Aesop

myminifactory

The Villa Albani-Torlonia's private collection in Rome proudly showcases the only extensive sculpture of a hunchback that has survived to this day. Despite being meticulously examined and numerous copies shared among scholars, its mysteries remain unsolved. The general consensus is that the hunchback is Roman and dates back to the second century AD, as evident from its portrait head, particularly in the skillful drilling technique used for its hairstyle, but the realism of its misshapen and deformed body draws from works of the third century BC. Whether this hunchback was an original piece or a replica of a lost Greek work remains a topic of debate. Since its discovery in the Baths of Caracalla, the figure has been widely recognized as the famous Greek storyteller Aesop, who, according to literary tradition, may have indeed been a hunchback. Several scholars have proposed alternative theories for this hunchback's identity, including the suggestion that it is a Roman original depicting an imperial court jester, yet its association with Aesop has endured.