Antinous as Silvanus (detail)
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Antinous as Silvanus (detail)

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This marble relief fragment (130–138) shows Antinous, beloved of Emperor Hadrian, portrayed as Silvanus, the Roman god of woods and fields. In this close-up, the youthful figure gathers grapes, while a small altar with a pinecone—Silvanus’s symbol—anchors the scene. After Antinous drowned in the Nile, Hadrian deified him, inspiring a widespread cult. This relief, restored in the 18th c., reflects both his idealized beauty and the pastoral serenity linked to Silvanus.