Asclepius and Hippolytus at The Boboli Gardens, Italy

myminifactory

This larger-than-life sculpture was created by Giovanni Battista Caccini on October 24, 1556. The work depicts the brief story of Asclepius and Hippolytus. In Greek mythology, Hippolytus was a son of Theseus and Antiope or Hippolyte. He is also identified with the Roman forest god Virbius. According to legend, Hippolytus was killed after rejecting Phaedra's advances, his stepmother. Spurned, Phaedra deceived Theseus into believing that his son had raped her. Furious, Theseus used one of Poseidon's three wishes to curse Hippolytus. A sea-monster sent by Poseidon terrorized Hippolytus's horses, who dragged their rider to death. After his death, Hippolytus's cult realized that Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, had been asked by Artemis to resurrect the young man after he vowed chastity to her. However, Zeus killed Asclepius with a thunderbolt because Hades thought that no more dead spirits would come to him in the underworld if people were brought back from the dead. This event angered Apollo, who killed the Cyclopes who made Zeus's thunderbolts. For this act, Zeus suspended Apollo from the night sky and commanded him to serve Admetus, King of Thessali, for a year. Some sources state that Asclepius was later resurrected as a god by Zeus to prevent any further feuds with Apollo. It is also claimed that Asclepius was instructed by Zeus never to revive the dead without his approval again. This object is part of "Scan The World", a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, which aims to create a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures and artworks from around the globe for free access. Scan the World is an open-source community effort, where anyone can contribute interesting items by emailing stw@myminifactory.com.