Bronze casting allowed Peloponnesus, the sculptor, to shape it more freely in opposition to Kroises or Kritios Boy that followed more static, frontal conventions of ancient Egypt. The spirit of the piece resembles the statue of the Young Warrior, of 450 BCE. The statue is of the same medium. Both figures are dynamic and lively. The legs are spread widely a part and the arms, although missing on the Statuette of an Athlete, make a grand gesture; unlike the Kouros" clinched fists and arms at its side. .
The athlete's positioning and gesture suggest his intention to throw a spear. The widely spread legs indicates a position of support of the upper body. The arms are positioned in such a way that would allow the young athlete to throw a spear. Comparatively to Poykleitos" Spear Bearer, the statuette is more dynamic and is engaged in action. The Spear Bearer, however, is in a static position.
The statuette is unique, also, for its size. Most Kouros statues of ancient Greece are monumental, as noted by Stokstad, and have been used as grave markers or represented symbolic figure of ancestors (169). In contrast, the statuette is of a tiny size. Nevertheless, the statuette may have been an icon of worship; Specifically, an icon of fertility. In many ways resembling the oldest figurine - Woman of Willendorf, the statuette may have been carried along or kept close to its owner for the purposes of worshiping or praying for fertility. .
Regardless of its small size, the Statuette of an Athlete is monumental in its own right. .
As mentioned previously, the statuette is cast in bronze - solid cast. The medium imparts a sense of power and solidity. With the exception of missing arms and some minor damage to the feet, the statuette is in good condition. The feet are spread wide a part, yet they have remained in tact, unlike the Kritios Boy that is missing both arms .
and a part of its leg. .
The color of the statuette plays an important role in bringing the piece to live, as well.
Numerous fragments of Archaic Greek statuettes found scattered about the site of the Temple of Aphrodite, were also discovered. ... One piece of evidence of the incorporation of the characteristics of Egyptian female sculpture to a Greek kore involves the Walter's Statuette (Figure 1). ...
WRITE A SHORT CRITIQUE ON CLASSICAL GREEK ART WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO EITHER GREEK POTTERY OR GREEK SCULPTURE. Behind the art of the golden age, lay a long period of experimentation. Art historians trace Greek art far back from the 7th to the 1st century, noting that an early date foreign mode...
VOCABULARY Archaeology: the scientific study of ancient people and cultures principally revealed through excavation. Cromlech: a circle of megaliths. Henge: a Neolithic monument, characterized by a circular ground plan. Used for rituals and marking astronomical events. Megalith: a stone of great siz...
