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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1955.123
Title
Young Athlete
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture, statuette
Date
first half 5th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Etruria
Period
Archaic period to Classical
Culture
Etruscan
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/312304

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Leaded bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
9 x 3.3 cm (3 9/16 x 1 5/16 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Leaded Bronze:
Cu, 87.68; Sn, 7.5; Pb, 4.56; Zn, 0.004; Fe, less than 0.01; Ni, 0.02; Ag, 0.03; Sb, less than 0.02; As, 0.21; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, 0.006; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. Riederer

Technical Observations: The patina is mottled black and reddish brown with small green areas. It appears to be flaky and to thicken around the base and feet. The black matte appearance of the surface suggests the presence of sulfides. The right forearm of the piece is broken below the elbow, and the surface of the break is worn. The rear left corner of the base is broken off. The surface is uneven and looks pitted from cleaning. A few areas, such as the corners, are very worn and expose the bare metal. There are also some dents in the surface.

The figure was cast together with its base by the lost-wax process. It was modeled in a very cursory fashion with no details of musculature visible. The holes of the ears appear to have been made with a small, round punch, and the nipples were defined in the metal using a hollow, round punch. The raised pubic hair looks molded, suggesting that the cast is indirect, but it is difficult to assess whether the details were made in the wax model or in the metal. The base was formed from a separate wax sheet.


Francesca G. Bewer (submitted 2002)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Aimée and Rosamond Lamb, Milton, MA (by 1955), gift; to the Fogg Art Museum, 1955.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of the Misses Aimée and Rosamond Lamb
Accession Year
1955
Object Number
1955.123
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
The young athlete stands on a rectangular base, which now has a small loss (1.5 x 1.8 cm) on the back left corner. His proper right hand and forearm are missing, while his proper left hand holds the remains of a weapon or other object. The elbows are bent to indicate movement. Similar to other statuettes of young athletes from the late Archaic period, the figure’s head is broad at the temples and his narrow shoulders support a thick neck. Large almond-shaped eyes are set below a low fringe of hair across his forehead. Through the greenish-black patina on the head, traces of vertical incised strokes are visible throughout his hair.

The stance and posture of the young athlete resembles statuettes of javelin and discus throwers that are depicted with fists clenched in preparation for their athletic contests. This young athlete is probably not a javelin thrower, since javelin throwers were typically shown striding forward (1). The Harvard piece more closely resembles statuettes of discus throwers depicted in a standing position bending their elbows to throw a discus (2). The Etruscan craftsmen who made this figurine undoubtedly borrowed elements of Greek sculpture but adapted the figure’s pose according to local tastes. E. Richardson has described these types as “Middle Archaic Ionian” and indicated that they served a decorative or votive purpose in the middle to late sixth century BCE (3).

NOTES:

1. See E. Richardson, Etruscan Votive Bronzes: Geometric, Orientalizing, Archaic (Mainz, 1983) 198-201, Middle Archaic Javelin Throwers, nos. 1-9, pls. 136-37.

2. Compare ibid., 207-208, Middle Archaic Discoboli, nos. 1-3, pl. 145; an Etruscan statuette of a standing discus thrower in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, inv. no. 25.78.34; and a Peloponnesian version in the Louvre, inv. no. BR 160.

3. See Richardson 1983 (supra 1) 118-19. For pieces similar to the Harvard statuette, see ibid., Middle Archaic Kouros Series B, pls. 66-72.


Nicola Demonte

Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu