The Belvedere Apollo

Antico was one of the most refined makers of Renaissance bronzes. He was nicknamed l’Antico (“ancient”) for his skill in producing exquisitely elegant figures inspired by the bronzes of classical antiquity, perfectly modeled and smoothly finished.

As with many neo-classical sculptors, Antico’s work needs to be closely compared with its prototypes to discover where his sculptural talent lay, as distinct from a mere facility in copying what was before his eyes. So damaged were his models that great scope existed for the imaginative reintegration of missing arms, legs and attributes: these, as in the case of his Apollo Belvedere, may differ from the subsequent restorations that are familiar today. Antico had to use much imagination and archaeologically orientated surmise in order to re-create the imagined perfection of the lost or damaged originals. Through sometimes gross marble copies, his enthusiast’s eye could discern the pristine magnificence of lost ancient Greek bronze originals.