The Real and the Fake Youth of Magdalensberg

In the dim light of Room 7 at Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum, a life-size statue of a young man slowly turns on its axis. It is the centrepiece of the museum’s Roman antiquities collection. But the statue is not what it seems.

The Jüngling vom Magdalensberg (“Youth of Magdalensberg”) is a copy—and an extraordinarily convincing one. More than 400 years passed between its creation in the 16th century and the discovery of its true age. For centuries, it fooled archbishops, emperors and even art experts.

The Discovery of the Youth

Magdalensberg in Carinthia is a place rich in history. Celts settled there, and the Romans built a town on the site. But by the time a farmer made a remarkable discovery there in 1502, both belonged to the distant past.

Imagine his surprise when he took a closer look at what he had found in his field: a life-size bronze statue of a naked young man. Dating from Roman times, it remains the only known large-scale ancient sculpture found in the Eastern Alps.

When Bishop Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg heard about the discovery, he wanted the Youth of Magdalensberg for himself. It was the Renaissance, after all, an age that celebrated ancient Roman architecture, learning and, above all, art. It is easy to see why he wanted such an impressive sculpture in his collection. So he bought it.

The Youth Moves House

Matthäus Lang could not bear to part with the statue when he became Archbishop of Salzburg. The Youth of Magdalensberg moved with him and took pride of place in his collection.

But the archbishop was not the only collector interested in it. A far wealthier and more powerful man had his eye on the ancient sculpture: Emperor Ferdinand I himself. He, too, collected important works of art. When he heard about the Roman statue, he wanted it. And who could refuse the emperor?

The Youth’s Double

By the time the emperor expressed his wish, the archbishop had died. He had left the statue to the Salzburg Cathedral Chapter, which was understandably reluctant to give up such a rare and valuable work. Then someone had an idea: why not make an exact copy?

The artists and craftspeople entrusted with the job did outstanding work. Their copy was virtually indistinguishable from the original. Suddenly, the cathedral chapter had two Youths of Magdalensberg instead of one.

As for the emperor, he seemed to forget about the statue altogether. During his lifetime, he never had it brought to Vienna, his city of residence. Both the ancient Youth and its Renaissance double remained in Salzburg for a long time.

Centuries later, in 1806, one of the sculptures was finally sent to Vienna: the one that remained. The other bronze figure—believed to be the copy—had already been shipped to Spain in the 17th century.

The Fake Youth

For many years, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna believed its Youth of Magdalensberg was a highlight of its collection of Roman antiquities. It was not until the 1980s, when researchers examined the statue closely, that doubts emerged.

An analysis of its materials and the way it had been made showed that it could not date from antiquity. Then researchers found Renaissance playing cards inside the hollow statue. There was no longer any doubt: the sculpture was not the ancient original.

It was the copy commissioned by the Salzburg Cathedral Chapter during the Renaissance.

Where Is the Real Youth?

If the statue in the Kunsthistorisches Museum is the copy, where is the original? One of the two figures was sent to Spain. Could it still be there?

Perhaps. But it has never been found.

One theory is that the statue was destroyed during the Napoleonic Wars. Since people believed it was merely a copy, they may not have taken much care to protect it. It is also possible that it was taken out of the country, perhaps even to another continent.

If so, the real Youth of Magdalensberg may still be out there, waiting to be rediscovered.