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Hyacinth Awaiting His Turn to Throw the Discus

A work made of bronze.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of bronze.

Date:

c. 1824

Artist:

François-Joseph Bosio
French, 1768-1845

About this artwork

Monaco-born sculptor François-Joseph Bosio traveled for years in Italy before settling at the age of 40 in France, where he had a highly successful career as a sculptor of portrait busts and public monuments. At the 1817 Salon, Bosio exhibited a marble depiction of Hyacinth, which was greatly admired and purchased immediately by Louis XVIII.

Hyacinth was beloved by Apollo and killed by the jealous West Wind during a discus competition. Here, the young man is shown resting before throwing his discus, foreshadowing his death, which differs from typical depictions of Hyacinth dying. His idealized Greek profile, juvenile body, and sinuous yet graceful pose convey a noble if not heroic simplicity.

Status

On View, Gallery 218

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

baron François Joseph Bosio

Title

Hyacinth Awaiting His Turn to Throw the Discus

Place

France (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1817–1829

Medium

Bronze

Inscriptions

Inscription: "f. bosio" on edge of base

Dimensions

44.5 × 124.5 cm (17 1/2 × 15 11/16 in.)

Credit Line

Through prior acquisitions of the George F. Harding Collection; Major Acquisitions Fund

Reference Number

1991.117

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/117275/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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