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Piraeus Apollo

Piraeus Apollo is one of the large bronze statues from the so-called Bronzes of Piraeus, discovered in 1959 during sewer works in Piraeus and now kept in the Piraeus Archaeological Museum. The hoard also included Athena, two statues of Artemis, two shields, a theatrical mask, two marble herms, and a marble statuette of Artemis. The Apollo stands 1.91 m tall, is nude, and has the general form of an archaic kouros, though several details differ from the usual model. Scholars have debated whether it belongs to a transitional phase or is a Hellenistic copy of an older original. The find was especially important because so few original ancient Greek bronze statues survive.

Piraeus Apollo bronze statue of a nude male figure with long hair and outstretched arms
The Piraeus Apollo, an archaic bronze statue, shown with its green-blue patina and damaged surface.
· Attribution
The Piraeus Apollo bronze statue with long braided hair and green patina, standing on a stone plinth.
The Piraeus Apollo, a bronze statue displayed on a stone plinth in a museum setting.
May 2022 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Piraeus Apollo, a bronze nude male statue with braided hair, shown in profile on a stone base.
The Piraeus Apollo bronze statue displayed in profile at the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus.
November 2009 © · Attribution
Piraeus Apollo bronze statue seen from the rear right in a museum hall
The Piraeus Apollo bronze statue displayed on a plinth in the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus.
July 2018 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Detail of the Piraeus Apollo bronze statue with green patina and visible cracks.
Detail of the Piraeus Apollo, a bronze statue with heavy green patina and visible surface cracking.
November 2009 © · Attribution

Identification

TitlePiraeus Apollo
Typebronze statue; kouros
SubjectApollo
Alternative titlesEl Apolo del Pireo; Apollo del Pireo; Apollon du Pirée

Historical context

Artistic periodArchaic Greek sculpture
Datepossibly 530–520 BC; some scholars place it in the late Archaic or early Classical period, while Claude Rolley argued for a Hellenistic imitation of an earlier 6th-century model
Dating difficultyBronze is difficult to date

Creator

AttributionUnknown

Discovery and provenance

Find condition at discoveryThe statues appear to have been packed for transport and were found in a burned warehouse
Possible original provenancePiraeus or Delos; some scholars also suggest a local sanctuary in Piraeus
Possible original function and destinationThe group may have been stored in a harbor stoa/portico and either evacuated for safety or prepared for shipment, possibly as Roman booty to Italy
Probable historical context of depositThe warehouse likely burned around 86 BC, during the Roman capture of Piraeus by Sulla; a nearby coin dated to 87/86 BC bore the image of Mithridates VI
Associated findsFound with Athena of Piraeus, two Artemis statues, a large bronze theatrical mask, and three marble sculpture fragments
Excavation directorEfthymios Mastrokostas
Discovery contextFound during sewer canalization / pipe-installation works, in or near a warehouse at the port of Piraeus
Discovery placePiraeus, Greece
Discovery date1959, probably July

Materials

Primary materialBronze
Additional materialsIron armature; clay core; thin gold leaf

Technique

Manufacturing techniqueHollow casting, probably by the indirect lost-wax method

Physical characteristics

Facial featuresEyes fused with the head; face does not smile
Damage causeCorrosion and oxidation, including moisture in the clay core and corrosion of the iron armature
ConditionMostly intact, with slight corrosion, a crack in the left thigh, and a few fissures on the left leg
Surface finishRefined
Height1.91–1.92 m
Arms and handsArms raised; the right hand probably held a phiale or cup, and the left hand probably held a bow
HairShort, rather naturalistic hair with spiral curls; originally described as golden and covered with thin gold leaf
Head positionHead slightly inclined forward and to the right
PoseNude figure with the right leg advanced

Appearance

Stylistic characterArchaizing kouros with several features departing from the usual archaic kouros model
Comparative styleThe figure belongs to the latest or final phase of the kouros type and contrasts with works such as the Kroisos Kouros and the Kouros of Anavyssos

Iconography and meaning

Identification of figureGenerally interpreted as Apollo, though it may also be understood as a kouros form representing Apollo or a cult statue of Apollo
Interpretive backgroundKouroi were often identified with Apollo in antiquity, and Apollo was associated with ideal order, balance, and libation offering
Action depictedOffering a libation

Location and ownership

Current locationPiraeus Archaeological Museum, Athens
Collection statusPart of the museum's holdings

History and restoration

Publication statusPapadimitriou died in 1963 without publishing the find; his notes were lost

Significance

Historical significanceOne of the few surviving original Greek bronze statues from antiquity
Technical significanceOne of the earliest surviving examples of hollow-cast bronze sculpture, a technique invented around 550 BC
Scholarly significanceAttracted major scholarly attention, especially together with Athena of Piraeus