ticketsMember | Make a donation
English

Bronze statue of a man

ca. mid-2nd-1st century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 162
The figure stands in contrapposto. His right hand stretches out from the folds of his himation, with open palm and fingers curled upward in a gesture of oration. His left arm lays close to his body. The himation is kept in place in part by a tasselled weight, thrown over his left shoulder, which hangs at his calf. A rare detail, several horizontal bands decorate the fabric, and may have been painted or gilded. The indication of his musculature and anatomy continues underneath his garment.

Honorific statues like this one were typically portraits of prominent individuals awarded by the city-state or ruler in gratitude for significant benefactions. They were the highest honor that a city could offer. This impressive figure stands in contrapposto. His right hand stretches out from the folds of his himation (cloak), with open palm and fingers curled upward in a gesture of oration. His left arm lies close to his body. The himation is kept in place in part by the tasseled weight thrown over his left shoulder, which hangs at his calf, and the indication of his musculature and anatomy continues underneath his garment. The several horizontal bands that decorate the fabric,which may have been painted or gilded, comprise a rare detail.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bronze statue of a man
  • Period: Hellenistic
  • Date: ca. mid-2nd-1st century BCE
  • Culture: Greek
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: H. 73 in. (185.4 cm)
  • Classification: Bronzes
  • Credit Line: Gift of Renée E. and Robert A. Belfer, 2001
  • Object Number: 2001.443
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

Audio

Cover Image for 1227. Bronze statue of a man

1227. Bronze statue of a man

0:00
0:00
We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not available at this time. Please email info@metmuseum.org to request a transcript for this track.

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Bronze diskos thrower, Bronze, Greek
Bronze diskos thrower
Greek
ca. 480–460 BCE
Bronze statuette of a horse, Bronze, Greek
Bronze statuette of a horse
Greek
late 2nd–1st century BCE
Bronze horse, Bronze, Greek, Corinthian ?
Bronze horse
Greek, Corinthian ?
8th century BCE
Bronze statue of Eros sleeping, Bronze, Greek
Bronze statue of Eros sleeping
Greek
3rd–2nd century BCE
Bronze statuette of a veiled and masked dancer, Bronze, Greek
Bronze statuette of a veiled and masked dancer
Greek
3rd–2nd century BCE

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Showing 4 of 16

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.