Belvedere Torso

The Belvedere Torso is a Mamortorso in the Vatican Museums.

History

The torso was created by the Athenian sculptor Apollonius of Athens, which has also signed. Nevertheless, it is not excluded that it is a Roman copy of an earlier work of art. The date varies 200-50 BC

The statue is attested in Rome since the 15th century and arrived at some unknown way 1530-1536 in the Vatican Museum. According to his site, the Belvedere courtyard of the Vatican, the torso was finally named and famous. Since its rediscovery, he has repeatedly drawn, renowned artist in his spell, such as Maarten van Heemskerck, Michelangelo, Peter Paul Rubens and many more who were trapped by the sense of expressiveness of the sculpture. Therefore, the torso plays a significant role not only for the art history of the ancient world, but especially the Renaissance.

Description

From the Statue Only the torso and thighs are obtained; Head, arms and lower legs are lost. The size is 1.59 meters. The sculpture depicts the torso of a seated man in the wild, which is wrapped with a panther skin, not covering his nakedness. The upper body and the legs suggest a very muscular man who is in a tight situation.

Reception

A great admirer of the statue was Michelangelo, who according to legend, refused to obey the order of Pope Julius II and to complete the torso. In science, many versions of the original appearance of the statue were discussed in order to obtain a clue for the interpretation. For a long time it was assumed a representation of Hercules. Currently, the seated Greek hero Ajax is seen shortly before his suicide in the torso.

" The first sight you will perhaps discover nothing but a defaced stone; canst thou penetrate the secrets of the art, thou shalt be a miracle see the same when you look at this work with a peaceful mind. "