Belvedere Apollo
by MONTORSOLI, Giovanni Angelo, Marble
In 1532 Michelangelo recommended Montorsoli to Clement VII to restore antique statues in the Vatican; his restorations of the Laoco�n group and the Apollo Belvedere (both Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican) ensured their enduring fame.
The Apollo is now thought to be an original Roman re-creation of Hadrianic date (ca. 120–140) not simply a copy of an original Greek statue (330-320) BC by Leochares It was rediscovered in central Italy in the late 15th century and was placed on semi-public display in the Vatican Palace in 1511, where it remains. It is now in the Cortile del Belvedere of the Pio Clementine Museum of the Vatican Museums complex.
The lower part of the right arm and the left hand were missing when discovered and were restored by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli.