Like the paintings at the Uffizi Gallery, the Roman Sculptures at the Uffizi Gallery are Masterpieces. Unlike the paintings, the sculptures are almost all Roman and not Renaissance. At the top is a Renaissance Sculpture, but the rest of these are Roman Sculptures.
The first sculpture, at the top, is not Roman but was instead created by Bernini in 1613. It took Bernini three years to complete this masterpiece titled The Martyrdom of St. Lawrence. Carved by Bernini at the age of only fifteen. Unlike the rest of the sculptures in this article, this is not a Roman Sculpture.
Visiting the Uffizi Gallery
At the bottom, I will give you tips for visiting the Uffizi Gallery, but I must warn you. You probably won’t be able to see the entire gallery in one day. First of all, the Uffizi Gallery is too big. Second, even though the Uffizi Gallery has timed entry, you will be accompanied by a massive throng of people. We had to skip one entire section due to the crowds.
Secrets about the Roman Sculptures
Every Roman Sculpture in the following photos has undergone significant restoration, starting during the Renaissance and, in some cases, well before the Renaissance. The artist who restored them combined parts sometimes from other statues to create the ones you see today in the Uffizi Gallery.
In many cases, the Renaissance artists took liberties to improve the Roman Sculptures, and the result is that these statues probably look better than they did during the Roman period.
In many cases, these copies of the original statues are the only remaining representations of the original statues that have survived.
Marble in the Roman and post-Roman era was valuable as a source of lime (used to make concrete). Many masterpieces probably fell to this intentional destruction.
Statues associated with the Greek myth of Niobe
A woman named Niobe (a human) boasts about her numerous children (seven sons and seven daughters, although Homer says there are six of each) to Leto, the mother of Apollo and Artemis (gods). As punishment for her pride, Apollo and Artemis kill all of Niobe’s children. The following statues depict the killing of Niobe’s children.
These statues date back to the 2nd century AD. They were probably buried intentionally to hide them. When they were found, they were in excellent shape, although broken into many pieces. Starting in about 1590, they were restored by Renaissance artists.
All the Niobis statues have a forlorn look because they are under attack. The statues were thought to be displayed together, like at a fountain.
“Niobe with her younger daughter” is a Roman Sculpture of one of the so-called Florentine Niobids. Made from Marble. 2nd century A.D. statue discovered outside Porta S. Giovanni along the road leading to Porta Maggiore in (in Rome) at the Tommasini vineyard in 1583.“Kneeling Niobid” This sculpture represents one of Niobe’s seven sons. The young man is on his knees, with his head turned upwards as to invoke help, while he is reached by the arrows shot by Apollon and Artemis, who are killing all Niobe’s children.Roman Sculpture of one of the so-called Florentine Niobids. Made from Marble. 2nd century A.D. Roman Sculpture of one of the so-called Florentine Niobids. Made from Marble. 2nd century A.D. Roman Sculpture of one of the so-called Florentine Niobids. Made from Marble. 2nd century A.D. Roman Sculpture of one of the so-called Florentine Niobids. Made from Marble. 2nd century A.D. Roman Sculpture of one of the so-called Florentine Niobids. Made from Marble. 2nd century A.D. Roman Sculpture of one of the so-called Florentine Niobids. Made from Marble. 2nd century A.D. Roman Sculpture of one of the so-called Florentine Niobids. Made from Marble. 2nd century A.D. Roman Sculpture of one of the so-called Florentine Niobids. Made from Marble. 2nd century A.D.
