1st-2nd century A.D. Standing contrapposto with his weight on his right leg and the left leg brought slightly forward; the musculature of the torso displaying well-defined pectoral muscles, prominent abdominal muscles and wide shoulders, the back with equally toned musculature and well-formed rounded buttocks; the veining of the marble accentuating the idealised anatomy; the now-absent head was most probably turned towards the supporting leg and the left arm would have been raised; mounted on a custom-made display stand. See Pozzi, E., Cantilena, R., La Rocca, E., Pannuti, U., Scatozza, L.,Le Collezioni del Museo Archeologico di Napoli, La scultura greco-romana, Le sculture antiche della Collezione Farnese, Le collezioni monetali, Le oreficerie, La collezione glittica, Milano, 1989, pp. 100-101, nn. 31-32; Cadario, M., Doriforo della “Palestra Sannitica”,’ in La Regina, A. (ed.), Nike. Il gioco e la vittoria, Milano, 2003, pp. 214 ss.; Adembri, B., Torso di Doriforo, in Reggiani A.M. & Sapelli Ragni, M., Eroi e atleti. L’ideale estetico nell’arte da Olimpia a Roma a Torino 2006, Torino, 2006, pp.140ss.; Zevi, F., Demma, F., Nuzzo, E., Rescigno, C., Valeri, C., Museo Archeologico dei Campi Flegrei, Catalogo generale, 1, Cuma, Napoli, 2008, p.334; Franciosi, V., Il “Doriforo” di Pompei, in Franciosi, V., Thémelis, P.G., Pompei/Messene. Il “Doriforo” e il suo contesto,Mediterraneo Miti Storia Armonia, 2 Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa, Napoli, 2013, pp.11-33. Lyndsey Ingram, Lines of Enquiry, London, 17 September - 8th November 2019, pp.36-37. 42.95 kg total, 64 cm high including stand (25 1/4 in.).

Formerly in a French private collection in Compiègne, since the 1960s. Acquired from Galerie Chenel, 2015. Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport no.166817. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Laura Maria Vigna.

The model of the sculpture recalls the Polykleitos tradition. In particular, the tension of the muscles of the athletic body recalls the Doryphoros of Polykleitian, a famous bronze sculpture erected in Argos in around 450-440 B.C., as evidenced by a stele found there. The statue represented a hero, perhaps Achilles, or a winning athlete. Many Hellenistic and Roman copies of this sculpture are preserved, especially the marble ones. These include the statue of Doryphoros in the National Museum of Naples from Pompeii, of Tiberian age, and the naked male statue, a copy of the Doryphoros of Polykleitos in the Doria Pamphilj Collection, dated to the end of the 1st century A.D. The raised left shoulder is reminiscent of the Diadumenos, a work by the same artist made in Argos in around 430-420 B.C., depicting an athlete girding his head with bandages, a symbol of victory, known from many copies. The torso of Diadumenos from Naples, preserved in the National Museum of Naples, dated to the early imperial age and the torso of Diadumenos from Cuma, in the Archaeological Museum of the Phlegraean Fields, from the first half of the 1st century A.D, have similar characteristics to the torso in question. The Polykleitos prototypes had a great success and were used as a reference to a physical canon of perfection and refinement with variations that are also due to great sculptors such as Kleomenes and Lysippos. This representation, albeit with some changes compared to the original model, shows refinement and precision in the analytical treatment of the body with very accurate anatomical partitions and technical expertise in the execution. [A video of this lot is available to view on Timeline Auctions Website]