Napoli. Museo Archeologico Nazionale
The work portrays two nude young athletes on an irregular base in a similar and specular posture, completely similar in the facial features.
The statue shows the athlete with the left leg bent forward and the sole of the foot resting on the ground, while the right leg is set back with the heel raised; the trunk is leant forward; the right arm is bent, while the left one is lowered; the head is slightly turned towards the shoulders; the hair, with short tufts ruffled on the forehead, is arranged in two opposite pincers-shaped locks, the eyes are made of different materials (eyeballs of bone or ivory, irises and pupils of grey and black stone) and then inserted.
They are probably copies of Greek statues of the late fourth century or the early third century BC, celebrating a victorious athlete in one of the major Pan-hellenic games; they can be referred to the Augustan Age according to the context and a stylistic analysis.
A la mateixa sala s’hi exposen també les ballarines que estaven situades al peristil.