Torso of a standing youth, after Polykleitos

The original bronze version of this statue was the work of the Argive artist who was active c. 450-410 B.C, and with Pheidias, is considered the greatest master of Classical Greek scupture. In his works, primarily in his famous Spear-bearer, Polykleitos formulated the classical canon of the proportions of the human body. The Budapest torso is a close relative of the Spear-Bearer, though on the basis of small differences in its dimensions and the position of the head it may be a copy, dating from the second century of the Roman empire, of another of his works, possibly the statue of Hermes. It is said to have been found in Pompeii, and in the 19th century it was in the Cappelli collection in Florence, completed to form the portrait of a Roman general. The modern additions were removed in 1982 after its acquisition by the Museum of Fine Arts.

János György Szilágyi