Belvedere Antinous

The composition of this two-foot tall bronze sculpture--with its *contrapposto* pose and ancient Greek cloak--is based on what artists and collectors considered one of the most beautiful surviving statues from antiquity, the ancient Roman marble known as *Belvedere Antinous*, now in the Vatican Museums. While the original was first thought to represent Roman Emperor Hadrian's handsome Greek lover Antinous, scholars now believe the work is a representation of the Olympian god Hermes. Considered a model of ideal human proportions, the statue inspired many artistic interpretations. From the Renaissance on, the European elite sought reduced-size bronze reproductions made after famous ancient models to display in their collections. It is believed French aristocrat and collector Louis Hesselin commissioned this statue during a trip to Italy in the 1630s.