More than fifty years ago, in August 1972, the so-called Riace Bronzes were recovered from the Ionian Sea off Riace Marina, near Reggio Calabria, in southern Italy. They are two bronze statues considered masterpieces of classical Greek sculpture from the 5th century BCE.
Despite decades of study, there are still unknowns about their origin and meaning. Recently, a novel approach has revealed interesting details about their craftsmanship, shedding light on this historical-artistic mystery.
The statues, larger than life-size, depict two naked warriors. It is believed they were cast by Greek sculptors around 450-440 BCE and later transported to Italy during Roman times. Their faces and bodies display the perfect harmony characteristic of the classical beauty canon. Despite centuries underwater, their state of preservation is exceptional.
Some argue they are the work of different sculptors. The so-called statue A would be the work of Phidias or his workshop around 460 BCE, while statue B exhibits typical features of Polyclitus’ work, such as the twist of the torso or the resting position of the left leg. Material and casting technique studies revealed differences between them, as if they were made by different artists, or in different periods, or by the same artist in different places.
There is also no consensus on who they represent, whether gods, warriors, or athletes. One of the most interesting hypotheses is that they depict hoplitodromoi, participants in the armed hoplite race that took place in the Olympic Games and Panhellenic Games, among others.
Among the best-preserved details are the eyes, lips, tear ducts, hair, beard, and even teeth. Only in one statue, called the “Young Man”, are the latter expressly represented by a thin silver sheet covering the upper incisors.
This dental peculiarity has recently been the subject of study. Through virtual photogrammetry on official images of the bronzes, facial and dental parameters were measured to verify the presence of golden proportions. These proportions, based on the golden ratio, represented in classical art an ideal of divine beauty and harmony.
The results showed that both the face and the visible central teeth conform to these proportions. Likewise, the complete facial and dental morphology could be indirectly inferred. This suggests that the sculptors meticulously planned all the details, including the dental ones, according to the aesthetic canons of the time.
This approach brings a new perspective to the study of the bronzes. It shows that even seemingly minor details, such as the representation of teeth, could have been intentionally designed to achieve the “divine beauty” that classical Greek sculpture pursued. It sheds light on the underlying creative methodology of one of the pinnacle works of Hellenic art.
Sources
Putrino, A., Raso, M., Marinelli, E. et al. The golden section in the art of ancient Greece: an anthropometric study of the young warrior of Riace. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11, 309 (2024). doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-02801-3
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