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Plaster Figure of the Doryphoros of Polykleitos, Early 20th Century

About the Item

Plaster Figure of the Doryphoros of Polykleitos, Early 20th Century Cast of 5th century Classical Greek sculpture Description: A splendid plaster model of the Doryphoros or ‘spear-bearer, cast from the Roman marble copy in the Altes Museum, Berlin. The cast displays the same condition of the original Altes marble, with only the torso, upper thighs and right arm surviving. The figure is rendered in contrapposto, the right hip and leg weight bearing with the remaining arm pendant, the remnant of a strut visible on the upper thigh. The left hip too bears the remnants of a strut, although positioned higher than that on the right side, indicating the left forearm would have been raised. The contrast between tension and relaxation of the languid masculine physique exhibits exactly why Polykleitos is famed for his mastery of dynamic counterbalance, implying the composition of the full-bodied original. The model is supported on a plinth with a corniced base. The cast bears the Munich spread eagle stamp of the Museum of Casts of Classical Images and numbered 160. Notes: One of the two most well-known works by perhaps the most celebrated Greek sculptor of the classical period, Polykleitos’ Doryphoros displays the artist’s expertise in understanding the human form, it’s movement and how physical tension and relaxation affects the overall composure of the physique. Particularly renowned for his bronzes of young athletes, Polykleitos’ works are significant not only for their beauty, but for the development of numerical techniques he implemented to determine proportions of the human form. Along with three of his Athenian contemporaries, Myron, Pheidias and Praxiteles, Polykleitos is regarded as one of the definitive sculptors of the Classical period. Whilst archaic sculpture had exemplified uniformity and expressed great Egyptian influence, early Classical sculpture saw a departure from this more static and rigid physicality towards dynamic counterbalance. Where the archaic had been symmetrical and inflexible, classical sculptures such as the Doryphoros appear as in a state of motion, naturalistic in form as if the sculptor has captured the model at a moment of candid ease. Dimensions: (base included) Height: 230cm Width: 70.5cm Depth: 59.5cm Provenance: The Museum of Casts of Classical Statues, Munich (Museum für Abgüsse Klassischer Bildwerke München).
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 90.56 in (230 cm)Width: 27.76 in (70.5 cm)Depth: 23.43 in (59.5 cm)
  • Style:
    Classical Greek (In the Style Of)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Plaster,Cast
  • Place of Origin:
    Germany
  • Period:
    Early 20th Century
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1920s
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses.
  • Seller Location:
    ARMADALE, AU
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: CP/JBBWRH1stDibs: LU8952242319182

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