Plaster cast of Standing Discobolus (Discophoros)
- PC/009
- Item
- 19th century
Part of Plaster Casts
Original: Discovered in 1781 on Esquiline Hill. Considered to be a copy of an earlier Greek original. The popularity of the sculpture in antiquity was no doubt due to its representation of the athletic ideal. Discus-throwing was the first element in the pentathlon, and while pentathletes were in some ways considered inferior to those athletes who excelled at a particular sport, their physical appearance was much admired. This was because no one particular set of muscles was over-developed, with the result that their proportions were harmonious. Listed in the first catalogue of casts as Greek, located in Vatican and bought from Brucciani. Original currently in the collection of the Louvre, Paris, France.
Photographed in GSA 1915.