Ancient Roman statuary at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: STATUA DI ATLETA (Fletcher Fund, 1926)

Speranza

Marble statue of an athlete.
Period: Imperial
Date: 1st century A.D.
Culture: Roman
Medium: Marble, Pentelic
Dimensions: H. 116.2 cm
Classification: Stone Sculpture
Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1926
Accession Number: 26.60.2
This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 162

Roman copy of Greek original. Adaptation of a Greek statue type of the late
5th century B.C.

The pose of this statue probably derives from a Classical Greek bronze erected to commemorate the victory of a young athlete.

With its sinuous grace, it became an appealing decorative work in this Roman adaptation in marble.

All the statues on view in this central courtyard are Roman copies or variations on statue types created some four or five hundred years earlier, during the late Classical or Hellenistic period.

While most of the original works were dedications set up in religious sanctuaries, the Roman versions were used primarily to decorate the rooms and gardens of private villas as well as the theaters and public baths that were important features of every Roman city.

References

Richter, G.
1926. "Recent Accessions of Roman Sculpture." Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art 21(11): pp. 255, 257, fig. 2.