Pirro Ligorio et la statue de saint Hippolyte à la Bibliothèque Apostolique Vaticane

Abstract

Described by Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-1768) as the oldest Christian statue known in
marble, the portrait of saint Hippolytus located at the entrance of the Vatican Library, bearing a
Greek female dress, and restored in its upper part in the mid-sixteenth century, has aroused the interest
of scholars from various disciplines; epigraphists have sought to elucidate the date and content
of the three Greek inscriptions engraved on the back and sides of the throne, with its armrests
adorned with leonine protomes (ICUR VII, 19934 = EDB 3372); specialists in the history of religions
have sought to identify the figure of Hippolytus and the works on the back of the throne.
They all start from the first account of this monument by Pirro Ligorio (1512c.-1583), the
only author to also provide a drawing of the statue as it is supposed to have been discovered in
his time, between the Via Nomentana and the Via leading to Tivoli. As a specialist in Ligorio’s
life and works, I in turn retraced the story of the statue of Hippolytus through Ligorio’s writings and
drawings, which turned out to be quite different from the vulgata, and which also calls into question
the authenticity of the inscriptions.

Keywords: Pirro Ligorio, saint Hippolytus, restoration, forgery, Apostolic Vatican Library.