Polykleitos’ Doryphoros copy

This copy of Polykleitos’ Doryphoros, was found in the natatio (pool) of the maritime thermal baths of Baelo Claudia, located outside the walls, in the south of the city, and is the first example discovered to date in the Iberian Peninsula. The torso, upper arm part and left leg, part of the left foot, part of the support that allowed posture and the ankle are preserved. The height of the complete piece would be around two meters, proportions and stance that perfectly fit the supposed model for Doryphoros. Its soft modeling places it chronologically between the reigns of Hadrian and Antoninus (1st half of the second century AD), and close in appearance to the copy found in the Villa Adriana (kept in the Vatican Museum Braccio Nuovo) and to the copy found in Carthage Theatre (Bardo Museum). Analysis of marble determined that it was made with marble from Paros (the same as the copy stored in the Vatican), the material that gives to the imported piece an exceptional quality and makes it one of the most important sculptures in Baelo Claudia and in Andalusia.

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Bibliography :

Rodá, I., Arévalo, A., & Bernal, D. (2014): Una copia del Doríforo en las termas marítimas de Baelo Claudia. In XVIII CIAC: Centro y periferia en el mundo clásico / Centre and periphery in the ancient world S. 11. Las producciones artísticas y artesanales en el mundo clásico. Talleres Artistic and artisanal productions in the classical world. Workshops (pp. 1301 – 1308). Mérida.