Travel Pick: Art and Archaeology in Germany
The Roman Boxer: A Masterpiece of Greek Bronze Sculpture

On loan for two months from the Museo Nazionale Romano at the Palazzo Massimo in Rome, the life-size portrait of a fist-fighter in sitting position, one of the most famous bronze statues from ancient times, is on view at the Antikensammlung (Collection of Classical Antiquities) in Berlin’s Altes Museum.

An original late Hellenistic statue from the first century BC, the statue was found in 1885 on the Quirinal Hill in Rome; it may have been part of the furnishings of the Emperor Constantine’s spas located in the area. In the 1980s, comprehensive restoration of the sculpture revealed fascinating details of the ancient surface, such as the many scars and blood drops on the boxer’s face.

Around twenty objects from the Antikensammlung’s own collection round off the picture: vases, bronze statuettes, and marble heads allow a fascinating insight into 1000 years of athletics in ancient times.