Eros Stringing His Bow (Statuette)
Unknown (Roman, after Lysippos) (Lysippos active c. 370-310 BC) · Roman imperial period (authenticity questioned)
Sixty seven centimetres tall, this statuette shows Eros in the same action as the larger statue beside it: naked, curly haired, with a braid over the brow, bending his bow, next to a tree trunk from which a quiver hangs. The curls were hollowed with a drill, a technique that gives the hair a lively play of shadow. The wings, both arms, the right leg from mid thigh and the left leg below the knee are marble restorations, and only the front part of the trunk support is ancient. The torso itself was broken in two and rejoined.
Roman workshops turned the Lysippan Eros into a decorative object for houses and gardens, and reduced versions like this were common. The museum records that one scholar has doubted whether the piece is ancient at all, so it is best looked at as a puzzle: the restorations of the early modern period and the antique core are hard to tell apart. It was bought in 1807 with the Borghese collection and is said to have been found in Italy. Compare the braid and the twist of the body with the neighbouring statue to judge how faithful each copy is.
Did You Know? The museum's own record notes that one scholar doubts the statuette is ancient at all.
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