THIS MARBLE STATUE depicts a youth standing in the conventional pose of a kouros. Kouri are stone male figures dating from the Archaic period of Greek art (about 600-480 вс). The characteristic pose is based on symmetry: the left and right sides mirror each other, and the legs are positioned so as to divide the bodyweight equally between front and back.

The mouth is invariably fixed in a smile, probably a symbolic expression of the arete (excellence) of the person represented. It was thought that all kouroi represented the god Apollo, but though this may be true of some, others were simply grave markers. The kouros was not intended as a realistic portrait of the deceased, but an idealized representation of youthful beauty and athleticism; values and virtues to which the dead laid claim.

The figure is known as the Strangford Apollo after a previous owner, the sixth Viscount Strangford.



Said to be from the island of Andfi, Cyclades, Aegean Sea, c. 500-490 вс
Ht 101 cm
Strangford Collection