 |
Bust of Apollo Belvedere
|
There were twelve great gods
of ancient Greece but the most widely worshipped was the handsome
Apollo. He was the god of light and of youth and manly beauty.
He was also the god of prophesy and for a thousand years emperors
and leaders came to the oracle of Delphi, housed in his temple,
to hear prophesies which shaped the history of the Mediterranean
world. Apollo was the son of Zeus and the twin brother of Artemis
whom the Romans called Diana. The bust is made from the full
figure which experts now consider to have been the work of Leochares.
The nobility of classical features and the keen lifelike gaze
have caused this to be one of the most generally admired of ancient
masterpieces. The statue occupies a special niche known as the
Gabinetto dell'Apollo in the Vatican. |
|
 |
