Antinoös, lover and god

Antinoös was born in Bithynion-Claudiopolis in the province of Bithynia, northwest Asia Minor (today Turkey). Precisely when he was born is not known, but it must have been on a November 27th between AD 111 and 115. Details about his life are also lacking. It seems that the Roman emperor Hadrian (r. AD 117–138) met the young man in AD 121 or 123/4 on one of his numerous trips to the Greek East. Struck by the boy’s beauty, Hadrian adopted him into his circle of favorites and constant companions.
A tragic accident befell Antinoös on a trip to Egypt: on or shortly before October 30, AD 130, he fell into the Nile and drowned. The Roman biographers Cassius Dio (ca. AD 200) and Aurelius Victor (fourth century AD) report that Antinoös met his death under suspicious circumstances. In contrast to Hadrian, who claimed that that the boy fell victim to an accident, they report that Antinoös actually sacrificed himself in exchange for a long and happy life for his fatherly friend. The Historia Augusta (ca. AD 400), meanwhile, says that Antinoös committed suicide in order to escape the emperor’s excessive adoration.
After his death, Antinoös was worshipped as a god. In artistic representations he is shown in the guise of numerous gods, including Dionysos. He was also syncretized with Osiris, mainly in Egypt. His portraits typically depict idealized yet heavy facial features, a small mouth with full lips, curving eyebrows, a calm expression, and a soft physique.
The Berlin statue portrays Antinoös either as Dionysos or as a spirit (agathodaimon) conferring a blessing. The young Bithynian is represented only from the neck up, as the head was later combined with the body of a god – perhaps in the workshop of Bartolomeo Cavaceppi, who sold this piece to Frederick the Great in the 1760s.
This Antinoös statue became an important part of the history of the Antikensammlung when it was taken to Leningrad as war booty in 1945 and returned in 1958, only to be put into storage for several decades. In a recent extensive restoration, the visible grime was removed and the damaged areas were stabilized – thus restoring the deified youth to his original dazzling beauty.