Blond Boy, left profile
Blond Boy, right profile
Blond Boy, left profile
Blond Boy, frontal view
Blond Boy, back view
Blond Boy, frontal view
| Collection: | Athens, Acropolis Museum |
| Title: | Blond Boy |
| Context: | From Athens, Acropolis |
| Findspot: | Found at Athens, Acropolis, within the walls of an ancient building at the SE corner |
| Summary: | Statue of youth |
| Material: | Marble |
| Sculpture Type: | Free-standing statue |
| Category: | Single sculpture |
| Style: | Late Archaic |
| Technique: | In-the-round |
| Original or Copy: | Original |
| Date: | ca. 490 BC - ca. 480 BC |
| Dimensions: | H. 0.245 m |
| Scale: | Under life-size |
| Region: | Attica |
| Period: | Late Archaic |
Subject Description: Head of young man with blond hair, as indicated by the well-preserved traces of yellow paint on hair when found. Thick mop of hair ending in rows of curls in front, braided in back. Somewhat heavy, fleshy features. Head tilted noticeably to right, which corresponds with the fragment of lower torso usually associated with it. Both show elements of early classical pose with weight on left side of body.
Form & Style: Schematic treatment of hair links the head with archaic predecessors. Severe, vacant look of face is reminiscent of the Kritios Boy (terminus ante quem. Some scholars see a Peloponnesian quality in the work, usually described as a heaviness of form, but there is no hard evidence to link this statue with any known sculptor.
Date Description: A proven archaeological context of Persian debris has not been upheld, although the extremely fresh condition of the surface has led most scholars to continue to date this piece prior to the Persian destruction of 480 B.C.
Condition: Head only (complete)
Condition Description: The head is preserved from the neck. It is often associated with another fragment (
Material Description: Parian Marble
Sources Used: