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The Cleveland Apollo

The Cleveland Apollo is a 4th-century BCE, life-size bronze Ancient Greek statue now in the Cleveland Museum of Art. It was acquired by the museum in 2004 using the Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund. The museum attributed the work to Praxiteles, who lived circa 400 to 330 BCE, and its technical features are considered consistent with the Late Classical Period. Scientific investigation of the sculpture and its separated parts indicates that they are from the same casting. However, the age of the casting was still under review as of 2017, and scholarly research has raised questions about whether it is a Praxiteles original.

The Cleveland Apollo bronze statue with a green patina, standing on a simple base against a dark background.
The Cleveland Apollo shown full length, with its green patina and missing arms visible.
© Praxiteles · CC0
The Cleveland Apollo bronze statue bust with green patina and pale inlaid eyes inside a museum hall.
The Cleveland Apollo, an aged bronze statue with distinctive inlaid eyes, displayed in a museum interior.
June 2018 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
Close-up of The Cleveland Apollo’s bronze head with a greenish-brown patina and downward gaze.
Close-up of The Cleveland Apollo, showing the weathered bronze head and upper chest with a downward tilt.
September 2012 © · CC0
Weathered bronze arm and hand from The Cleveland Apollo with a green and reddish-brown patina.
A close-up of the weathered bronze arm and hand from The Cleveland Apollo.
© · CC0
Detached bronze hand and forearm from the Cleveland Apollo, with a green and reddish-brown patina and curled fingers.
A detached bronze hand and forearm from the Cleveland Apollo, showing a mottled green and reddish-brown patina.
© Praxiteles · CC0

Identification

TitleThe Cleveland Apollo: Apollo Sauroktonos (Lizard-Slayer) or Apollo the Python-Slayer
Alternative namesApollo Sauroktonos (Lizard-Slayer); Apollo the Python-Slayer
SubjectApollo Sauroktonos (Apollo the lizard-slayer)
TypeLife-size bronze statue

Historical context

Cultural originAncient Greek
Date4th century BCE
Stylistic periodLate Classical Period

Creator

AttributionAttributed to Praxiteles; the Cleveland Museum of Art claims it is a Praxiteles original
Attributed artist lifespanc. 400–330 BCE

Discovery and provenance

ControversyIts origin and possible recent illicit looting became controversial
Exhibition controversyThe Greek Central Archaeological Council asked the Louvre not to include it in the 2007 Praxiteles exhibition, and Italy demanded its return
Museum positionThe Cleveland Museum of Art maintained the seller's version of the provenance
Current provenance statusQuestionable provenance; rumors claimed it may have been looted from Italy or Greece
Discovery statusPreviously unknown before it appeared on the art market in 2003
First appearance on art market2003
Reported provenanceAccording to the seller, from a private residence in the former East Germany (GDR), where it was considered a copy dating to the 18th or 19th century

Location and ownership

Current locationCleveland Museum of Art
Inventory number2004.30
Acquisition date2004
Acquisition fundSeverance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund

Physical characteristics

PoseStrongly contrapposto, standing on the right leg with the left leg bent and the left foot placed behind the right heel
Reptile depictionA small reptilian creature with asymmetrical, unnatural anatomy, interpreted as a smaller python from mythology
AppearanceApollo leans toward a tree trunk, rests his raised left hand on it, and holds an arrow in his right hand while preparing to stab a lizard or python climbing the trunk
ConditionPreserved in fragments; relatively well preserved
Missing partsTree trunk and much of the arms
Preserved partsRight arm above the elbow, a large portion of the left arm, the shoulder, most of the left forearm, the left hand, and the small reptilian creature
Dimensions150 cm high; 66.8 cm wide; 50.3 cm deep

Materials

Primary materialBronze
Other materialsCopper inlays; stone eyes; a different alloy in the base
AlloyHighly leaded bronze

Technique

Casting techniqueIndirect lost-wax casting
ManufactureSome details, such as the hair held by a band, were modeled in wax before casting

Appearance

Surface detailsThe lips and nipples are inlaid with copper; the eyes are made of stone
Quality of executionHighly accomplished, with firmer contours than in marble copies
Stylistic qualitiesYouthful beauty, grace, a curved pose, and delicate modeling
ComparisonsComparable in pose to the Apollo Sauroktonos in the Vatican and the Resting Satyr in the Capitoline Museums
HairClose-growing parted hair hanging over the forehead in symmetrical curls

Iconography and meaning

InterpretationA serious mythological subject treated as a sport or pastime, with a slight allusion to a religious type
Stylistic influenceInfluence of Polykleitos
Pliny's descriptionPraxiteles created a bronze sculpture of Apollo in his youth about to stab a lizard with an arrow, leaning toward a tree trunk with his raised left hand on it
Pliny's epithetsauroktonos ('lizard-slayer')
Ancient literary sourcePliny the Elder, Natural History 34.69–70
Iconographic subjectA youthful Apollo preparing to stab a lizard with an arrow; the type is also called Apollo the Python-Slayer

History and restoration

Fire damageThe figure shows traces of fire, possibly from an event after excavation
Research statusAs of 2017, the age of the casting and the carbon-dated samples were still under review
Carbon-dating findingsSamples from the forearm produced very early dates, older than the Roman or Greek periods, but these may have been contaminated during restoration
Borescope findingsInspection inside the head found several modern repair materials
Analysis methodsVisual examination, borescope inspection, CT scanning, and carbon dating were used
Surface interpretationThe patina and corrosion were taken as evidence of a long burial period with alternating dry and humid phases
Base interpretationThese findings were presented as evidence against a recent looting, and the lead may reflect later reuse of original material
BaseThe base was made in a different alloy and may date to no earlier than the Renaissance; its lead at the right-foot contact point was dated to just under 100 years ago
Chemical analysisChemical examinations were said to show that the bronze is ancient
Surface conditionThe statue is covered with patina and traces of corrosion
Scientific investigationScientific analysis showed that the surviving fragments belong together and were cast from the same melt, based on metal composition, lead content, and corrosion history

Significance

RarityThe only known bronze version of the Apollo Sauroktonos type and the only existing full-scale bronze version of the type
Roman receptionSeveral marble copies made in Rome survive; the type was popular into the Imperial period, and wealthy Romans acquired copies for homes and country villas
Later representationsRoman coins and gems engraved with Apollo show the sculptural type
Name historyThe type has been known as Apollo Sauroktonos since Roman times
Scholarly assessmentQuestions remain about whether it is a Praxiteles original; how the sculpture achieved iconic status in art history is unclear and may deserve reexamination
Classical attribution noteIt is considered a major work of Praxiteles, though there is no indisputably original freestanding sculpture by him