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Young Archer

Young Archer is a marble statue in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The museum considers it a late Quattrocento work by Michelangelo, although this attribution is not widely accepted and has been disputed, including by William Wallace. Supporters of Michelangelo’s authorship have also identified the sculpture as the so-called “Manhattan Cupid,” connecting it with a long-lost life-size Cupid documented as a work made by Michelangelo for Jacopo Galli. The sculpture was purchased by architect Stanford White for the Payne Whitney Manhattan residence, where it was installed in the hall above a fountain designed by White. Since 2009, it has been on special loan from France to the Metropolitan Museum.

Incomplete marble statue of the Young Archer, showing a nude youthful male figure with curly hair and a diagonal band across the torso.
The Young Archer, an incomplete marble statue displayed on a pedestal in a museum setting.
May 2012 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Marble Young Archer statue of a nude youthful male figure with curly hair, missing parts of its arms and legs.
Young Archer shown as a damaged white marble sculpture with a nude youthful figure and ornate base.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
Back view of the fragmented Young Archer marble sculpture, showing a nude curly-haired male figure with missing arms and lower legs.
The Young Archer sculpture shown from behind, with damaged limbs and a carved strap across the upper back.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleYoung Archer
Alternative nameManhattan Cupid
TypeMarble sculpture
Original titlesЮный лучник; Ю́ний лу́чник; Le Jeune Archer; El Joven aquero; Il Giovane arciere

Historical context

Datecirca 1491–1492
PeriodLate Quattrocento

Creator

AttributionAttributed to Michelangelo; disputed by William Wallace and other researchers
Attribution reaffirmed byKathleen Weil-Garris Brandt, 1997
Related lost work identificationSometimes identified by supporters with Michelangelo's lost life-size Cupid, also described as Cupid-Apollo
Commissioner of related lost workJacopo Galli

Discovery and provenance

Rediscovered byJames David Draper
Exhibition historyShown in a 1999 exhibition on the young Michelangelo at Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, and at the Metropolitan Museum in 2009
Later building useThe house later served as the New York office of the French Embassy's cultural department
Original installationInstalled in the lobby of the Payne Whitney mansion in Manhattan, above a fountain designed by Stanford White
Probable earlier owner/transferProbably brought to the house by Stanford White
Rediscovery locationEmbassy of France on Fifth Avenue, New York
Museum loanHeld on a ten-year special loan from France to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Rediscovered in1990
Post-auction statusIts whereabouts were lost after the 1902 auction; for a long time the auction-catalogue reproduction was the only visual record
Auction attributionAttributed to Michelangelo
Auction date27 May 1902
Auction houseChristie's
Sold throughStefano Bardini
Original collectionBorghese collection

Location and ownership

Current locationMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Presence in the AmericasThe only sculpture by Michelangelo in the American continent

Physical characteristics

Finished areasThe face and buttocks seem carefully smoothed
Unfinished areasSmall rough areas remain, especially in the hair and torso
Surface damageScratches and abrasions, with some fractures repaired by metal joints
ConditionPoorly preserved and unfinished
AnatomyNotable anatomical precision, though the back has been questioned for an unusually long sacrum
Expression and hairCalm, impassive face with curly hair
AttributeA quiver shaped like a lion's paw is attached to the left arm
Head positionHead slightly tilted left, probably turned toward the quiver
PoseThe figure appears to be moving forward with a pronounced twist, lacking contrapposto
Missing partsArms and the lower legs below the knees are missing
SubjectA naked youth
Height97 cm

Materials

MaterialMarble

History and restoration

Surface damage interpretationThe wear is compatible with outdoor display in a garden, possibly the Horti Borghese in Rome
Non-finito interpretationThe unfinished areas have been interpreted as a non-finito stage typical of Michelangelo's art

Significance

Stylistic assessmentSoftly modeled with a delicate sentimental tone, still far from the terribilità of Michelangelo's mature works
ComparisonsCompared with Michelangelo's youthful works such as the Candleholder Angel, the Crucifix of Santo Spirito, the satyr in Bacchus, and figures from The Battle of the Centaurs
Facial comparisonThe face resembles the angels in the Manchester Madonna panel
Attribution argumentsSupporters cite the curly hair, lack of contrapposto, unfinished details, and back anatomy; critics have questioned the hair treatment and other details