Lancelotti Discobolus
Palazzo Massimo alle Terme [Rome, Italy]
Ca. mid-2nd cent. AD.
Marble
The Lancelotti Discobolous, discovered in 1871 on the Esquiline Hill in an area anciently occupied by villas and gardens and then entered into the collections of Palazzo Massimo-Lancellotti, during World War II was transferred to Germany and returned to Italy in 1948. The only almost fully preserved example of its type, the statue is a faithful copy of one of the most admired works of antiquity: the bronze discobolus by the Greek sculptor Myron (ca. 450 BC). Captured at the moment preceding the release of the discus, the athlete moves into the surrounding space with a complex action, exemplifying the experimentation with new canons for the plastic representation of the moving human body.