Boy with Thorn Bronze Sculpture

This bronze sculpture, ’Boy with Thorn’ (1st c. BC), is a Roman copy of a Greek Hellenistic original. It depicts a nude boy removing a thorn from his foot, possibly representing Ascanius, son of Aeneas, or a young grape harvester. The sculpture gained Renaissance acclaim, influencing many artists. Its rarity is due to its bronze medium, as most ancient sculptures survive as marble copies.