Belvedere Torso

The Belvedere Torso is a fragment of a nude male statue, signed by the Athenian sculptor Apollonius. The statue is documented in Rome from the early fifteenth century and around 1500 was in the possession of the sculptor Andrea Bregno. How it entered the Vatican collections is uncertain, but by the mid-16th century it was installed in the Belvedere sculpture court. It was once believed to be a 1st century BC original, but is now believed to be a copy of an older statue, likely dating to the 2nd century BC. The statue's figure is portrayed seated on an animal hide; the exact figure represented remains open to debate (possibilities include Hercules, Polyphemus and Marsyas, among others). The contorted pose of the torso and musculature were highly influential on late Renaissance, Mannerist, and Baroque artists, including Michelangelo and Raphael.

The statue is currently part of the collection of the Museo Pio-Clementino of the Vatican Museum. The name "Belvedere" derives from the Cortile del Belvedere, where the work was formerly displayed. The torso should not be confused with another famous work of the collection, the Apollo Belvedere.