06 Riace Warriors

Art Humanities Section 4: More Human than Human Supplement/ Reference Riaci Warrior “B” THE RIACE BRONZES The Riace (ree AH chee) Bronzes, or Riace Warriors are two famous full-­‐
size Greek bronze sculptures of nude bearded warriors, cast about 460 -­‐ 430 BC and currently housed by the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia in Italy. The Riace Warriors are termed "A" and "B. Riaci Warrior “A” Stefano Mariottini, a Roman chemist on a scuba diving vacation, on August 16, 1972, found them underwater. They were probably the cargo of a shipwreck off the coast of Riace, Italy. They are major additions to the surviving examples of Greek sculpture. The statues' eyes are inlaid with bone and glass, while the teeth are in silver and lips and nipples are in copper. Formerly they held spears and shields. Additionally, Riace Warrior B once wore a helmet pushed up atop his head and it is thought that Riace Warrior A perhaps wore a wreath upon his head. These bronzes are from the early Classical Period. They are a fine example of Contrapposto -­‐ the weight is on the back leg. The muscles looks soft enough to be visible yet realistic. The turned heads not only represent movement but also add life to the sculptures. Relaxed in stance, and with their lips slightly apart – as if talking or taking a breath – they appear at first to be perfectly realistic. In fact, neither of the bronzes is anatomically correct. The division between the upper and lower body has been emphasized by a raised band of muscle and ligament that runs across the front and around to the back of each statue. An implausibly deep groove runs up the center of the chest. The length of the legs has been extended to match the length of the upper body. There is an unnaturally deep groove running down the back where the spine should be. This groove runs directly into the exaggerated buttocks, rather than showing the lower back area where the tailbone would be.