Italian, late 18th century

First recorded at the Villa Medici in Rome in 1704, the Roman marble of the young Apollo resting on a tree trunk, called Apollino, achieved immediate fame. In 1771 it was moved to the illustrious Tribuna of the Uffizi in Florence, where it remains on display. The present marble is particularly beautifully carved, and retains its original surface polish. The Apollino was copied by leading 18th-century sculptors including Bartolomeo Cavaceppi (1716-1799) whose version of the Apollino was sold at Gorringes, Lewes, on 30 March 2021, lot 29 for £190,000.