Statue known as "Julian Apostate"

Statue known as 
"Julian Apostate"

Roman Empire 
2nd century A.D. 
MarbLe - H. 1.80
Purchased 1859
Cl. 18830

The statue of "Julian Apostate", along with the Pillar of Nautes, display the most affinities with the history of the Baths of Cluny. Indeed, from the 16th century, a vareity of ceommentators considered that the remains ot the baths constituted the ruins of Emperor Julian's palace (360-363 A.D.) . Yet when it appeared at the beginning of the 19th century, this statue was said to have been discovered in Paris. It was acquired by count de La Riboisière who offered to sell it to the Museum, saying Julian's palace was the only place for it. It was acquired in 1859.
However, the first doubts on the identify of the figure surfaced at the end of the century. The identification was based only on comparisons with commissions from the reign of Julian, then the only known portraits of the emperor.
Recent studies have demonstrated that the statue actually depicts a priest. Thus the statue's crown is sacerdotal, not imperial. It was probably an official of the Serapis cult, infernal god of Greco-Egyptian origin.
The Louvre has a similar statue in its department of Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities.