Figure of an Infantryman (Hoplite)

Artist Greek

Datelate 500s BCE

Mediumbronze

Dimensions14.3 x 6.4 x 4.4 cm (5 5/8 x 2 1/2 x 1 3/4 in.)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Terms

bronze

Object number1936.45

DescriptionProbably from Sparta. Standing figure in full dress armor with right hand raised, clad in Corinthian helmet and wears a cuirass and greaves, the short chiton is ornamented with a pattern of lightly incised crosses. The right hand is in position and pierced for wielding a spear; the left arm appears to have been made incomplete, terminating near the elbow with a vertical hole to receive a shield. The greaves and helmet are finely rendering with small dots representing lining rivets or holes.
Label TextAncient Greek warriors often dedicated diminutive bronze figurines at sanctuaries in southern Greece as symbols of gratitude for good fortune in battle. This solid-cast hoplite, or infantryman, whose compact form, severe lines, and iconography are characteristic of Lakonian (Spartan) workshops of the late sixth century B.C., was allegedly found at Sparta. Its attacking pose is typical of a soldier striding forward with his right arm raised. The spear and shield he once carried are now lost. His close-fitting cuirass, or breastplate, is incised with spirals that echo the forms beneath, and his short chiton, gathered up about the hips (perhaps for a running charge), bears lightly incised ornamental crosses. To protect his shins the warrior is equipped with greaves. A Corinthian style helmet exposes the figure's beard, while his hair is worn long and falling over his shoulders in typical Spartan fashion.ProvenanceEdward Zoumpoulakis, by 1936; consigned to the Brummer Gallery, New York, August 14, 1936 [object inventory card no. X983]; sold to the Worcester Art Museum, November 14, 1936.

On View

Not on view