Because the Cycladic culture had no written language, our understanding of them is very limited. What we do know is gleaned from the artifacts they've left behind, like this one. This piece is crafted from marble and exemplifies the human form in basic geometric shapes.
Archaeologists believe that sculptures like this one may have been used for funerary or religious rituals since they are often found near graves. Like many other Greek marble sculptures, this one likely was originally painted. Shades of red, blue, and black would have highlighted dramatic features on sculptures like this one. Like so many well-known Greek sculptures, all we can see is the white marble underneath. For more on the evolution of Greek sculpture, see resources.
Horse
Artist Unknown
Greek
Geometric Period, ca. 700-750 BCE
Bronze
H. 3 9/16 in (9.0 cm)
Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art
Handle in the Form of a Youth
Greek, probably made in Samos, Ionia
Archaic period, ca. 540 BCE
Bronze
H. 6 1/8 in. (15.5 cm)
Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Gift of the Honorable Burton Y. Berry in recognition of Chancellor Herman B. Well’s service to the University
Hermes and the Infant Dionysus
Attributed to Praxiteles
Greek, Made in Olympia
Classical Period, 4th century BCE
Marble
H. 6 ft 11 in (2.12 m)
Archaeological Museum of Olympia
Boxer at Rest
Artist Unknown
Greek, found in Rome
Hellenistic Period, ca 330—350 BCE
Bronze
H. 4 ft 2 ½ in (1.28 m)
National Museum of Rome, Rome, Italy
