Detail of the chest of the bronze 'Hellenistic Prince' and its many colors

            It was February 1885 when the statue of the so-called 'Hellenistic Prince' (or 'Principe Ellenistico' in Italian) was unearthed in the foundation walls of an ancient building, at a depth of about six meters. The discovery was made on the western slopes of the Quirinal Hill, in the garden of the ex-Convent of San Silvestro al Quirinale, behind the church of the same name, during excavations on Via IV Novembre for the construction of the National Dramatic Theatre (demolished in 1929; the present building accommodates INAIL, the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work).

Just one month later, behind a second foundation wall of the same structure, the Boxer was extracted from the subsoil, buried under a blanket of sifted earth and resting on a Doric capital which had preserved its sitting position. The circumstances of these spectacular discoveries immediately seemed to suggest that the two Greek sculptures had been deliberately hidden, although their original location in Rome is still unknown, as are the reasons that led to their burial. According to a long tradition of studies, the bronzes once decorated the Baths of Constantine (circa 315 AD, southern slopes of the Quirinal Hill), a complex that is no longer preserved today. The statues are thought to have been removed from the Baths and carefully buried with the aim of safeguarding them from some imminent danger, presumably pillaging. The area of the discovery nonetheless lies several hundred metres from the site of the Baths of Constantine.

Meanwhile, literary sources, antiquity studies and inscriptions found in situ highlight that the area where the statues were found (near the Servian Walls and in a built-up area with urban residences) was also occupied by sacred buildings, including the temple of Semo Sancus, not far from Porta Sanqualis (Largo Magnanapoli), whose ruins lie a short distance from the ex-Convent of San Silvestro al Quirinale. Due to the substantial archaeological gaps existing precisely in the area of the Quirinal Hill where the discoveries were made, it is not possible to formulate a more precise hypothesis regarding the original location of the statues in the vicinity of their hiding places. Furthermore, mystery also surrounds the laying of the bronzes in foundation walls beneath the floor of an ancient building.

This 2nd century BCE bronze statue was originally thought to represent Attalus II, king of Pergamon and the head a portrait of an unknown wealthy Roman, eager to appear as a Hellenistic prince. However, this older theory has been rejected, and it's now thought to be a sculpture of a heroically nude Roman general—possibly Scipio Aemilianus, although there have been other suggestions. The work is influenced by the 4th century BCE sculpture of Alexander by Lysippus and is one of the very rare examples of bronze Hellenistic sculpture. The statue is cast by the lost-wax technique and the figure holds a spear in his right hand.

Museo Nazionale Romano, Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Rome

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Taken on: October 26, 2022

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ancient bronze

Hellenistic

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Hellenistic Prince

Roman

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Quirinal

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Pergamon

Scipio Aemilianus

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Lysippus

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Sets appears in: • Ancient bronzes • Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Rome

Groups appears in: • Roman Empire • Rome, Italy more » • Roma - Rome • The Ancient World • World Archaeology & Arts/ΑΡΧΑΙΟΛΟΓΙΑ&ΤΕΧΝΕΣ-Rea • Museums of the World • Ancient Greek and Roman Art • Your Museum Images • Photos at the Museum • MixArtMix « less

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