Palazzo Nuovo

Young Hercules with snakes

Inv. Scu 247 The statuette shows a child who, seated on the ground, is struggling with two snakes. The work is inspired by an episode from the life of the infant Hercules: enraged because of Zeus’s adultery with Alcmene, Hera…

Cynocephalus

Inv. Scu 2937 The statue, carved from a single block of grey marble (Bardiglio di Carrara), depicts a baboon (cynocephalus) seated with its fore paws legs resting on its knees; the sex is visible between the wide-apart rear legs. The…

Statuette of Eros

Inv. Scu 371 Statuette of a winged Eros standing and leaning to a trunk from which hangs a quiver with arrows; the figure holds a bow with the left hand. The statuette is extensively restored: modern restorations concern the legs,…

Colossal statue of a goddess (Diana?)

Inv. Scu 61 The colossal statue represents a goddess stepping forward. Its exact identification is still matter of debate, since there is no parallel for this specific iconographic type. The absence of bow and arrows and the pose appear to…

Modern bust of Tiberius

Inv. Scu 229 It is a modern reproduction of the Emperor Tiberius: it shows his the triangular profile of the face, his bangs on the high forehead and his sideburns. It is inspired by the so-called “Berlin-Naples-Sorrento” type; stylistically, the…

Statue of Harpocrates

Inv. Scu 646 The young god Harpocrates , son of Isis and Osiris, is represented totally naked in the typical gesture of silence, with the index finger to his lips. The gesture may allude to the mystic and secret character…

Statue of Apollo

Inv. Scu 648 This statue is a replica of the famous Apollo made by Phidias in the Kassel style. This style was common in the fifth century B.C. and is sometimes called the severe style.  Ancient sculptors struggled to depict…