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Rating:
THE REVIEW
Incredible but true, no one has ever reviewed this statue, even though calling it that is rather reductive, as we are facing the best work of Polykleitos of Argos, a truly exceptional artist.
Yes indeed, forget any Doryphoros or Diskophoros, this is the true masterpiece of our Polykleitos (also the writer of the "Canon of Polykleitos," thus a truly multitasking character).
Now, let's get to the work: it depicts a young athlete in the act of tying to his forehead the so-called tenia, the band of victory. There is a very clear application of the chiasmus (and I imagine you all know what chiasmus is), the proportions are all very natural and sculpted according to the Canon mentioned a moment ago, and despite the action being difficult to capture, in this work, it appears extremely natural.
But the thing that launches this statue into the top 3 of my personal "top 10 Greek statues of the classical period" is how the face is slightly turned towards one of the arms, as if to accompany the movement.
In short, a stunning and unjustly forgotten statue, and even though only the Roman marble copy remains, I am sure the original would be no less.
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Summary by Bot
This review praises Policleto di Argo’s Diadumeno as an exceptional and overlooked masterpiece of classical Greek sculpture. The statue’s naturalistic depiction of an athlete tying a victory band highlights the artist's mastery of proportion and movement using the Canon of Polykleitos. Despite surviving only as a Roman marble copy, it stands among the top Greek statues of the classical period.
