Figure of a Youth from a Funerary Stele (Monument)
about 380 BCE
Medium
Marble
Dimensions
77 × 26 × 18 cm (31 1/2 × 10 1/4 × 7 in.)
Classification
marble
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
11625
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This young man’s angular nose, bow-shaped mouth, and softly muscled body reflect the ideals of male beauty that prevailed in the fourth century BCE. His mantle, attached at one shoulder, suggests that he was a servant or enslaved person. This fragmentary portrait was likely part of a more complex scene; perhaps this figure accompanied his master in a larger composition.
About the Artist
Ancient Greek
The artist known simply as "Ancient Greek" represents the anonymous masters of Attic vase painting, a cornerstone of Classical Greek art from the Archaic and Classical periods (circa 700–300 BCE). Little is known of their personal life, as ancient Greek potters and painters rarely signed their works or left biographical traces; early life and training remain not well documented. These creators ope...