Looking at Roman-Era Sculpture: The Boxer

Rome is chockablock with classical artifacts, in the museums, in open-air sites, lying around in vacant lots and poking out of building facades. 

I have been hoping to understand classical civilization partly on the basis of these physical bits and pieces. But, they’re only bits and pieces, torn from context. The true past is gone; I can’t think how it felt to be there then. I only know what we see now, reconstructed (or not), cleaned up and simplified.

They're still worth looking at. I can appreciate them aesthetically, both in their ruined condition, and as repaired and cleaned up. Also, I do think it’s possible to understand something about the worldview that produced them, as long as I don’t think I’m understanding the whole magilla.

I’m going to do a few blog posts on what we see here in Rome of the antique past. It’s a matter of strict focus – there’s so much, too much. I’ll start with a very well-preserved life-size work in cast bronze. 

See what you think.

Exhibit A is the Boxer of Quirinal, now in the Rome National Museum. He came out of the ground at the original site of Constantine’s Baths, built around 300 CE. But he is much older, dating to the 1^st century BC, and true Greek, not a copy. He was in the baths along with a lot of other sculptures; how he got there from Greece is unknown. I can imagine him as one of a group, the others lost or scattered, because he seems to be looking at someone. That’s a supposition.

This boxer, as cast, has had a hard life. He’s scarred and wounded, and has a broken nose. He’s bleeding copper beads of blood. He looks fearful, exhausted, on his last nerve. His bronze toes are a little worn – in ancient times it seems people ran their hand over his toes as they passed. Was it for luck? Pity?

Anyway, it looks like he was recognized as a masterpiece from the first and carefully handled, valued, and preserved for hundreds of years. In the 6^th century CE, after the Ostrogoths cut the aqueduct supplying the Baths (and the city) with water, he was apparently carefully buried. He was rediscovered in 1885 when the Baths of Constantine were excavated. Some cleaning was required, and here he sits on his new seat, eye level with ourselves, easy to get close to.

Excavation of Baths of Constantine, photo from 1885

Well, I'm not sure about the "semi-barbaric" part

A very 19th-century comment!

What a miracle, to be in such good shape after 2100 years! What a stroke of luck for us, to have him come to light. I can feel closer to the Romans because of the toe rubbing; I would rub those toes, too. Lovely article in Wikipedia. The Museum’s wall labels are also very explanatory. Rick Steves has good pointers, too.

Now one thing about this boxer, he’s not a winner. Probably he lost his last bout. Despite his physique being tough and well-developed, he’s vulnerable. His mind is perhaps confused. He doesn’t know which way to turn. What’s next for him?

Well, as far as that goes, nobody always wins. We recognize something of our situation in his situation, our sympathy extends to him. 

And those toe-rubbing Romans – they likely felt the same. Thus in looking at this boxer, beautifully placed and lit in the Rome National Museum, we can feel some identification with the Romans of antiquity. In this bronze, we see something of what they saw. 

So that's my feeling about this wonderful bronze - I admire the aesthetic quality, love the story, and feel I've learned something about the Romans who admired and saved him. That was easy. Next, something harder.

by Nancy