Polykleitos
Greek·-480–-405
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Polykleitos was an ancient Greek sculptor active in the 5th century BCE, considered one of the greatest artists of classical antiquity. He worked primarily in bronze at Argos in the Peloponnese. None of his original bronzes survive, but Roman marble copies preserve his most important compositions.
Polykleitos wrote a treatise called the Canon, laying out mathematical proportions for the ideal human figure. His Doryphoros (Spear Bearer) embodied these principles and became the single most copied statue in the ancient world. The Diadumenos (Youth Tying a Headband) is his other widely reproduced work. Both demonstrate the contrapposto stance that influenced Western sculpture for two millennia.
Sculptures by Polykleitos
2 sculptures catalogued with museum locations. Browse all sculptures
Museums with Polykleitos's Work
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About Polykleitos
Polykleitos created the Doryphoros (Spear Bearer), the most copied statue in antiquity. He also wrote the Canon, a theoretical treatise establishing ideal mathematical proportions for depicting the human body.
Contrapposto is a pose where the figure's weight rests on one leg, creating a natural S-curve through the body. Polykleitos perfected this technique, and it became fundamental to Western sculpture from the Renaissance onward.
No. All of Polykleitos' original bronze sculptures have been lost, likely melted down in antiquity. We know his work through Roman marble copies, the most famous being the Doryphoros in the Naples Archaeological Museum.
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