The Restored Apollo of Veio: The Enigmatic Smile of a God
Apollo of Veio watches you and smiles. He watches you with his large, almond-shaped eyes sculpted in relief, his full lips, distinct nose, perfect oval-shaped face and nine braids of hair that cascade over his shoulders. He watches you mischievously from afar and smiles somewhat mockingly. But just as you try to hold his gaze, bring it into focus, you feel it slip away. You come to understand that it is he who has you in his grasp, and not you who has him. You understand that he is a god and you, a mere mortal. And a man may not look upon a god, let alone gaze upon what a god sees. The ineffable enigma of the god becomes clear, obvious, evident. His body is similar to yours; the features of the ancient gods are human, but their minds are divine and their bodies immortal. We are immediately reminded of our human frailty.
The artist from the sixth century B.C. who modelled, painted and kilned Apollo’s clay body knew how to capture this divine image and commanding presence amazingly, making the sculpture a masterpiece of ancient artistry. Apollo strides, approaching with a light and dance-like gait, advancing formidably yet with such grace that he appears to fly rather than walk. The left leg brought forward is almost suspended as is the arm, which probably once held the bow so dear to Apollo. The garment he wears, simple and light yellow in colour, is imbued with a series of fine though ample pleats, created through different shades of colour that give the impression of light, while the mantel has a darker hem. Both were envisioned as a light cloth, like a veil that drapes over Apollo outlining the contours of his body and enhancing his physique. You can see tendons, muscles and even the god’s most intimate parts. Desirable, but infinitely elusive.
The impact on worshippers must certainly have been powerful, if not bewitching. Apollo was just one of the twelve statues erected on the supporting beam of the roof of the temple of Minerva situated in Veio, a small Etruscan citadel 17 km from Rome. The temple was just outside the city centre, located on a hill alongside a stream that ran into the valley. In the sixth century B.C., worshippers coming from all parts of the Etruscan world to visit the temple could only reach it by climbing the small, rocky cliffs surrounding it. Suddenly, against the deep blue horizon, they would catch sight of the temple and, on top of it, an imposing congregation of gods: one alongside the other, imposing and solemn. It seemed as though they were descending from the sky in order to welcome their mortal worshippers. And obviously, the worshippers bowed down before them, dropping to their knees in prayer and awe. Held by his mother Latona was the baby Apollo, whose head leans towards the serpent, Pitone. Then there was the formidable and frightening Hercules, who drags by its golden horns the deer sacred to Artemis that he took from the Delphi sanctuary. There was Mercury, the winged messenger sent by Jupiter to bring peace and to see to it that his wishes are respected. And many other gods joined them on that hilltop, all represented in legendary moments of their eternal existence.
The temple was one of the most beautiful and most famous in all the Etruscan world. It was in use until the third century A.D. when it was probably dismantled and the statues of the gods buried according to a firmly established custom of the ancient civilizations. From the ninth to the fifth century, the Etruscans were one of the most feared and respected powers of the central region of the Mediterranean basin. Located between Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio, they created a highly refined civilization that attained, in various fields, extraordinary artistic and technological heights. Of their genius and skill remains jewels, bronze, shields, chairs, chandeliers, mirrors, parts of temples and many tombs raided over the centuries, but still rich today in amazing frescoes. Their decline coincides with a series of defeats against the Phoenicians and then the Romans, who in 396 BC definitively conquered Veio.
In 2004 a first full-scale restoration of the statue of Apollo of Veio was completed. Apollo was first discovered in 1916 in more than 30 fragments, some of which were fortunately of large dimension. In the same turn-of-the-century excavations, other fragments were found and were later pieced together to create parts of the other statues from the godly group, such as Apollo’s mother and Hercules. Among these, the only other piece of large dimension was the head of Mercury, which will soon be restored as well. In 1944, an arm was discovered but only later was it identified as Apollo’s and added to the statue. The restoration has brought to light the original shades of the colours, the details of the face, and the original beauty of the god, thanks to the removal of dust, wax and various resins that had accumulated over the centuries. But it doesn’t stop there. Advanced technology has allowed us to learn more about this mysterious ancient civilization. It would appear that Apollo, in just one single phase, was placed whole in a large kiln capable of reaching temperatures of 950 degrees, and that he was already painted before being placed in the kiln. This would explain the large hole at the nape of Apollo’s neck: it allowed the evaporation of vapours produced in certain phases of the process. We also know that the artist utilized only powdered minerals to attain his colours. The artist almost certainly belonged to the descendants of the famous school of Vulca, one of the few artist’s names from the period known today, and the artist who created the great statue of Jupiter for the temple on the Campidoglio hill in Rome for the King Tarquin Priscus. Perhaps the artist who created Apollo is the one and the same, who in 508 BC, the year after the founding of the republic, was summoned to Rome to create on the temple of Jupiter a solemn balustrade of gods just like the one in Veio. Certainly, whomever the craftsman was, his legacy has traversed the centuries as a powerful and mysterious artistic creation. A sage artist who, with his hands and with fire, brought to life an immortal Apollo, who since the eve of time watches, smiles and questions us on the mysteries of life and death.
The Apollo is on display at Villa Giulia National Etruscan Museum.
Hours: 8.30 - 19.30, Mon closed.
Admission Euro 4,00
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