Getty Museum

Statuette of a Banqueter

Date

550–525 B.C.

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Greek

Department

Sculpture

Institution

Getty Museum

The statuette depicts a bearded male banqueter reclining on a kline, or couch. He leans against a soft cushion, supporting himself on his left elbow with his left leg flat on the kline, and his right leg bent at the knee and raised. The figure wears a himation draped around his lower body, the folds of which are indicated with wavy incised lines. He rests his elbow on the thigh of his raised leg and gazes forward. His right hand is extended, as if gesticulating; his missing left fingers may once have held a drinking vessel. Around his head is a beaded wreath. The statuette is one of three similar reclining banqueters (see also [96.AC.77.1](http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/29615/) and [96.AC.77.3](http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/29617/)). Metalworkers frequently ornamented bronze vessels, utensils, and armor with cast and embossed figures and reliefs. These miniature works were often superbly crafted, displaying complex poses and finely rendered details. Mythological figures, animals, warriors, and banqueters decorated bowls, jugs, and other items used at banquets or offered as prestigious dedications in sanctuaries.

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