Roman Sculptures at the Uffizi Gallery
Roman Sculpture of Pan and Daphne (1st-2nd century A.D.) Roman copies of Greek statues.Roman Sculpture of Apollo Resting, Greek marble, was restored starting in 1553.Roman Sculpture of a woman, restored as a Muse body in Luni marble; head in Greek marble restored by 1780. The head and body come from two different statues.Roman Sculpture of Hygeia 150 CE Greek marble was acquired by Ferdinando de’ Medici in 1584.Roman Sculpture of a horse. End 1st – Beginning 2nd Century A.D., the current pose is the result of sixteenth-century restorations. The original stance was a walk. It was found at the mouth of the Tiber River in 1574.Roman Sculpture of Ganymede and the eagle (2nd-1st century BCE) Luni marble, Trojan prince Ganymede in the company of Jupiter, in the shape of an eagle Based on a late Hellenistic model.The Roman Sculpture of Apollo (seated) in Greek marble was restored between the late 16th and early 17th centuries.Roman Sculpture of Hercules from Perge, reproduced in the late 2nd century AD from the 4th century BC original by Lysippos of Sicyon.Roman Sculpture of Daphnis, 1st-2nd century CE, Parian marble. Acquired in 1584 by Cardinal Ferdinando de’ Medici.Roman Sculpture of Attis the 2nd century AD. Attis was fundamentally a vegetation god recognizable by the shape of his clothing and the head of a barbarian, integrated during the restoration by Francesco Franchi da Carrara in 1712.Roman Sculpture of Mercury, 2nd century BC. Roman copy of the original.Roman Sculpture of Apollo Sauroctono Roman statue. Second century AD, from an original of 350 BC.in the Gallery since 1565, largely the result of a major sixteenth-century restoration. It was assembled from original fragments (torso, pelvis, thighs) of a Roman replica of the more famous Apollo Sauroktonos by Praxiteles.Roman Sculpture of “Pothos” 1st century A.D. made of Pentelic marble from Athens. Skopas of Paros created a copy of the original Pothos for the temple of Aphrodite at Megara.Roman Sculpture of Cupid, Luni marble, 1st-2nd century CE. The head, left arm, wingtips, and groin of this Statuette were repaired to the older parts of the Roman Sculpture.Roman Sculpture: Sitting Nymph or Nymph on Spine, 1st century BC. It’s a copy of a Greek original, and the statue is believed to represent either a nymph or a Maenad, a follower of Dionysus.Roman Sculpture of a Mother Goddess, Greek marble. The figure’s head and arms are not as old. The torso is the only surviving Classical part of the statue. Initially, it was thought to depict Ceres’ daughter, Proserpina.Roman Sculpture of Doryphoros, Pentelic marble, Roman art, 1st-2nd century CE, is a replica of Polycletus’ Doryphoros, the sculpture most frequently copied in the Roman era. The original was carved in c. 450 BCE.Group of Venus and Mars Greek marble. Arrived in Florence from Rome in 1570, the artist depicts the divine couple, Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, and Mars, the god of war. 5th-century BCE Athens, while the Venus is of the “Capua area” based on 4th-century BCE models. Even though this Roman Sculpture was found in Rome at about the same time as the so-called Florentine Niobids it is not clear that is considered one of the Florentine Niobids.. Roman Sculpture Bacchus leaning on a Satyr, Pentelic marble unearthed in a vineyard in the Porta Maggiore neighborhood. It was carved not long before the middle of the 2nd century CE. Even though this Roman Sculpture was found in Rome at about the same time as the so-called Florentine Niobids, it is not clear that is considered one of the Florentine Niobids.. Roman Sculpture of an athlete, the so-called Adonis Pentelic marble, is based on a model by Polycletus (who worked in the 5th century BCE), while the head is similar to Mercury of the “Andros type.”Roman Sculpture of Venus Pudica, Body 100-150 CE/ Head c/ 150 CE, Greek marble (Pudica is Latin for “shameful Venus” or “modest Venus”) is a classical pose depicting a nude female figure.
Tips for visiting the Uffizi Gallery
You will need a reservation.
Make your reservation well in advance (six months) for first thing in the morning, and after entry, go directly to the gallery containing the painting commonly called “Venus on the Half Shell.” This will mean you skip about 20% of the art before you get to the room containing Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus.”
Sandro Botticelli (1445 – 1510) The Birth of Venus 1485 ca. Tempera on canvas
After seeing the Botticelli exhibit, keep going in the same direction, and you will have most of the Uffizi Gallery all to yourselves. Then, if you desire, return to the part of the gallery you missed.
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1 thought on “Secrets about the Roman Sculptures at the Uffizi Gallery”
This artwork is fantastic. It just makes me so sad to see these. It appears no one was ever happy.