Fragmentary Male Torso

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Fragmentary Male Torso

Place of OriginSyria

Datec. 2nd century CE

Dimensions37 13/16 × 17 1/8 × 13 1/2 in. (96 × 43.5 × 34.3 cm)

MediumBasalt or a similar stone, likely quarried in the Hauran region (modern-day southern Syria).

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey, Henry W. Wilhelm, Madame Georges Henri Riviere, Thomas Whittemore, and the American Institute for Persian Art and Archaeology, by exchange

Object number

2017.25

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic

Label TextCarved from the black, hard stone basalt, this over life-size figure comes from the Eastern part of the Roman Empire, probably from modern-day Turkey or Syria. The well-muscled nude would have likely depicted an athlete, a hero, or a god, although the absence of an identifiable attribute and the lack of pubic hair indicate that the figure instead may be an idealized youth. The deeply carved grooves between muscles give the figure a powerful, captivating presence.