Lara Youngberg
March 15, 2015
Ms. Swann
Week 4 Research Paper
Riace Warriors
Throughout the centuries there have been so many pieces of art created, and it is amazing
to see the transfiguration of art. One of my favorite time periods so far is the Greek and Roman
time period. It is absolutely amazing learning about the creation, meaning, and discovery of art.
One of the most famous sculptures in the Greek period is the Riace Warriors.
The Riace Warriors, also referred to as the Riace Bronzes or Bronzi di Riace, are two life
sized Greek bronze statues of naked, bearded warriors, cast around 460-430 BC. These statues
are commonly referred to as “Satue A” and “Statue B”. These sculptures were made using the
Lost Wax technique, using bronze, which is composed of a metal alloy of copper and tin, it
provides a strong and brittle material for use. The teeth of the Warriors are made of silver, (see
image 1) their lips (see image 2) and nipples are made of copper, and their eyes are made of
calcite (see image 2). It is thought that at one time they At one time, they both held spears and
shields (see image 3); however, these have not been found. Also, it is believed that Statue B once
had a helmet on his head and Statue A a wreath on his. These additional pieces of armor may be
missing because bronze was often melted down and reused.
The Riace Warriors were discovered by Stefano Mariottini in the Mediterranean Sea just
off the coast of Riace Marina, Italy, on August 16, 1972. In the water the statues were nearly
perfectly preserved.
The statues were found and taken out of the sea; from there they were
transported to the Archeological Museum in Florence where they underwent conservation. The
statues did not go on exhibition until 1981, nine years after their initial discovery. The
restoration, however, was not fully complete until 2011.
These statues are some of the greatest Greek sculpture, and are a fine example of Severe
Style. Severe Style or Early Classical style was the dominant style of Greek art. In this style
sculptors try to make their art more true to life through the face and body movements. As can be
seen in the Riace Warriors, both are in contrapposto pose, with their weight on their back legs
which is a very realistic stance. The musculature is there, soft enough to look realistic, and there
is a very true sense of realism to the figures as a whole.
Some other statues that use this style is the Charioteer of Delphi, 475 BC, and Discobolus
of Myron,460 BC. These are different but similar to the Riace Warriors. Discobolus is seen in a
very severe ‘S’ curve. While this is severe style, and the Riace Warriors also have an ‘S’ curve,
Discobolus is to the extreme. The Charioteer has a higher degree of naturalism to the sculpture
whereas the Warriors are somewhat idealized.
Because of the great discovery of the Riace Warriors the Greek collection of statues has
grown immensely and society is able to get a better view of the art from this time period. The
Riace Warriors are truly great pieces of artwork.
Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discobolus
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek-art/early-classical/a/riacewarriors
www.boundless.com/art-history/textbooks/boundless-art-history-textbook/ancient-greece-6
/early-classical-period-65/bronze sculpture-337-10890/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riace_bronzes
Image 1
Image 3
Image 2