Statue of a Youth
Date: about CE 140
Dimensions:
H: 56 1/8 in. (142.6 cm)
Medium: bronze
Place of Origin: Ancient Rome, probably from Asia Minor (modern Turkey)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1966.126
Label Text:Youthful and handsome, this life-sized bronze statue of an adolescent boy represents Roman admiration of ancient Greek sculpture. Although the Greeks—specifically the famous sculptor Polykleitos—idealized the athletic male figure, the Romans preferred functionality over form. This almost beckoning youth may have carried lamps in his hands to light a garden or a dining room in a private villa.
Made by hollow-casting bronze, the youth’s form was assembled from separately cast body parts fastened and soldered together. This technique allowed a busy workshop to produce sculptures with greater efficiency.
Made by hollow-casting bronze, the youth’s form was assembled from separately cast body parts fastened and soldered together. This technique allowed a busy workshop to produce sculptures with greater efficiency.
On view
In Collection(s)