Hyacinth Awaiting His Turn to Throw the Discus

Description

Monaco-born sculptor François-Joseph Bosio traveled for years in Italy before settling at the age of 40 in France, where he had a highly successful career as a sculptor of portrait busts and public monuments. At the 1817 Salon, Bosio exhibited a marble depiction of Hyacinth, which was greatly admired and purchased immediately by Louis XVIII.

Hyacinth was beloved by Apollo and killed by the jealous West Wind during a discus competition. Here, the young man is shown resting before throwing his discus, foreshadowing his death, which differs from typical depictions of Hyacinth dying. His idealized Greek profile, juvenile body, and sinuous yet graceful pose convey a noble if not heroic simplicity.

Provenance

Madame G., Paris, before 1868; sold, her estate sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, July 14, 1868, lot 64 [see Hubert, p. 109]. Charles (?) Bardon, Paris, before 1874; offered for sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, April 9, 1874, lot 1, as “Narcisse.” Baron Roger de Sivry, Paris, before 1903; by descent to his widow, Baronness Roger de Sivry, Paris; sold, her estate sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, March 22–23, 1904, lot 181. Private collection, France [according to letter from Anthony Roth to Ian Wardropper, November 21, 1990, in curatorial file]. Anthony Roth Fine Art, London, by 1990; sold to the Art Institute, 1991.

Hyacinth Awaiting His Turn to Throw the Discus

Baron François-Joseph Bosio

c. 1824

Accession Number

117275

Medium

Bronze

Dimensions

44.5 × 124.5 cm (17 1/2 × 15 11/16 in.)

Classification

large scale

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Through prior acquisitions of the George F. Harding Collection; Major Acquisitions Fund