The famous bronze of the Torlonia Collection depicts Germanicus, the glorious general known for his victorious expeditions against the ancient Germanic tribes and as the adopted son of the Emperor Tiberius. The discovery of this virile figure in his heroic nudity, unearthed in the very ancient Cures, is also described by P.E. Visconti in the Catalogue of Ancient Sculptures of the Torlonia Museum: “The head, found in part, but reduced to minute fragments thanks to which its restoration was made possible; as well as a part of the straight arm and leg.” The sculpture was restored after its discovery, completing the missing parts or those too deteriorated in plaster. The original bronze parts include the bust with the leg flexed; those restored include the head, both arms, the straight leg and the base with drapery. To support the structure, a complex iron armature was placed inside. The restorations, well executed from the stylistic point of view of the modelling, were then patinated with a dark colour to give the work a unified appearance.
Inventory: MT 255
Material: Bronze and painted plaster
Technique: Bronze: lost wax casting; Plaster: shaped around iron armature
Origin: Ancient Cures, in Sabina