Commentary Prepared by Dr. Julia Lenaghan, Ashmolean Museum

B 128
Belvedere Torso. Vatican

Powerfully muscular, over life-size, seated torso signed by the Athenian sculptor Apollonios, son of Nestor. Most commonly identified as Marsyas or Ajax

Marble
Statue
1.59 m

First recorded in 1432-1434 in the collection of Cardinal Prospero Colonna, then in his palace near SS Apostoli on the Quirinal Hill in Rome. It may have been found in that area.
Italy, Vatican, Museo Pio-Clementino, Atrio del Torso, 1192
Late Hellenistic or early Roman, possibly a version of an original dated ca. 250-150 BC

Preservation:
The statue is missing the head, both lower legs and feet, both arms and hands, and the back of the rock on which the figure sits. The front portion of the pectorals, beginning at the left shoulder and continuing to the right of center, has chipped off. The back of the buttocks was added separately. The surface in both areas is evenly cut, and on the right gluteus is a central dowel hole and on the left are three smaller dowel holes. There are other dowel holes for other separately added elements: for the left arm, there are three holes on the left pectoral and at the base of the left arm as well as a clamp mark on the shoulder. Both break surfaces on the legs show that the lower legs were added separately (or repaired). There is a small rectangular hole on the upper side of the right thigh near the knee for an attribute that was not large, and there is a similarly shaped hole on the outer side of the left thigh near the knee, presumably for the same purpose. At the base of the spinal cord, there is a round hole in which there one was iron. There is another hole below the right buttock on the rock. The panther skin over the left thigh has an uneven outer surface. The upper surface of the right thigh is pitted and uneven.

Description:
The torso depicts a seated nude male with a remarkably, almost preternaturally muscular physique. The figure sits on a rock that is covered by the skin of a panther. The head of the animal skin appears over and on the inside of the left thigh; the tail of the skin hangs down near the bottom of the rock below the right leg; three of the four paws are visible falling down the rock, respectively at the front below the right leg, on the side below the left thigh, at the back below the left buttock. Between the legs on the rock is an inscription. It reads "Apollonios, son of Nestor, the Athenian made this." From the higher position of the right thigh and the surfaces for the attachment of the legs, it is clear that the right lower leg was pulled backward toward the rock and the left lower leg extended forward. The break at the head indicates that the head turned to its left. An indentation on the upper surface of the right thigh suggests that the right elbow rested there.

Discussion:
The Belvedere Torso, depicting a massive seated nude male, is one of the most famous sculptures of antiquity. The first recorded notice of it dates between 1432 and 1434. Its ensuing popularity with Renaissance (especially Michelangelo) and post-Renaissance artists is well known and has fostered its fame. The statue is signed on the front of the base by the Athenian artist Apollonios son of Nestor [APOLLWNIOS NESTOROS ATHHNAIOS EPOIE]. Epigraphers date this signature between the mid-first century BC and the mid-first century AD. Apollonios, son of Nestor, appears to have been an Athenian sculptor working abroad in Rome. In this case he seems to have made a copy of an outstanding previous work. The original model is dated on stylistic grounds to the height of the Hellenistic period. Apollonios, when recreating the original, has resorted to piecing together separately worked elements. He may have done this because the original block marble was not large enough or had flaws. (In addition, it is not entirely excluded that some of the piecing is the result of ancient repairs). The subject of the torso remains controversial. It was originally believed to be Herakles seated on a lion’s skin. It was, however, pointed out in 1887 that the head of the animal skin was actually not that of a lion, but rather belonged to a panther. The obvious identification for a figure on a panther skin is a member of the circle of Dionysos. This fact combined with the hole in the lower back, judged to be suitable for the insertion of a tail, and with seated representations of a bound or flute playing Marsyas permitted the subject to be identified more convincingly as Marsyas. If it were interpreted as a flute playing Marsyas, one imagined an accompanying statue of Apollo (at least 2.6-2.8 m tall). The figure of Marsyas with his hands behind his back would not necessarily require a second figure to complete the composition. This reconstruction, however, does not explain the rectangular holes in the thighs. It has also been pointed out that the statue resembles representations of Philoctetes, the Homeric Greek hero. Philoctetes’ foot was bit by a snake and he was left on the island of Lemnos where his wound festered and he grew savage. Finally, it has been argued forcefully by R. Wünsche that the torso is a representation of the Greek hero Ajax contemplating his suicide. Again various representations in other media (including an ancient description of a painting) may support the hypothesis. In addition, W. has convincingly reconstructed the position of the arms and legs. The right arm was probably lowered and rested on the knee and the left arm was pulled backwards. W’s theory that the animal skin, which forms a thick pad on the outer side of the upper left side, created a physical connection to the left hand is appealing. Moreover, the theory also explains the two small dowel holes in the thighs. That in the right thigh was for the sword (running vertical to the right thigh) and that on the left for the scabbard (running parallel to the left thigh). W. even imagines a scenario in which the original would have been created around 180 BC and the copy in the late Republic or Augustan period. He notes that both Pausanias and Strabo mention a sanctuary of Ajax founded by the Rhodians near Troy. He imagines that the Rhodians founded this between.188-167 BC (when Rome was on good terms with Rhodes and had granted Troy and surrounding areas freedom because of their historic connection with Aeneas). Later Mark Antony is said to have taken the statue of Ajax from the sanctuary and brought it to Cleopatra (Strabo, Geogr 13,1,30). Augustus eventually returned to it proper location. He himself even tried to compose a tragedy about the hero (Suetonius Aug 85). The appealing theory and reconstruction have two flaws. The panther skin of the Dionysian world is passed over lightly as the "skin of a ferocious beast" and as such is considered appropriate for a Homeric Greek hero since they used the skins of ferocious beasts. Second, the hole at the base of the back, generally thought to be for the addition of a tail, is not explained. All of the recent identifications-- Marsyas in various poses, Philoctetes and Ajax--as well as the Terme Boxer (cat. B 129) show the popularity of the schemata of the massive seated male. J. Lenaghan

Bibliography:
B. Sauer, Der Torso von Belvedere (Giessen 1894) identifies the statue as Polyphemos
W. Amelung, Die Skulpturen des vaticanischen Museums II (Berlin 1908) 9-20 no.3 pl.2 detailed catalogue entry
R. Carpenter, "Observations on Familiar Statuary in Rome" (MAAR 18 1941) 84-91 detailed discussion with some good observations, concludes that statue showed Marsyas with flutes and was accompanied by Apollo, associates a colossal torso of Apollo in the Vatican with the statue
W. Helbig (H. von Steuben), Führer durch die öffentlichen Sammlungen klassicher Altertumer in Rom I(4th ed) (Tübingen 1963) 211-213 no.265 catalogue entry that asserts established dates, prefers Philoctetes identification
G. Säflund, "The Belvedere Torso: An Interpretation" (OpRom 11.6 1976) 63-84 another detailed discussion with careful observations, concludes that the statue showed Marsyas with hands bound behind his back, associates the body with a head in the Conservatori collection
R. R. R. Smith, Hellenistic Sculpture. A Handbook (London 1991) 133 fig.165 identifies the torso as a figure from the world of Dionysos, notes signature of high grade copyist
R. Wünsche, Il torso del Belvedere. Da Aiace a Rodin (Vatican 1998) especially 66-95 identifies torso as Ajax, supports the identification with reconstructions in plaster and historic explanation
R. Wünsche, "Torso von Belvedere" Il cortile delle statue: der Statuenhof des Belvedere im Vatikan (Mainz 1998) 287-314 same observations and organization as in book