Rome. 2nd century AD. 'Apollo playing the lyre' Sculpture in crystalline white marble. 1...

Rome. 2nd century AD.

'Apollo playing the lyre'

Sculpture in crystalline white marble.

17 x 12 x 6 cm.

This small and exquisite sculpture in crystalline white marble represents Apollo nude, accompanied by one of his most iconic attributes, his lyre, which symbolises harmony, poetry, and music. His clothing is placed over a tree trunk; the cloak preserves traces of its original polychromy.

In modern times, the Greek god is associated with the Apollonian, that is, with “qualities of serenity and elegant balance attributed to Apollo, in contrast to the Dionysian,” according to the Royal Spanish Academy. These dichotomous concepts were developed by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and influenced numerous contemporary and later thinkers and artists. In any case, Apollo has been depicted on countless occasions throughout the history of Western art together with his lyre, especially in Greek and Roman antiquity, as in our piece, and during the Renaissance, the Baroque, and Neoclassicism.

Reference bibliography:

- Real Academia Española. (n.d.). Apolíneo. In 'Diccionario de la lengua española'. Retrieved on 28 October 2025, from https://dle.rae.es/apol%C3%ADneo?m=form