, we’re looking at a Greek or Roman statue. Well, this Apollo was discovered during excavation of a Roman villa in the mountains of Albania, so in fact it’s a Roman copy executed in the style of Greek sculpture of the 4th century BC. Finally, this statue is known as the Barberini Apollo because it belonged to the collection of the Italian Barberini family who sold it to King Ludwig of Bavaria in the 19th century.