Agias, from the Doachos Monument

Agias, from the Doachos Monument Agias, from the Doachos MonumentThroughout the history of Greek art, the fourth century classical, or late classical, includes very careful attention to the anatomy of the human body. This is especially true in the sculptures created. There were even formulas for calculating the "ideal" proportions of the human body that sculptors would follow. A proficient example of a sculpture from this period is the Agias, from the Doachos Monument. The sculptor is believed to be Lysippos. The monument was a gift from King Doachos of Thessaly dedicated to Delphi, and was built in 344-343 B.C.E. A marble copy survives today and is at the museum in Delphi, but the original bronze was probably melted down. A cast of the sculpture can be seen today in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Cast Collection in Fairfield University's Loyola Hall.The sculpture of Agias has very well toned and formed body muscle.Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA : Carrol...Being that he was a Greek wrestler or boxer, his muscles are very well developed, and the sculptor accented this by deep grooves to exhibit definition. The sculpture stands in a contrapposto pose, halfway between stillness and motion. The sculpture is in more of a naturalistic state, and not as idealized as previous sculptures. The body definition is not as emphasized and not as well defined in comparison to other sculptures, such as the kouros we have seen in the Met. The sculpture's legs and torso are elongated, and the head seems to be smaller in proportion. Agias stands about 2 meters tall. When looking at the sculpture from the doorway, you can see a slight "S" curve in the body, which was a trademark of Praxitles. The shift in the weight of the body, and its balance is very realistic. When looking from closer, one can...