Nude Male Torso (310256)

inv. no. 310256
max. h. 0.52 m; max. w. 0.30 m
Pentelic marble
Only the anterior portion of the torso is preserved; the rear portion has been split off. The head is missing, along with the left shoulder and arm, the right arm, and the legs below the top of the thighs.

The figure represents a nude male at the height of his physical powers. The left arm, which, along with the shoulder, is completely missing, must have been held against the body under the breasts, as marks of attachment reveal. The hand probably held an attribute, of which a small part remains under the left breast. The right arm is preserved down to the elbow and is held slightly away from the side of the figure so that it is essentially a sculpture in the round.

This element, like the other torso (310252), served as one of the columns of the structure. Examination of the piece and comparison with the fragment that could be part of the entablature it supported (310254) indicate that this figure was directly attached to the wall. Its dimensions are the same as those of the preceding.

Bibliography

Hartwig 24-25, pl. III, 4; Koeppel (1980) 15-16, 19; 22, n. 8, fig. 8; ArchRoma 141, fig. 117 f (R. Paris), with earlier bibliography.

Catalogue entry by Rita Paris

Copyright © 1997 Ministero per i Beni Culturali e Ambientali, Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma and the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan. All rights reserved.