| Sleeping Hermaphroditus | |
|---|---|
| The Borghese Hermaphrodite | |
 | |
 | |
| Artist | Unknown (original sculpture) Gian Lorenzo Bernini (mattress) |
| Year | c. 100–500 CE (original sculpture) 1620 (mattress) |
| Type | Sculpture |
| Medium | Marble |
| Subject | Hermaphroditus |
| Dimensions | 173.5 cm (68.3 in) |
| Location | The Louvre, Paris |
Sleeping Hermaphroditus orSleeping Hermaphrodite (also, "The Borghese Hermaphrodite") is an ancient Roman marble sculpture depictingHermaphroditus life size; it rests on a marble mattress completed by Italian artistGian Lorenzo Bernini in 1620.[1] The form is derived from ancient portrayals ofVenus and other female nudes, and from feminized Hellenistic portrayals ofDionysus. This subject was widely repeated during theHellenistic period and inancient Rome, given the number of versions that have survived.
The sculpture was discovered atSanta Maria della Vittoria in Rome in 1618 and became part of theBorghese Collection. It was sold to France at the end of the 18th century and is currently on display atThe Louvre, in Paris.[1]
TheSleeping Hermaphrodite has been described as a good early Imperial Roman copy of a bronze original by the later of the two Hellenistic sculptors namedPolycles (working c. 155 BC);[2] the original bronze was mentioned inPliny'sNatural History.[3]
The sculpture was discovered in 1618, unearthed in the grounds ofSanta Maria della Vittoria, near theBaths of Diocletian and within the bounds of the ancientGardens of Sallust. The discovery was likely made during the excavation of church's foundation or while plantingespaliers nearby.[4]
The sculpture was presented to CardinalScipione Borghese, who included the work in the Borghese Collection and commissioned the mattress.Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Scipione's protégé, was paid sixtyscudi for making the buttoned mattress. It's likely that Scipione dedicated an entire room of theVilla Borghese to the sculpture.[4]
The sculpture was among the various artworks purchased by France while Rome was part of Napoleon'sFirst French Empire. It was sold by princeCamillo Borghese in 1807, who was married toPauline Bonaparte, and was under significant financial strain due to the heavy taxation imposed by the French.[5] In 1809, the sculpture was transferred toThe Louvre where it is currently on display.[1]
In 1781, a second-century copy of theSleeping Hermaphroditus was found and has taken the original's place at theGalleria Borghese. In 1880, a third Roman marble variant was discovered and is now on display at theMuseo Palazzo Massimo Alle Terme, part of theNational Museum of Rome. Additional ancient copies can be found at theUffizi in Florence,Vatican Museums in Vatican City, and theHermitage Museum in St Petersburg.
Several copies have been produced since the Renaissance, in a variety of media and scales. Among the most notable, is a full-size, bronze version ordered byDiego Velázquez forPhilip IV of Spain. It was made by Matteo Bonuccelli in 1652 and is currently housed at thePrado Museum.[7] The sculpture clearly influenced Velázquez's painting of theRokeby Venus, now at theNational Gallery, London.[8]
Pointing to further popularity during the 17th century, there is record ofJohn Evelyn purchasing a reduced-scale ivory version byFrançois Duquesnoy in Rome around 1640.[4] In 1639,Giovanni Francesco Susini made a reduced-scale bronze copy, one cast of which is on display at theMetropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Susini went on to create two additional variations of the form in bronze; a cast of one was in the collection ofYves Saint Laurent andPierre Bergé until sold in February 2009.[9]
In 1863,Algernon Charles Swinburne wrote a poem titled "Hermaphroditus," subscribedAu Musée du Louvre, Mars 1863, leaving no doubt that it was inspired by seeing the work at the Louvre.[10] The poem was published in 1866 inPoems and Ballads, Swinburne's first collection of poems.
In 2010,Barry X Ball created a life-size copy inBelgian black marble on aCarrara marble base.[11] This sculpture sold at Christie's, New York, on 10 May 2016 for $545,000.[12]
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Media related toBorghese Hermaphroditus (Louvre, Ma 231) at Wikimedia Commons
