ticketsMember | Make a donation

Adonis

ca. 1723–25
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 506
This marble was once displayed alongside a companion sculpture of a reclining Venus (now lost) in the Sagredo family’s Venetian palace. Eighteenth-century inventories identify the subject as the mythological huntsman Adonis, beloved of the goddess Venus. Although he is often depicted with fatal wounds after being killed by a boar, this reclining figure appears to be in a peaceful slumber, instead seemingly recalling the related myth of the sleeping shepherd Endymion, whose youthful beauty seduced Diana. The body’s languid pose and highly polished flesh form a sensuous display of undulating marble whose fluid curves and tactile surfaces would have complemented the palace’s interior.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Adonis
  • Artist: Antonio Corradini (Italian, Venice 1688–1752)
  • Date: ca. 1723–25
  • Culture: Italian, Venice
  • Medium: Carrara marble
  • Dimensions: Overall, (wt. confirmed): 21 × 56 × 21 in., 527 lb. (53.3 × 142.2 × 53.3 cm, 239 kg)
    Pedestal (modern steel/marble pedestal, wt confirmed): 1478 lb. (670.4 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts and Director's Funds, 2013
  • Object Number: 2013.432
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Pope Clement X, Girolamo Lucenti, Bronze, Italian
Pope Clement X
Girolamo Lucenti
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
ca. 1670
Console table (one of a pair), Wood, partly gilded and painted; marble, Italian, Venice
Console table (one of a pair)
Italian, Venice
ca. 1715–25
Bedroom from the Sagredo Palace, Abbondio Stazio Swiss, Wood, stucco, marble, glass, Italian, Venice
Bedroom from the Sagredo Palace
Abbondio Stazio
Carpoforo Mazzetti Tencalla
ca. 1720 or later
Madonna and Child, Giovanni Maria Morlaiter Italian, Terracotta, Italian, Venice
Madonna and Child
Giovanni Maria Morlaiter
mid-18th century
Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children, Gian Lorenzo Bernini Italian, Marble, Italian, Rome
Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Pietro Bernini
ca. 1616–17

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.