Marble statue of a draped seated man

Marble statue of a draped seated man

Zeuxis

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Copy of a Greek statue of the mid-2nd century B.C. Seated; fragmentary. Perhaps portrait statue of poet or philosopher; copy Greek original 2nd century B.C. For the ancient Greeks, it was important to represent the entire figure in a portrait, not just the head as became popular in the Roman period. Although the head of this Roman copy is missing, the turn of the upper body to the left, the three holes beneath the left shoulder, and the angular hollow at the inner side of the left arm suggest that the figure was playing the kithara and consequently, is best identified as a poet. It may be a retrospective portrait of one of the great Greek poets of the Hellenistic age, such as Kallimachos or Theokritos, or perhaps one of the legendary bards of earlier days portrayed in Hellenistic style. On the front of the seat, above the left foot, is the signature of the sculptor Zeuxis. He must have been one of the many copyists of the Roman period who attached their signatures to their works.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Marble statue of a draped seated manMarble statue of a draped seated manMarble statue of a draped seated manMarble statue of a draped seated manMarble statue of a draped seated man

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.