Bust of Apollo
A terra-cotta bust of Apollo Belvedere, Continental, ca. 1960. 30 ins. high, 21 ins. wide, 13 ins. deep; diameter of socle 8 ins.
The Roman Apollo Belvedere, a marble copy of the lost Greek bronze, dates to ca. 120-140 and is in the Vatican Museum collection. Discovered in about 1509 (recorded in that year, but possibly discovered earlier), Apollo Belvedere is one of the most admired and replicated of all Antique models. German art historian Johann Winckelmann (1717-1768) proclaimed this Apollo to be the most glorious example of the Greek aesthetic ideal, citing its “noble simplicity and quiet grandeur”. Replicas of this figure have often been paired with replicas of the Diane Chasseresse, another significant Antique model, owing to the 17th-century theory that they had been carved by the same hand (not proven), but also to the fact that they are both of similarly celebrated quality. In the 19th century, a bronze Apollo and Diane were in the gardens at Malmaison, a marble pair at Chatsworth, and a plaster pair at a London gallery, just to name a few.
The last photo shows the Apollo with item #05973, a bust of Diana Chasseresse.