Moschophoros

Archaic Greek statue c.570BC

Archaic Greek statue of a young man with calf - probably a prize.

Moschophorus means 'The Calf-bearer'. The original Greek archaic statue was rediscovered during excavations on the Acropolis in Athens in 1864. It was quite badly damaged, missing its nose, the end of his beard, his hands and lower body, so my carving is a 'restoration'. The ancient statue was coloured and the man, but not the calf, had eyes inserted. I used a blue woodstain, softened with liming wax. I made the eyes of glazed clay.

1864 Discovery of the Moschophorus and other archaic Greek sculptures.

An invading Perisan army sacked the Acropolis of Athens twice in 480-479BC devastating the sacred site. Later in the fifth century a great building programme led to the building of the Parthenon and other structures visible today. The archaic statues were buried under the rubble. By Marsyas - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=479123

Excavations in 1864

A photograph showing various finds from the Acropolis in 1864. By Unknown author - This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60494060