| Boxer at Rest | |
|---|---|
| Terme Boxer,Boxer of the Quirinal | |
%2c_Museu_Nacional_Rom%25C3%25A0_(Palau_Massimo)%2c_Roma_(Vista_general).jpg) | |
| Year | 330 to 50 BC |
| Medium | Bronze statue |
| Location | Palazzo Massimo alle Terme,Rome, Italy |
TheBoxer at Rest, also known as theTerme Boxer,Seated Boxer,Defeated Boxer, orBoxer of the Quirinal, is a bronze sculpture, aHellenistic Greek original,[1] of a sitting nudeboxer at rest, still wearing his himantes (Ancient Greek:ἱμάντες,romanized: himántes, plural ofἱμάς,himás,'a leathern strap or thong'[2]), a type of leather hand-wrap. It has been given various dates within the period of about 330 to 50BC. It was excavated in Rome in 1885, and is now in the collection of theNational Museum of Rome, normally displayed in thePalazzo Massimo alle Terme.[3]
TheBoxer at Rest is one of the finest examples ofbronze sculptures to have survived from the ancient world; survivals from the period are rare, as they were easily melted down and transformed into new objects. The work comes from a period in Greek art where there is a movement away from idealized heroic depictions of the body and youth, and an exploration of emotional as well as psychological themes and greater realism. These traits are typical of Hellenistic art and thoroughly displayed in this sculpture, making it a hallmark of the Hellenistic style.
The Boxer is one of two unrelatedbronzes (the other being the unidentifiedHellenistic Prince) discovered on the slopes of theQuirinal within a month of each other in 1885, possibly from the remains of theBaths of Constantine. It appears that both had been carefully buried in antiquity. The archaeologistRodolfo Lanciani, who was present at the sculpture's discovery, wrote:[4]
I have witnessed, in my long career in the active field of archaeology, many discoveries; I have experienced surprise after surprise; I have sometimes and most unexpectedly met with real masterpieces; but I have never felt such an extraordinary impression as the one created by the sight of this magnificent specimen of a semi-barbaric athlete, coming slowly out of the ground, as if awakening from a long repose after his gallant fights.
The statue is a masterpiece of Hellenistic athletic professionalism, with a top-heavy over-muscled torso and scarred and bruised face, penis bound by akynodesme,cauliflower ears, broken nose,Morton's toe and a mouth suggesting broken teeth.[3][5] The boxer was also depicted as bearded, which would have been a typical characteristic of ancient boxers.[6]R.R.R. Smith, theclassicist, believes that the statue does not show a true portrait but is instead genre realism, a generic character of "boxer".[7] A 2018 reconstruction project executed by the FrankfurtLiebieghaus Polychromy Research Project and headed byVinzenz Brinkmann follows the interpretation of Otto Rossbach (1898)[8] and Phyllis L. Williams (1945)[9] and identifies the statue asAmykos, King of theBebryces.[10][11]
In 1989, both bronzes were meticulously conserved by Nikolaus Himmelmann, in preparation for their exhibition at theAkademisches Kunstmuseum inBonn.[12] The sculpture is soldered together from eight segments, separately cast through thelost-wax process; the joins have been filed and finished to be virtually invisible. The lips and wounds and scars about the face were originally inlaid with copper, and further copper inlays on the right shoulder, forearm, caestus and thigh represented drops and trickles of blood. The fingers and toes were worn from being rubbed by passers-by in ancient times, which has suggested that theBoxer was carefully buried to preserve its talismanic value, when the Baths were abandoned after theGoths cut the aqueducts that fed them.[13] These baths remained mostly unused until the 6th and 7th century when pilgrims being treated nearby in theXenodochium ofSanti Nereo ed Achilleo were buried at the location of the baths.[14]
The statue was displayed in the United States for the first time from June to July 2013 at theMetropolitan Museum of Art in New York City as part of the "Year of Italian Culture in the United States".[15]
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For a long time, it was believed, based on a few visible letters, that the statue was by a certain Apollonius, possibly the creator of the "Belvedere Torso." However, this has now been disproved; in fact, there is no signature on the Boxer.[16]
| External videos | |
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 Apollonius's Boxer at Rest,Smarthistory[17] |
The literary and aesthetic reception of the statue continues to be of high regard for its aesthetic virtues. In 1991,Thom Jones wrote "The Pugilist at Rest", a short story which includes the aesthetic reflection upon the statue's rare quality as seen through the eyes of a worn and weary boxer contemplating its inspiration. He suggested that the sitter may be the famed Ancient boxer,Theogenes.
During the time of its display in New York during the summer of 2013 (ended 20 July),New York magazine published a full page dedication to the special qualities and attributes of the statue byJerry Saltz.[18] Saltz described the six distinctive features of the statue as follows: (i) The Pose, distinct for its massiveness and "elemental" form, (ii) The Face, noted for the large brow and columnar neck, (iii) The Blood, noted by its inlaid copper upon the bronze statue itself, (iv) The Scarred Genitals, distinct for beinginfibulated for cultural and aesthetic purposes of ancient times, (v) The Hands, noted for being astounding yet gentle at the same time, and (vi) The Foresight, referring to the sculptor's strength of vision which resembles and conjuresGoya'sGiant as well as comparison with "Velazquez andRembrandt", as Saltz completes his list.
The Italian poetGabriele Tinti has written essays and some poems on sculpture and presented a series of readings in front of the statue at theJ. Paul Getty Museum with the actorRobert Davi and at theNational Roman Museum with the actorFranco Nero.[19] Paul Gallico, the American boxing commentator who was himself an amateur boxer, examined the statue in 1935. On the basis of this he concluded that the Terme Boxer was a left-handed slugger who faced a fast-moving and right-handed opponent who circled him and wore him down with punches to Terme Boxer's right while avoiding his left. Thus the Terme Boxer could not land his devastating knock-out punch. Gallico's assessment was forensic, and based on the pattern of wounds which are all on the Terme Boxer's right - some blows smashed into the right side of his face and others hit his right shoulder and arm. The Terme Boxer must have tried to protect his head by raising his right arm and the wounds there are interpreted as defensive. Gallico who had called many prizefights concluded that the Terme Boxer was worn down and brought to exhaustion, as the statue shows. Gallico believed that the Terme Boxer statue depicts the boxer as having lost the contest.[20]
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Major exhibits at theMuseo Nazionale Romano | ||
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| Ludovico Ludovisi Collection |  | |