Antinous was a young Greek of extraordinary beauty from Bithynia, who became the beloved companion or lover of the Roman emperor Hadrian but later died in the Nile under mysterious circumstances.

Roman coins minted to honour Αntinous show the statue accompanied by the epithet "Propylaeus", from which it is legitimate to infer that it was originally placed at the entrance to the sanctuary.

The statue suffered damage and was broken at the height of the knee, so that it had to be moved closer to the temple of Apollo, in a sort of chapel, where it was found during excavations in relatively good condition.

Its idealized characteristics as well as the intense polishing of its marble surface with a special oil (which helped it to survive gleaming and in excellent condition) indicate that it belongs to the time of the radical Hadrian.

Around its thick and masterfully carved hair (which surrounds the face and falls on the forehead and cheeks, lending a mournful quality to its beautiful, full of vain youthful figure), several holes can be seen by which a bronze laurel wreath was once attached.