THIS EXQUISITE BUST OF ANTINOUS IN BRAZIL WAS A MAJOR HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR 2019

A major highlight of the year 2019 was the exquisite NEW BUST OF ANTINOUS that now graces the primary altar of the first Temple of Antinous in Brazil, a nation which has more followers of Antinous than any other in the world.

This bust of Antinous was consecrated in July 2019 during joyous ceremonies at the TEMPLO DE ANTÍNOO BRASIL in São Paulo.

The temple's high priest, DECO RIBEIRO, shows us now how the bust was created.

Decus Lupercus, his priestly name as sacerdote, says the bust is based of the famous bust of Antinous-Dionysus in Rio de Janeiro ... the only Antinous sculpture in the Southern Hemisphere and one of only two Antinous sculptures in the Western Hemisphere (photo right). 

Notice the skin of a lion over his shoulder, a reference to the man-eating lion that was hunted by Hadrian and Antinous in Egypt in 130 AD.

The altar bust is a gracious contribution to the Brazilian temple by Lorena Medeiros.

The bust was created by sculptor RICARDO COSTA, who provides these photos of how this extraordinary sculpture was created. 

He did not simply create a plaster bust cast from a mold taken from the Rio de Janeiro museum bust.

Instead, he sculpted an original work of art in clay based on the Rio bust.

You can watch the sculpting process in this FACEBOOK VIDEO on Ricardo Costa's Facebook page.

Then he made a "bonded stone" cast of the clay model ... mixing marble dust with epoxy resins to create a finished bust with the look, texture and feel of pure marble.

The result is a unique work of art which will be cherished by generations of Antinous worshipers. More photos below: