Apollo Sauroctonos

"Apollo Sauroktonos" refers to several Roman marble copies from the 1st to 2nd century AD, modeled after an original sculpture by the ancient Greek artist Praxiteles. These statues beautifully depict a young, unclothed Apollo, poised elegantly to catch a lizard climbing a tree. Some of the most renowned museums, including the Louvre Museum, the Vatican Museums, and National Museums Liverpool, house these remarkable copies.

The original bronze sculpture, attributed to Praxiteles, dates back to approximately 350-340 BC, as noted by the Roman author Pliny the Elder. The poet Martial also documented this statue in his writings. Interestingly, the Cleveland Museum of Art claims to possess a bronze piece that might be the original or a part of the original sculpture. This assertion is currently under scholarly and archaeological examination and has ignited ownership disputes with Greece.

The statue's imagery might symbolize Apollo's legendary battle against the serpent Python or represent his role as a purifier who eradicates plagues. This depiction of Apollo with a lizard was quite popular in Roman decorative arts, inspiring numerous small-scale reproductions and mosaics.

One notable version of the sculpture at the Louvre stands at 1.49 meters tall, with certain parts restored in modern times. Originally part of the Borghese collection, this statue was acquired by Napoleon in 1807.