Cleveland Museum of Art

Boxer

Date

100–30 BCE

Medium

bronze. solid cast, with copper inlays

Culture

Greece, Greco-Roman Period, late Ptolemaic Dynasty

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This boxer raises his arms to pull tight the thongs (now lost) that Greek and Roman boxers wound around their hands for protection. The sinuous body curve and long proportions are characteristic of the late Hellenistic period, when artists created more elongated versions of athletes and other classical figures. The long topknot ( cirrus ) identifies this athlete as a hand-to-hand fighter, most likely a boxer.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.