Motya Charioteer. The Motya Charioteer is a marble statue dating from the ancient Greek Classical Period.
It was found in October 1979 in the ancient city of Motya, originally a Phoenician settlement which occupied the island of San Pantaleo off the coast of Sicily. It is owned by, and on view in, the Museo Giuseppe Whitaker on the same island.
The marble statue depicts a young male figure in a swinging contraposto pose, with his right foot forward, his left hand resting on his hip, and his right arm raised. He wears a very long chiton, with a broad flat belt over his chest.
Two holes once accommodated a metal fitting at the centre of the belt, perhaps a clasp. The figure's musculature, genitals, and posterior are clearly visible; the sculptor managed to create the illusion that they are seen through the sheer fabric of the chiton.
Bulging veins are depicted on the upper arms in a rudimentary manner. The figure's face is impassive, with puffy eyelids and almond-shaped eyes. The hair is depicted as three rows of circles, commonly known as snail curls. Above them, the head is a featureless dome. There are small holes around the bottom of the dome, which were probably for pins to secure a metal skull cap or helmet. When the sculpture was toppled in antiquity, both arms were snapped off and lost, as were the legs below the shins. The face is also heavily damaged and the head was snapped off at the n
It was found in October 1979 in the ancient city of Motya, originally a Phoenician settlement which occupied the island of San Pantaleo off the coast of Sicily. It is owned by, and on view in, the Museo Giuseppe Whitaker on the same island.
The marble statue depicts a young male figure in a swinging contraposto pose, with his right foot forward, his left hand resting on his hip, and his right arm raised. He wears a very long chiton, with a broad flat belt over his chest.
Two holes once accommodated a metal fitting at the centre of the belt, perhaps a clasp. The figure's musculature, genitals, and posterior are clearly visible; the sculptor managed to create the illusion that they are seen through the sheer fabric of the chiton.
Bulging veins are depicted on the upper arms in a rudimentary manner. The figure's face is impassive, with puffy eyelids and almond-shaped eyes. The hair is depicted as three rows of circles, commonly known as snail curls. Above them, the head is a featureless dome. There are small holes around the bottom of the dome, which were probably for pins to secure a metal skull cap or helmet. When the sculpture was toppled in antiquity, both arms were snapped off and lost, as were the legs below the shins. The face is also heavily damaged and the head was snapped off at the n
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