After admiring the "Statue of Laocoon and His Sons", and then admiring several other famous sculptures, Ye Tian and the others came to another treasure in the octagonal courtyard, "Apollo, the sun god on the watchtower".

It is a marble sculpture about 224 centimeters high, but it is a Roman facsimile of the second century AD, named after the discovery on a watchtower in Rome.

The original is cast in bronze and is about 224 centimeters high, and is the representative work of the famous Greek sculptor Leocules in the fourth century BC, who was also the court artist of Alexandria, Macedon.

Over the course of its long history, the original work of Leocalles has been lost, and the only thing that remains is this copy of the ancient Roman period.

The statue of Apollo, the sun god on the watchtower, displayed in the octagonal courtyard, is not the original, but its artistic value is extraordinary, otherwise it would not have become one of the treasures of the Vatican Museums.

Apollo is the god of the sun in Greek mythology, and is also the most versatile god of light, in ancient Greece and ancient Rome, the dignified and handsome Apollo was regarded as a symbol of male beauty.

In this famous sculpture, the sculptor portrays Apollo with idealized beauty, vividly shaping his toned posture when the arrow is off the string.

His head was tilted slightly to the left and held high in the air, and his eyes were staring directly at the bowed arm in front of him, his eyes shining with the joy of victory.

With his skillful carving skills and the use of the carving knife in his hand, the sculptor showed Apollo's graceful posture, well-proportioned limbs, and elegant form, highlighting Apollo's bright demeanor and heroic spirit.

From the viewer's point of view, the composition of the whole sculpture is stable and well-proportioned, and although the hands and forearms have been destroyed, it does not affect the overall harmonious beauty of the work.

In the history of Western art, this sculpture of Apollo has a very important place, and in terms of aesthetic significance, it is even no less than "Venus with a Broken Arm".

Just as "Venus with a Broken Arm" represents the most beautiful female body, this "Apollo the Sun God on the Watchtower" is recognized as a model of human beauty and an ideal shape for young men.

After standing in front of this sculpture and admiring it quietly for a while, Ye Tiancai began to explain the story behind this famous sculpture.

"This "Apollo on the watchtower" is a replica of the sun god on the watchtower, carved in the second century A.D., by the master carver of ancient Rome, and is no longer available.

The original is a representative work of the famous Greek sculptor Leocalles in the fourth century BC, which is a bronze figure sculpture, about 224 centimeters high, but unfortunately it has been lost.

In fact, there is an even more famous statue of Apollo, the sun god in this shape, which is the colossus of the sun god in Rhodes, Greece, which is known as one of the seven wonders of the world.

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which are located in the regions where ancient civilizations flourished, the Nile Valley, the Two Rivers, and the islands of the Aegean Sea.

The architecture or statue of the Seven Wonders, which amazes by its sheer size, beauty, or unique way of construction, reflects the splendid culture created by the continuous progress of mankind.

The first to propose the Seven Wonders was the traveler Antipater in the third century BC, and another was proposed by the Byzantine scientist Philo in the second century BC.

They are the Pyramid of Khufu in Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum of Mausolus, the Colossus of the Sun God of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

The Colossus of Rhodes, the most mysterious of the Seven Wonders, fell after an earthquake with only 56 years of life, and archaeologists have yet to determine its location and appearance.

As the name suggests, this colossus statue of the sun god was completed in 282 BC in the port of Rhodes, Greece, and is 33 meters tall, about the height of the Statue of Liberty in New York.

From this point of view, the colossus of the sun god in Rhodes Island was cast later than the work of the famous Greek sculptor Leocalles, and it is likely that his work was cast.

More than 2,300 years ago, the army of the Kingdom of Macedonia attacked Rhodes in an attempt to occupy the island, and the inhabitants of the island put up stubborn resistance, and after more than a year, finally drove out the invaders.

To celebrate their victory, the inhabitants of Rhodes melted down all the weapons they had captured and cast them into a huge statue of the sun god, as Apollo is said to be the protector of Rhodes.

According to legend, this colossus of the sun god wears a crown of the sun's rays, holds a whip in his left hand, a torch in his right hand, and stands on a stone pedestal in the harbor with his feet so that ships can enter and exit from his crotch.

In ancient Greece, it was not uncommon to cast statues of about 10 meters, but the colossus of 33 meters high was unprecedented, so the Colossus of the Sun God of Rhodes was included in the Seven Wonders.

Sadly, about fifty years later, in 226 B.C., a massive earthquake toppled the great colossus, and it lay on its original site on Rhodes for nearly a thousand years.

In 654 AD, the Arabs invaded the Greek island of Rhodes, smashed the colossus of the sun god, and shipped it all to Syria, where it is said that it took 900 camels to carry all the broken copper pieces.

Today, we don't have the opportunity to see the colossus of the sun god in Rhodes, nor the original work of the famous Greek sculptor Leocalles, but we can still see the statue of Apollo in front of us."

Speaking of this, Ye Tian's eyes couldn't help but flash a trace of regret, and everyone else on the scene was the same, everyone felt a little regretful.

Next, Ye Tian continued to introduce this exquisite sculpture, and the explanation was still so professional and wonderful.

A few minutes later, when the explanation was over, the group stood here and quietly admired it for a while, before turning around and walking towards the next famous sculpture next to it.

It didn't take long for Ye Tian and the others to visit the sculptures displayed in the octagonal courtyard.

Then, led by Antonio and Leonardo, the group left the octagonal courtyard and entered a new exhibition hall.

As soon as he entered the showroom, Antonio began to introduce the situation.

"Steven, Betty, and the rest, this is the famous Muse Hall, which is relatively large and has several small pavilions, each of which is wonderful and worth a closer look.

In the Hall of the Muses, there are many sculptures from the ancient Greek and Roman periods, as well as many exquisite classical frescoes, such as Tomasso's "Apollo and the Muses"

However, Ye Tian turned a deaf ear to Antonio's introduction and did not give any response.

As soon as he entered the exhibition hall, he was completely attracted by a sculpture placed in the center of the exhibition hall surrounded by ropes, and he looked at the sculpture intently, and there was nothing else in his eyes!

It was a very mutilated sculpture of a human body, with its head and arms, legs and legs below the knees missing, and mottled all over its body!

At first glance, the sculpture looks like it was picked up from a garbage heap, with no value, no beauty at all, and it is small, let alone imposing!

But in Ye Tian's eyes, this mutilated human sculpture radiated an incomparably brilliant light, which dazzled him and fell for it!

In the height of the Renaissance more than 500 years ago, the master Michelangelo was like him, and this mutilated sculpture also made Michelangelo in his youth fall in love with it!

Michelangelo's lifelong figure sculptures and paintings were deeply influenced by this mutilated sculpture, most of which had large shoulders and round waists, bulging muscles, unusually developed limbs, and full of vigorous vitality.

This is the third treasure of the sculpture category of the Vatican Museums, the "Remnant Body" by an unknown sculptor in ancient Greece, and its artistic value is no worse than the two treasures of the museum seen before!

The other two sculptures that are the treasures of the town hall are naturally "The Statue of Laocoon and His Sons" and "Apollo, the Sun God on the Watchtower".