Northern Italy, Etruria, Etruscan people, ca. 6th to early 5th century BCE. A cast leaded bronze example of a form that originated in Archaic Greece, a kouros. This figure depicts a young man with his left foot forward, one hand on his hip, and the other raised. The figure is an homage to male youth, the highest ideal of beauty in the Classical world, and appears to be nude aside from a tight cap on the head; he has wide, staring eyes, an aquiline nose, and a closed mouth. The figure probably once held an attribute in his raised hand. This wonderful statuette was probably dedicated in a sanctuary, made to be a votive offering to the gods. Size: 1.5" W x 3" H (3.8 cm x 7.6 cm); 3.5" H (8.9 cm) on included custom stand.

The Etruscans were renowned in early antiquity for their bronzes, and votive figures like this one were traded far and wide according to Pliny the Elder. Titus Livius records that when the consul Marcus Fluvius Flaccus conquered the Etruscan city of Volsinii, they took a line of wagons, including two thousand bronze statues, to Rome, where they were melted down to make coinage to finance the war against Carthage.

Exhibited: This piece was on loan to Miami University Art Museum, Ball State University Art Gallery, George Mason University, and Fitchburg Museum from 1988 to 2016.

Provenance: private Rochester, Michigan USA collection, acquired from Royal Athena in June 1997; ex H. Kahn collection, Basel, Switzerland, October 1985; On loan to Miami University Art Museum, Ball State University Art Gallery, George Mason University, and Fitchburg Museum from 1988 to 2016.

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#160773

Missing right proper hand and both feet. Nice deep green patina and a fine early example of the style.