Antinous Farnese. Exact replica, high cuality resin
Antinous Farnese is a sculptural representation in marble of Antinous, sculpted between 130 and 137 AD. Antinous was the lover of the Roman emperor Hadrian, who, after the young man’s death, perpetuated Antinous’ image by deifying him as a god of the Roman pantheon and establishing his formal cult within the Roman Empire. This sculpture is part of the Roman imperial style and was carved during a revival of classical Greek culture, influenced by Hadrian’s philhellenism. The location and origin of the discovery are unknown, but this sculpture is part of the Farnese Collection at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

History:
Antinous was the Greek lover of the Roman emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD. Often referred to as Hadrian’s favorite, Antinous was born a slave in Bithynia around 110 AD and is speculated to have drowned in the Nile River before turning twenty in 130 AD. The circumstances of Antinous’ death vary, ranging from accidental events to suicide and even sacrificial theories. In honor of his lover, Hadrian established the city of Antinoopolis in Egypt the same year Antinous drowned. Hadrian also posthumously deified Antinous by including him in the imperial cult, leading to the creation of numerous sculptures of Antinous for the cult.

After Antinous’ death, Hadrian sought to revitalize the tradition of classical Greek sculpture with Roman themes. Hadrian’s appreciation for Greek art and culture is known as philhellenism, earning him the nickname “The Greek.” During his life, the emperor visited Greece on three separate occasions, participated in the Olympic Games, and founded an alliance of Greek city-states known as the Panhellenion in the year of Antinous’ death.

Description:
The work is a two-meter-high round sculpture. Although carved in the Roman era, the figure emulates an athlete in the classical Greek style. Specifically, this sculpture follows the type of Polykleitos’ Doryphoros. The most noticeable difference is that Antinous is a young teenager, while the Doryphoros is sculpted as a young adult. Both Antinous and the Doryphoros display complete nudity, contrapposto, stoic expression, and extended arm. The Doryphoros holds a spear, while Antinous seems to hold something in his right hand.

The Antinous Farnese can be identified as an imperial Roman piece rather than a classic Greek one by observing the carved pupils, an innovation established in Roman sculpture by Hadrian himself. Other Adrianic-imperial details of this statue can be seen in the volume of the hair and carved nostrils, as these features were chiseled with new drilling techniques that allowed Romans to explore texture differences between hair and skin in ways not seen before. Another indication that this sculpture is Roman, not Greek, is the inclusion of a structural support behind the right leg, casually disguised as a trunk. This structural support, also known as a prop, may have further helped identify Antinous in the context of his time.

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