Origin: Bulla Regia Dating: II century A.D. Materials: Marble

A monumental marble statue of Apollo Citharoedus. The divinity is represented while standing up with a nonchalant attitude. The lightweight posture is accentuated by putting his hand over his head, nudity from the chest to the groin, and by the direction of the drapery which seems to be slipping down. In fact, Apollo seems to be taunting his opponents such as the Phrygian satyr Marsyas who finished by being skinned alive because he dared to defy him in a musical competition. The unfortunate rival is indirectly evoked here through a small bas-relief adorning the zither on which the divinity’s left hand rests and which depicts a character sharpening a cutlass.