Polykleitos

Polykleitos was a Greek sculptor active in the fifth century BC whose athletic figures explored harmonious relationships between the parts of the body. His Canon set out principles of proportion, associated especially with the Doryphoros, or Spear-Bearer. In this standing figure, the opposition of active and relaxed limbs produces balance without making the body rigid. The Diadoumenos, a youth tying a ribbon around his head, offers another treatment of the athletic subject. The original bronzes are lost, and surviving copies vary in material, size and detail. They preserve important evidence while also reflecting the decisions of later sculptors and patrons.