1950.3
Male Torso
Artist
Artist Unidentified (Greco-Roman)
Title
Male Torso
Creation Date
001-200
Century
1st -2nd century
Dimensions
19 1/8 in. x 12 1/16 in. x 6 1/4 in. (48.5 cm. x 30.6 cm. x 15.9 cm.)
Classification
Sculpture
Creation Place
Ancient Mediterranean
Medium and Support
marble
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Mortimer Warren
Copyright
Public Domain
Accession Number
1950.3
This Roman torso was likely inspired by sculptures produced by Polykleitos, a famous artist of the fifth century BCE credited with developing standards for representing the ideal proportions of the human body. The main principle of his treatise on the subject, called the Kanon (standard or rule in ancient Greek), is expressed by the Greek words symmetria (symmetry or proportion), isonomia (equilibrium), and rhythmos (rhythm or style). Polykleitos writes that "perfection comes about little by little through many numbers," meaning that a statue should be composed of clearly definable parts, all related to one another through a system of ideal mathematical proportions and balance. Characterized by a cant of the hips counterbalanced by an opposing slope of the shoulders along with a clear definition of musculature, the “Polykleitan” body type served as an ideal well into the Roman period.