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Statuette of Herakles

510–500 BCE
bronze (solid cast)
Overall: 21.5 cm (8 7/16 in.)
Weight: 1.814 kg (4 lbs.)
John L. Severance Fund 2000.6
Location: 102B Greek
Public Domain
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This robust figure exudes power, despite his damaged feet and missing hands.

Description

Striding forward with his left foot, this nude figure turns his torso and raises his tightly bent right arm behind his head. Despite significant damage, the statuette conveys a naturalistic sense of form and movement rarely seen in early Greek art. Its most striking feature is its powerful physique, with sharply defined, bulging muscles. Formerly called an athlete and assumed to have held a javelin or discus, the figure likely depicts the hero Herakles, revered for his strength and often shown in this smiting pose, wielding a club. Though usually bearded in this period, this representation emphasizes his youthfulness, with an idealized face and carefully arranged hair.
Statuette of Herakles

Statuette of Herakles

510–500 BCE

Greece, Peloponnesus, late archaic - early classical period

See Also

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