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Apollo and Hyacinth

Apollo and Hyacinth is a marble sculpture created by Benvenuto Cellini around 1548. It measures 191 cm in height and is preserved at the National Museum of the Bargello in Florence. Cellini turned to this new mythological subject after being pleased with the results of his marble Ganymede. The work shows the tragic story of Apollo and the young Hyacinth, who is accidentally killed by the god.

Marble sculpture of Apollo and Hyacinth showing a standing nude male figure and a kneeling figure beside him.
Apollo and Hyacinth depicted in a marble sculpture with one figure standing and another kneeling at his feet.
April 2019 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Apollo and Hyacinth marble sculpture showing two nude male figures, one standing and one kneeling.
Apollo and Hyacinth in marble, depicting a standing figure holding the head of a kneeling companion.
March 2007 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Apollo and Hyacinth in white marble, showing a standing figure beside a kneeling figure looking upward.
Apollo and Hyacinth, a white marble sculpture of two male figures, with one standing and the other kneeling.
September 2017 © · CC BY 3.0
Apollo and Hyacinth marble sculpture showing a standing nude male figure with a seated smaller figure at his feet.
Apollo and Hyacinth, a marble sculpture of a standing nude figure with a smaller seated figure below.
March 2007 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Apollo and Hyacinth marble sculpture showing a kneeling nude male figure looking upward as a taller figure reaches down to grasp his hair
Apollo and Hyacinth, a marble sculpture with a kneeling figure looking up toward a larger figure above.
June 2014 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleApollo and Hyacinthus
French titleApollon et Hyacinthe
Spanish titleApolo y Jacinto
TypeSculpture
Original titleApollo e Giacinto

Creator

ArtistBenvenuto Cellini

Historical context

Cellini's accountIn his autobiography Vita, Cellini said he brought the block to the workshop and began carving immediately, making the model while working because he did not want to wait to decide on a model; he later regretted starting it because the block was cracked.
SubjectThe tragic love story between Apollo and the young Hyacinthus; Hyacinth is accidentally killed by the god.
Related earlier sculptureGanymede on the Eagle (1547, Museo del Bargello)
Creation contextCellini began the work shortly after Ganymede on the Eagle (1547, Museo del Bargello), wanting to try marble again on a new mythological subject after being satisfied with that work.
Condition of the marble blockThe marble block reportedly had a defect and was cracked.
Completion statusLeft unfinished in Cellini's workshop; later believed to have been completed by another artist and mentioned from the 17th century in the Boboli Garden.
Date createdcirca 1548
Date begun1548

Materials

MaterialMarble

Physical characteristics

Height191 cm

Location and ownership

Current locationMuseo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence