Figure of an Emaciated Man

Place of OriginGreece, probably from Alexandria, Egypt

DatePtolemaic Period (332–30 BCE), about 200–50 BCE

DimensionsL: 1 1/16 in. (2.7 cm); W: 13/16 in. (2 cm); H: 2 9/16 in. (6.5 cm); Weight: 35.17 grams

MediumBronze

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LineGift of the Popplestone Family

Object number

2006.100

Not on View

DescriptionA small, solid-cast bronze statuette depicting a standing male figure in a state of extreme emaciation. The figure stands with legs slightly apart, the left leg advanced. The anatomy is rendered with clinical precision, highlighting the skeletal structure; the rib cage is prominently articulated with individual ribs visible beneath the skin, and the clavicles and sternum are deeply recessed. The hips protrude sharply, and the limbs are thin and sinewy. The figure's head is somewhat large in proportion to the body, with sunken cheeks and deep eye sockets.

Label TextThis small but striking bronze represents a departure from the idealized beauty of Classical Greek art. Created in the cosmopolitan city of Alexandria, Egypt, it reflects a Hellenistic fascination with realism and the human condition in all its forms. The artist has unflinchingly depicted a man suffering from extreme emaciation—possibly a beggar or a sick individual—with anatomical precision. Such figures were popular collectables in antiquity, serving as conversation pieces that highlighted the owner’s appreciation for the complexities of life and the whims of fortune.Published ReferencesPeck, William H., Sandra E. Knudsen and Paula Reich, Egypt in Toledo: The Ancient Egyptian Collection at the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, 2011, p. 90, repr. (col.).