A Greek Bronze Kouros

A Greek Bronze Kouros

Laconian, Circa Mid-to-Late 7th Century B.C.Height 6 1/2 inches.

Continental Decorative Arts

Intact as preserved; no known restoration or alteration to the patina and the surface. Purchased from a European collector by the current owner approximately 15 years ago.

Provenance:European Private CollectionAcquired from the above circa 2005Note:This exquisite bronze is an early example within the tradition of the Greek representation of the nude male youth or kouros. Depicting an adolescent on the verge of adulthood, beardless and without pubic hair, the kouros exemplified the idealized male figure. Early in the development of the Greek representation of the human figure, the form, sculpturally, takes inspiration from the Egyptian “static stride." Here, the left leg is slightly advanced of the right, intimating movement, while embodying stillness. Often associated with the cult of Apollo, kouroi were especially ubiquitous in the sixth century B.C. when masterpieces of grand scale were sculpted in marble. The tapering plaited hair, voluminous buttocks, and facial features of the present example suggest a Laconian workshop in the later half of the seventh century B.C.