Furietti Centaurs facts for kids
(Capitoline Museum)
The Furietti Centaurs are two famous ancient statues. They are made of dark grey marble. One is known as the Old Centaur, and the other is the Young Centaur. A centaur is a mythical creature, half-human and half-horse.
The Old Centaur looks sad and in pain. The Young Centaur is smiling with his arm raised. Small angel-like figures, called amorini, once rode on their backs. These figures are now missing. The statues show very different moods. Ancient Romans liked art that showed strong feelings like joy and sadness.
Finding the Centaurs
These amazing statues were found together. They were discovered in December 1736. The place was Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli. A man named Monsignor Giuseppe Alessandro Furietti found them.
The centaurs were the best pieces in his collection. He did not want to give them to Pope Benedict XIV. This decision cost him a chance to become a cardinal at that time. Later, Furietti did become a cardinal in 1759. After he passed away, his family sold the centaurs. They also sold a mosaic of four drinking doves. The statues were sold for 14,000 scudi. Since then, they have been kept at the Capitoline Museum in Rome.
Who Made Them?
Both statues have names carved on them. These names are Aristeas and Papias. They were from a city called Aphrodisias in Asia Minor. We are not sure if they created the original design. They might have been the sculptors who made these specific versions.
It is also unclear where the statues were made. They could have been made in Aphrodisias. Or, the artists might have come to Rome to create them. These statues are thought to be copies. They are copies of older bronze statues. Those originals were made around 200 BC. These marble copies were likely made in the late 1st or early 2nd century AD. This was during the time of Emperor Hadrian.
The Louvre Centaur
Another copy of the Old Centaur exists. This one is made of white marble. It was found in Rome in the 1600s. It probably had a Young Centaur partner, but that one is now lost.
This white marble centaur became part of the Borghese collection. Later, in 1807, Napoleon bought it. Now, you can see it in the Louvre Museum in Paris. This statue still has an Eros figure on the centaur's back. Eros is a god of love in Greek myths. He is teasing the centaur. The centaur's arm and foot are repaired parts. The base and support under the centaur are also new additions. The centaur's original right arm is pulled back. This shows his hands were tied behind him. He looks like he is in pain. The Eros figure pulls his head back at a sharp angle.
