The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Statuette of an Athlete

Statuette of an Athlete

510–500 BCE
bronze (solid cast)
Overall: 21.5 cm (8 7/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 2000.6
Location: 102B Greek

Did You Know?

This robust athlete exudes power, despite his damaged feet and missing hands.

Description

Striding forward with his right arm raised behind his head, this powerful figure conveys a naturalistic sense of form and movement associated with Greek sculpture created around 500 BC. Even without its right hand and the object it once held, other features of this statuette—especially its strong physique, posture, and clean-shaven face—all suggest that it represents an athlete, likely preparing to throw a javelin. For while the gods Zeus and Poseidon also strike similar poses in small bronzes of the period (holding a thunderbolt or trident, respectively), these gods would be bearded.
  • Ernest Ascher Collection; acquired by Jacques Chalmin in the early 1960s; sold by Jean-Luc Chalmin
  • May, Sally Ruth, Jane Takac, and Barbara J. Bradley. Knockouts: A Pocket Guide. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2001. p. 15, no. 10.
    Cleveland Museum of Art, David Franklin, and C. Griffith Mann. Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2012. pp. 32-33 (M. Bennett).
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Frederick E. Bidwell, and Leslie Cade. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. 2014. p. 80
    Bennett, M. November 2000. "Acquisition: An Ancient Sports Celebrity," Members magazine / Cleveland Museum of Art. pp. 6-7.
    Cleveland Museum of Art, “Ancient Greek Statuette Among First Acquisitions of Reid’s Tenure as Director,” March 17, 2000, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Bennett, Michael, "An Ancient Sports Celebrity", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 40 no. 09, November 2000 Mentioned & reproduced: p. 6 archive.org
  • {{cite web|title=Statuette of an Athlete|url=false|author=|year=510–500 BCE|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2000.6