89. The Boxer of Quirinal or Terme Boxer,

Roman copy of a Greek original, Hellenistic style,

100-50 B.C.E. Bronze, height: 128 cm.

Museo Nazionale Romano, Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Rome.

 

 

A rare bronze statue that survived from antiquity, this powerful image of a tired boxer is likely an original Hellenistic work, dated perhaps to the first century B.C.E. The seated pose of the boxer invites the viewer to look down at the figure, as he in turn looks up, perhaps to discover the verdict of the judge. He still wears his boxing gloves, and is badly bruised and bleeding, his face and ears swollen from the fight. Despite these wounds, he does not appear defeated. He has all the exaggerated musculature of the other Hellenistic works.