Ancient judges

A man in classic museum was busied for study of a classic sculpture, an athletic man with lance in the right hand, he turned around this sculpture and considered his form and anatomy, his natural posture and natural glance, a girl, student of archeology approached to this man and asked: “You seem very interested to this sculpture”, but man didn’t answered, and continued his examination, the girl was very wrong stroke for this unpolite, but she continued: “I repeat…”, and man: “I have understood, and I have listened your words, but I have interest now for this sculpture and not certainly for you or your words”, and while man looked sculpture commented and repeated: “Here this particular must be better than this, and here also”, the girl, Artemis, this is her name, continued to look man, and therefore she asked: “Who is this person?” and man: “Perhaps a athletic man or a warrior who leads a horse, or Achilles, but this you must will discover” , and Artemis, hear here Galenus, what he wrote around this sculpture: “Now is very praised a sculpture of Policletus, and this is called Canon because is perfect for his proportions, and other mention: “Crisippus thinks that beauty there isn’t for symmetry of elements but for symmetry body’s part… in opinion of Policletus and his treatise around proportion”, and he has made a sculpture called Canon, but pity that it isn’t original”; and the girl indicated other sculpture with same style, and asked: “And that?”, and man started: “This is Hercules and has same style of Doriforus, same definition for body, and although it is very classic, and therefore perfect for his form he has posture and natural glance, then it is very classic as much natural, this sculpture is around 440 450 b. C., and other sculpture of Policletus is here, Amazon for this sculpture Policletus has very tried a cloth very charming; this is first try for cloth and this is succeed perfectly, but is nature that is always dominant, and a writer like Pliny wrote: “ For this sculpture others artist gone, this sculpture was for Diane temple, and judge for winning was that of Policletus, and other was judged better that of Fidia and Kresilas from Kydion, for this sculpture Policletus was very busied, and he has formed a canon for female beauty, and last sculpture of Policletus was Diadumenus, an athletic man who crown himself much next for style to Doriforus, this is last sculpture of Policletus and he now is perfect, other works of this sculpture there aren’t, therefore you have though that he hasn’t sculpted neither”, Artemis then asked other explications around this reality code, and man answered: “His reality is result of evolution of Greek sculpture, during archaic period sculpture was very wrong, static and immobile, but during century all is changed, and I have given dynamic and natural impression to my sculptures, in fact a Roman writer wrote: “Policletus was more clever for sculpture of men than gods”, it is because was important representation of men that is natural, and he has given this natural form to men in marble and above all to bronze”, Artemis was very impressed for these explications, and while man gone away she asked: “What is your name?” and man answered: “Doriforus”, and Artemis very astonish, turned around and she not seen crowd around but alone same person, then she asked: “Who are you?”, and they answered: “Amazon”, and “Deudemus” and last: “Heracles and you are next sculpture”, in fact a man very old approached to Artemis and he started sculpted marble that he has in front, and on marble he wrote: “This marble is my Artemis”.     

Alessandro Lusana

Doriforus

Amazon

Duodemenus