Another full-size marble is also a Roman copy of the Discus Thrower by the classical Greek sculptor Naukydes, ca. 390 BC. This is one of the few large Roman sculptures known during the early Renaissance. The Roman owner knocked the head off when the Spanish king tried to acquire the work. The head and right hand were later replaced. At times, this statue was considered a depiction of the young Hyakinthos that was loved by Apollo. While practicing throwing the discus, the jealous god of the West wind deflected Apollo’s discus from its course to fatally wound Hyakinthos. (A bit like Ganymedes and Zeus but with a less happy ending.) Modern archaeologists generally interpret the sculpture as a depiction of a victorious athlete that had the right to erect a statue of himself.
