Head of the Diadoumenos

This youthful, male head belongs to a marble statue of a nude athlete shown tying a ribbon (diadem) around his forehead. When complete, it copied a famous Greek bronze by the 5th-century BC sculptor, Polykleitos of Argos, now known as the Diadoumenos (Ribbon-Binder).

The original Greek statue commemorated an athlete’s victory in the games (marked by the ribbon), and would either have stood in the sanctuary where the competition took place or in the athlete’s hometown as both a permanent record of his success and an offering of thanks to the god who granted it. Rather than a realistic portrait, it embodied ideals of masculine beauty, balance, and control as expressions of moral goodness. The Roman version to which this head belonged may have been displayed in a private home or public space like a gymnasium or bathhouse, where it demonstrated knowledge of Greek art and perhaps provided a model body to emulate.