Riace Bronzes. The Riace bronzes, also called the Riace Warriors, are two full-size Greek bronzes of naked bearded warriors, cast about 460-450 BC that were found in the sea in 1972 near Riace, Calabria, in southern Italy.
The bronzes are now in the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia in the nearby city of Reggio Calabria. They are two of the few surviving full-size ancient Greek bronzes, and as such demonstrate the superb technical craftsmanship and exquisite artistic features that were achieved at this time.
The bronzes are now on display inside a microclimate room on top of an anti-seismic platform faced in Carrara marble. Along with the bronzes, the room also contains two head sculptures: la Testa del Filosofo and la Testa di Basilea, which are also from the 5th century BC. Although the bronzes were rediscovered in 1972, they did not emerge from conservation until 1981.
Their public display in Florence and Rome was the cultural event of that year in Italy, providing the cover story for numerous magazines. Now considered one of the symbols of Calabria, the bronzes were commemorated by a pair of Italian postage stamps and have also been widely reproduced.
The two bronze sculptures are simply known as Statue A, referring to the one portraying a younger warrior, and Statue B, indicating the more mature-looking of the two. Both sculptures were made using the lost wax casting technique. Stefano
The bronzes are now in the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia in the nearby city of Reggio Calabria. They are two of the few surviving full-size ancient Greek bronzes, and as such demonstrate the superb technical craftsmanship and exquisite artistic features that were achieved at this time.
The bronzes are now on display inside a microclimate room on top of an anti-seismic platform faced in Carrara marble. Along with the bronzes, the room also contains two head sculptures: la Testa del Filosofo and la Testa di Basilea, which are also from the 5th century BC. Although the bronzes were rediscovered in 1972, they did not emerge from conservation until 1981.
Their public display in Florence and Rome was the cultural event of that year in Italy, providing the cover story for numerous magazines. Now considered one of the symbols of Calabria, the bronzes were commemorated by a pair of Italian postage stamps and have also been widely reproduced.
The two bronze sculptures are simply known as Statue A, referring to the one portraying a younger warrior, and Statue B, indicating the more mature-looking of the two. Both sculptures were made using the lost wax casting technique. Stefano
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