Highlights of the collection
Mid-2nd century AD
98 x 30 x 18 cm
Carved fine-grained white marble
MNAT 45406
A representation of the young Bithynian slave deified by the Emperor Hadrian following his tragic death. From the Roman villa of Els Munts (Altafulla).
After Antinoüs drowned in the Nile, Hadrian ordered numerous effigies of him to be erected throughout the Empire. The sculpture, of which the head, torso and part the extremities are preserved, corresponds with absolute reliability to the stereotype created to perpetuate the memory of Antinoüs.
Very few of these portraits are found in private contexts. Its placement in the villa of Els Munts is a possible indication that the owner of the mansion wished to demonstrate his loyalty to the emperor.
