GEOMETRIC PERIOD, CIRCA 770-750 B.C.

Details

A GREEK BRONZE WARRIOR
GEOMETRIC PERIOD, CIRCA 770-750 B.C.
Solid-cast, depicted nude, standing with his legs together, his right arm bent at the elbow and raised, the fingers articulated, his left arm lowered, both hands perforated for now-missing attributes, perhaps a spear and a shield, his head with cap-like hair, protruding ears, a broad nose, recessed oval eyes, a slit mouth and a pointed chin, his upper torso of triangular flattened form, tapering to a narrow waist, his buttocks pronounced, the slender legs elongated, the calves well defined, perhaps once attached to the top of a tripod handle
8 1/8 in. (20.6 cm.) high

Provenance

Renaud Gillet (1913-2001), Paris, acquired prior to 1999.

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Lot Essay

This large and impressive figure finds its closest parallel in terms of style and scale with another bronze warrior from the Athenian Acropolis. Both share the same flat torso, pronounced buttocks and elongated legs, and both have drilled hands for the now-missing attributes. Early Greek bronze casters were experimenting with how to depict the human body, and while not anatomically correct, the best from the period are imbued with incredible vitality. The form of these three-dimensional warriors closely recalls the silhouette figures painted on contemporary vases. For the warrior from the Acropolis, see no. 6 in N. Kaltsas, et al., The Human Figure in Early Greek Art.

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