Furietti Centaur 'Centaur tormented by Eros' at The Royal Cast Collection, Copenhagen

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The Furietti Centaurs are a pair of Hellenistic or Roman grey-black marble sculptures based on Hellenistic models. One is an older, bearded centaur with a pained expression, while the other is a younger smiling centaur with his arm raised. The amorini that once rode these centaurs are missing, but they are outstanding examples of a group of sculptures that vary the motif. The strongly contrasted moods of these sculptures were intended to remind Roman viewers of the soul troubled by pain or uplifted in joy, themes found in Plato's Phaedrus and Hellenistic poetry. These sculptures were meant to evoke emotions in their audience, much like they do today. These sculptures were discovered together at Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli by Monsignor Giuseppe Alessandro Furietti in December 1736. They were the centerpiece of his collection of antiquities, which he refused to give to Pope Benedict XIV, even when offered a cardinal's hat. Furietti was eventually created cardinal priest by Pope Clement XIII in 1759. After the cardinal's death, his heirs sold the centaurs and the Furietti mosaic for 14,000 scudi. They have been on display at the Capitoline Museum ever since. Both statues bear the signatures of Aristeas and Papias of Aphrodisias, a city in Asia Minor. However, it's unclear what exactly their relationship is to the sculptures, whether they were the originators or sculptors of these versions. It's also uncertain where these sculptures were produced: either in Aphrodisias or by artists who came from there to Rome. Stylistically, they date back to the late 1st or early 2nd century AD, and are thought to be copies of 2nd century BC bronze Hellenistic originals. A white marble copy of the same type as the older centaur was excavated in Rome in the 17th century. It entered the Borghese collection but was acquired by Napoleon in 1807 and is now on display at the Louvre Museum. This sculpture shows Eros teasing a centaur, which has not survived on the Capitoline example. However, the base and support beneath the centaur are modern additions. The original right arm of the centaur is pulled tautly back, showing that his hands were bound tightly behind his back.