This sculpture is now thought to be an idealised portrait of the late Hellenistic king, Mithridates VI. It bears a strong resemblance to the portraiture of Alexander the Great, whose image heavily influenced those of his successors. It also resembles the Venus de Milo, which came from nearby island in the Cyclades, Melos.

Its name is left over from an earlier identification as the personification of Inopus, a stream on Delos. However, a trace of a garment on the back of the sculpture indicates that it is was made to be displayed upright and not in a reclining position as would be required of a river god