The Seated Boxer Analysis

The Seated Boxer is a Hellenistic bronze statue made with the lost wax method. The statue portrays a seated boxer with his head turned to the right with his mouth slightly open which looks as if he is in the middle of a conversation with someone after his match. His arms, with what looks to be ancient Greek boxing gloves made with strips of leather attached to what seems like brass knuckles fitted with wooden padding, rests on his knees. The figure is represented in “heroic nude” apparent in Hellenistic art. The face of the figure expresses the mental and physical exhaustion one would see on a person after a brutal boxing match. His face exhibits several cuts and bruises from having received several brutal blows to the face. His broken nose and cauliflower ears are often seen in boxers after a gruesome fight. The bronze surface of his skin has been inlaid with traces of copper alloy to represent scarred tissue and traces of blood; the swollen right cheekbone was cast with a different alloy imitating the discoloration of a hematoma. Although the boxer’s head is seen to have many cuts and bruises, the boxer’s body is toned and strong—showing few signs of age—with his hair and beard neatly coiffed. The athletic physique in conjunction with the expression of exhaustion of the figure, which is apparent in Hellenistic works of art, creates a vivid realism that, at first, is …show more content…
The realism of the figure is apparent in most Hellenistic bronzes. The figure portrays, with vivid realism, a man who has received several violent blows to the head, which is apparent in boxing in ancient Greece because blows were dealt exclusively to the head and face. The boxer is seated with his body slumped and his arms on his knees to portray the mental and physical exhaustion from his previous match. The figure has his head turned to the right as if he is talking to someone after his grueling

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