Apollo and Diana

Object belonging

One's own

Category

Bronze sculpture

City

Rome

Location

Museo Nazionale del Palazzo di Venezia

Specific location

Room 16

Inventory

PV 09318/19

Material and technique

Bronze, natural light patina, black lacquer

Author

Girolamo Campagna (studio, after the artist's model)

Dating

17th century

Dimensions

54 x 18 x 18 cm. (Apollo); 55.5 x 19 x 15 cm. (Diana)

Origin

Barsanti Collection (1934)

Image copyright

SSPSAE e per il Polo Museale della città di Roma

Short description

The size of the statues suggests that they were designed to decorate the ends of andirons. The slight twisting of the statuettes towards one side suggests that they might be placed together to form couples. Apollo is depicted looking magisterially to his left, with a quiver by his left waist, which is tied to a tight shoulder strap. He holds a small zither and a plectrum, attributes that allude to his status as the god of music. A light cloak wraps around below his waist and drops behind, covering his left leg, and a small cock stands next to him as a further attribute. Diana is depicted with a small crescent moon in her hair and her patron status as god of the hunt and hunters is recalled by her bow. She too, like Apollo, has a shoulder strap tied to a quiver, and holds a small, playful dog on a leash.

Pietro Cannata

Bibliography

L. Pollak, Raccolta Alfredo Barsanti (Trecento-Settecento), catalogue of the collection, Bergamo 1922, nos. 91-92, pp. 130-131; A. Santangelo, Museo di Palazzo Venezia. Catalogo delle sculture, Rome 1954, p. 45.