8 Inches High x 3.5 Inches Wide x 4 Inches Deep The Greek sculptor Myron was famous for his athletes and animals. One such sculpture of Myron's that is considered one of the best of the Classical period is the life-size Discobolus, or Discus Thrower. The original bronze is lost, but many Roman copies exist, including the best copy which is in the Museo Nazionale Romano. The figure is renowned for its complexity of motion and form. Despite the thrower's apparent action, he is depicted at rest, shown in between the backswing and the forward swing. The calm face was a typical stylistic choice of the era; the Greeks preferred to illustrate themselves as collected and noble, even in battle scenes. The copy in the Museo Nazionale Romano is also known as the Lancellotti Discobolus, named after the family that owned it for over a century after it was found on their property on the Esquiline Hill in 1781. The German government bought the sculpture in 1938, prompted by Hitler who thought it a perfect example of the Aryan race, and displayed it in the Glyptothek until 1948 when the sculpture returned to Italy. Artist: Myron Museum: Museo Nazionale Romano Time Period: Ancient Greek, c. 455 B.C.E./Ancient Roman 1976 Catalog ID # - 84 Sources: Collins, Neil. "Myron." Art Encyclopedia. Visual-arts-cork.com, 2019, http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/sculpture/myron.htm. "Gli imperdibili." Museo Nazionale Romano, slide 12, http://www.museonazionaleromano.beniculturali.it/it/176/gli-imperdibili. Harris, Beth, and Steven Zucker. "Myron, Discobolus (Discus Thrower), Roman copy of an ancient Greek bronze (video)." Khan Academy, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek-art/classical/v/myron-discobolus-discus-thrower-roman-copy-of-an-ancient-greek-bronze-from-c-450-b-c-e. Sooke, Alastair. "The Discobolus: Greeks, Nazis and the body beautiful." BBC, 24 March 2015, http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150324-hitlers-idea-of-the-perfect-body.
