A fantastic piece of Hellenistic bronze-work, usually identified as portraying Apollo in his guise as a musician. The figure's eyes are inset in stone; the nipples are inlaid with copper.A plaque in his raised left hand has been deemed a plectrum. 
Yet while we may marvel at this now, indeed the statue gave the property its name, it is likely that for the owner of the house, the piece was little more than an item of furniture - albeit a luxury piece - with no cultic associations.
A similar phenomenon may be observed in the case of the statue of the Ephebe from the House of the Ephebe in Pompeii (1.7.11), a piece very close in stature and design to the Citharist, which served as tray/lamp stand.
Image: Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples: inv. 143753
Image: Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples: inv. 143753
This utilitarian function of pieces which we would see as ancient 'masterpieces' speaks much about the conspicuous consumption of the Romans (in particular).
Equally it may well be that not every 'Apollo' is an Apollo, a phenomenon that is observable in some famous pieces such as the Chatsworth Head, where 'Apollo' seems little more than a convenient label for any depiction of a handsome young man.
Image: British Museum (1958,0418.1)
Image: British Museum (1958,0418.1)
This leads to speculation on the methods and quantities of production of such figures, which may well turn them from 'masterpieces' into a luxury consumer commodity.
For more on this, see:
RISSER, ERIK, et al. “THE BRONZE APOLLO AND DIANA FROM POMPEII: An Example of Serial Production.” Antike Kunst, vol. 58, 2015, pp. 78–96.
jstor.org/stable/26663615
#AAOTD #Apollo
RISSER, ERIK, et al. “THE BRONZE APOLLO AND DIANA FROM POMPEII: An Example of Serial Production.” Antike Kunst, vol. 58, 2015, pp. 78–96.
jstor.org/stable/26663615
#AAOTD #Apollo
