Inv.-Nr. 1399

Statue eines Speerträgers (Doryphoros des Polyklet)

Neapel, Nationalmuseum 6011
tiberische Kopie nach einem Original um 440 v. Chr.

When we think of nudity in classical antiquity, we often think of the heroic and athletic nude male form, as depicted here. The Doryphoros, or ‘spear-bearer’, is one of the most famous statues of antiquity, and was originally sculpted by the renowned classical Athenian sculptor Polykleitos c.440 BCE.

The Doryphoros was famous in antiquity as an outstanding example of Polykeitos’ rules of proportion, which set out the ideal relative proportions of different body parts that would make the perfect human form. It was mentioned by the medical writer Galen as well as the historian Pliny as embodying the ideal human form, and numerous copies of the original bronze statue were made in the Roman period. This particular cast was made of a marble copy of the Doryphoros that was discovered in Pompeii.

The statue depicts a young standing warrior, his left hand resting lightly on a spear (now lost), his body in a post of classical contrapposto, with the pelvis set at an angle and one leg trailing slightly behind. The muscles are taut and toned, to the extent that some elements of the musculature are anatomically incorrect, or at the very least highly implausible. In particular, the iliac crest (the line running from the hip bone to the pubis) is more pronounced that it would be on an actual human body. Unrealistic ideal body image is nothing new.

The young man is portrayed as being in his prime – the peak of his physical beauty and strength. In classical Athenian society, the equation of physical and psychological excellence was captured in the phrase kalos kai agathos (the beautiful and the good). Sculptures like the Doryphoros would have encapsulated everything that a young citizen man should aspire to.