 |
| James Anderson Belvedere Antinous ca. 1845-55 albumen silver print Getty Museum, Los Angeles |
The Getty Museum photograph of the Belvedere Antinous was made at the Vatican in the middle of the 19th century, when the work had securely occupied the peak of European art-fame for more than 400 years. In Taste and the Antique, Francis Haskell and Nicholas Penny remark on the absence or presence of arms and hands in various images of this statue, or various states of the statue itself. "The Antinous continued to be reproduced in a variety of different sizes and materials, with both arms complete, though in fact only a right arm was attached to the stump of the shoulder of the original (at an early stage in its display) and no left hand was added." Haskell and Penny choose the name for each sculpture in their book according to what they have found most prevalent in the documentary record, but among other names they list that have been used for this one instead of Antinous are L'Admirable, Admirandus, L'Antin (sometimes abbreviated to Lantin), Hercules, Meleager, Mercury, Milo and Theseus. The inconsistency is compounded by the fact that in most etchings and engravings, the figure appears reversed unless the print-maker took the extra trouble to reverse the image before printing.
 |
| Anonymous Italian artist Belvedere Antinous 17th century drawing British Museum |
 |
| Jan de Bisschop Belvedere Antinous ca. 1671 wash drawing Victoria & Albert Museum |
 |
| Pietro Tacca Belvedere Antinous ca. 1630 copy - bronze statuette Getty Museum, Los Angeles |
 |
| Jan de Bisschop Belvedere Antinous 1671 etching Philadelphia Museum of Art |
 |
| Jan de Bisschop Belvedere Antinous 1671 etching Philadelphia Museum of Art |
 |
| Claude Randon Belvedere Antinous ca. 1704 engraving Philadelphia Museum of Art |
 |
| Richard Dalton Belvedere Antinous 1745 etching, engraving British Museum |
 |
| Pierre Bouillon Belvedere Antinous ca. 1810 engraving Victoria & Albert Museum |
 |
| Anonymous photographer Belvedere Antinous ca. 1880-1904 photographic print Rijksmuseum |
 |
| Hubert Le Sueur Belvedere Antinous 1636-37 full-size-bronze copy commissioned by Charles I Royal Collection, Great Britain |
The Belvedere Antinous had been displayed at the Vatican since the 1540s. The so-called Capitoline Antinous (reproduced below as a bronze statuette) was also carved of marble and also believed to be an original portrait of the Emperor Hadrian's ill-fated favorite. It remained at something of a disadvantage compared to the Belvederer version simply because it wasn't discovered until the 1730s. It had also required more significant restoration (both the left arm and leg were modern replacements). Yet Napoleon and his art advisors believed the Capitoline version important enough to claim as war booty and ship to Paris in 1800 (it was returned in 1816). The fame of these two statues dissolved rapidly when modern scholars established beyond reasonable debate that neither one had anything to do with the historical figure of Antinous. Both statues are now believed to be copies of earlier Mercuries.
 |
| Anonymous Venitian Workshop Capitoline Antinous 18th century copy - bronze statuette Victoria & Albert Museum |
Photographed, engraved, and painted below is the Antinous Bas-Relief, an object whose reputation has suffered less than the other representations in this group. The great Winckelmann admired relatively few Roman antiquities, but he admired this one. The relief was excavated at Hadrian's Villa in the 1730s, and its identity as Antinous is still held to be authentic. It would probably be better known today if it were accessible, but the Antinous Bas-Relief remains in private hands. "Furthermore, few if any modern scholars approve even when they admire this piece which trembles on the brink of 'sweet ornamental banality'. It is catalogued in Helbig as typical of the high quality but academic productions of the studio attached to Hadrian's court and dated now, as always, to the years between the death of Antinous (AD 130) and Hadrian (AD 138)."
 |
| Robert Macpherson Albani Antinous 1860s albumen silver print Getty Museum, Los Angeles |
 |
| Cosimo Magalli Albani Antinous mid-18th century engraving Philadelphia Museum of Art |
 |
| Pompeo Batoni Portrait of a Grand Tourist gesturing toward the Albani Antinous ca. 1760-65 oil on canvas Metropolitan Museum of Art |
In the painting above, the then-famous Albani Antinous was, of course, intended to be recognizable, but it may be intended for a newly-purchased copy, since the version shown is less than half the size of the real one.