Portrait of Antinous as Genius Frugiferus

This bust of Antinous, the young man loved by the Emperor Hadrian, was found in Rome in 1671, where it was bought and restored by Cardinal Leopold de' Medici before being moved to Florence in 1676.

The only modern parts are the two large locks on the ears and the nose. As a matter of fact, the small portion of marble applied under the right pectoral is ancient and original. The surface is highly polished and this element should probably be traced back to 17th-century restorations.

Antinous is portrayed down to the chest and with the shoulders visible up to the middle of the deltoids. The young man is caught in the act of turning towards his left, with his right arm lowered and the left arm pulled backwards. The wavy locks of the hair are in contrast with the smooth modelling of the face, on which the lightly wrinkled eyebrows, which are reproduced by means of delicate dashes, together with the pursed and fleshy lips, contribute to give him a thoughtful and also melancholic expression. This representation is perhaps an allusion to the tragic death of Antinous, who allegedly drowned himself in the Nile to save the Prince, as predicted by an oracle.

The dynamic structure of the body reveals similarities with a sculptural archetype that in turn was inspired by the so-called Apollo of the Tiber, whose physicality was somewhere between ephebic youth and adulthood.

The small lock above the left eyebrow, which is oriented in the opposite direction to the others, allows to count this bust also among the replicas of variant A of the type Haupttypus, which is the main portrait type of Antinous. In particular, this Florentine bust, together with nine other statues, forms a uniform group for what concerns the style and posture of arms and shoulders.

A study, which compared the shape of the support with that of five other replicas, showed that busts of this type can be attributed to the craftsmanship of ancient workshops. Furthermore, it was possible to relate the prototype of our bust to a group of Hadrian busts of the type Imperatori 32.

The engraving of the pupil, as well as the precise workmanship of the hair and the general modelling, allow to date this work to the late Hadrianic period (117 - 138 A.D.), in the years following the death of Antinous.