Antinous of the Belvedere from the 18th century

Antinous of the Belvedere from the 18th century.
Bronze.
Measurements: 36 x 14 x 11 cm.
The present sculpture is modeled on the Belvedere Antinous, a statue first mentioned in 1543 when Pope Paul III purchased it for the Belvedere garden. Its admirable beauty and exquisite technique made it quickly become a very popular work, repeatedly copied in various sizes and materials over the centuries, a practice that intensified in the Renaissance with the rediscovery of its figure. The original statue, which is exhibited today in the Pio-Clementino Museum (no. 907), represents Antinous, a young man of great beauty, lover of the Roman emperor Hadrian, who drowned in the Nile River for unknown reasons. His death caused great sorrow and grief in Hadrian, who exalted his companion until he came to be worshiped as a hero or a divinity.
It is most likely a piece made as a souvenir of the Grand Tour, a term that appears for the first time in the work “El Voyage d'Italie” by Richard Lassels, used to define the long journey through Europe, especially through Italy, that they made. usually young British aristocrats from the 17th century onwards, but especially throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The purpose of the trip was for young people to learn about art and culture mainly from France and Italy, admire classical art first-hand, learn or improve their knowledge of languages and establish contacts and relationships with the cultural and political elites of these countries. . Travelers used to look for pieces with which to start their own artistic collections, objects to take as souvenirs to their places of residence. For this reason, workshops specialized in replicating Roman pieces, both in bronze and marble, emerged, some of which acquired great reputation.