The braggart, a comic character

A marching soldier carries his pack and gesticulates with his raised left hand. His rotund belly visibly protrudes under his chiton. A large sword in its sheath and a canteen hang on his left hip, while on his back he carries a roll of clothes and a bowl. A soldier’s mantle, sandals, and pilos helmet complete the ensemble. The shoes are specially picked out in bright paint, which is unusually well-preserved on this piece. He once held a spear in the hole bored through his right hand. With arched eyebrows and and large eyes, his face appears devious – an indication of his personality. It is certainly meant to be a mask even if no dividing line can be seen on his neck: for the same exaggerated features, particularly the funnel-shaped mouth framed by the beard, are common among depictions of theatre masks. The beard is long and pointed, counter to the short and rounded beard on the masks of slave characters.
Created in Athens, this character enjoyed enormous popularity in comic theatre beginning in the fourth century BC. He represents a soldier who loves the creature comforts in life and boasts about his courage and “conquests” even if it requires bending the truth. Seducing women with his “heroic” reputation, he nonetheless beats a hasty retreat when it comes time to take responsibility for his actions. As one of the most beloved types in the New Comedies by Menander and his contemporaries, the character reappeared in Roman comedies by Plautus and Terence under the name miles gloriosus, the glorious soldier – adapted from his Greek prototype to appeal to the new Roman audience.
Over twenty centimeters tall, this Hellenistic statuette of the soldier type was likely made in the later second century BC. The inscription “Niko” on its back is thought to be the signature of the artist or workshop owner Nikostratos, who worked in or around Myrina, on the west coast of Asia Minor. No less than five figures in such a style bear the signature of this workshop. In all probability the piece comes from a grave in Myrina. Theatrical terracottas have often been found in children’s graves, although their exact significance in this context is not yet fully understood.