The reference to the polished limbs of the Apollo at MP I:33 is to the statue known as the Apollo Belvedere, a Roman copy of a Greek original, in the Octagonal Courtyard of the Belvedere of the Vatican since 1503. It had, together with works such as the Venus de' Medici, the Torso of the Vatican, and the Laocoon, defined for the eighteenth century the canon of classical sculpture.
Unknown artist n.d.
Apollo Belvedere c. 350BC
Marble statue, 224cm
Provenance: This statue was kept in the Belvedere Courtyard of the Vatican since 1503, until being transferred to the Museum there
Further Comments: The 'Apollo Belvedere' is a Roman copy of the Greek original.
Collection: Pio Clementino Museum, Vatican, Rome
For a reproduction of this artistic work, please consult: Gombrich, E .H., The Story of Art, (Phaidon, 1995), p.104