Discobolus
Maker
Fonderia Chiurazzi
(Italian, founded 1870)
Dateearly 20th century
CultureItalian
MediumBronze
ClassificationSculpture
Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936
Object numberSN5145
Era/Medium: Modern bronze cast of Roman marble copy of Greek bronze original
Present Location: Musei Vaticani, Rome, Italy
The most celebrated statue of the 5th-century BC sculptor Myron, and an image now synonymous with the Olympic games, the <i>Discobolus</i> (discus thrower) depicts an athlete bent over readying to hurl a discus, or quoit. The sculpture was already well-known in antiquity, and numerous copies of the Greek bronze original (now lost) survive. This Roman version, datable to the Hadrianic period (117-138 AD), was found in the 18th century and the head incorrectly restored facing forward. It is clear however from the literary and artistic record that he would have been looking back at the discus, as the competition in ancient times did not require the athlete to aim the discus but merely to launch it as far as possible.
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Fonderia Chiurazzi
Fonderia Chiurazzi