Riace Bronze Statue B Bust

Riace Bronze Statue B Bust

View of one head of the "Riace Bronze" statues that were found in the sea near Riace in 1972.  This one is called "B" and both statues are about 6 ft 6 in tall.  This appears to be the "younger-looking" of the two statues.  He stands in a contrapposto pose.  Calcite was used to make their eyes while their nipples, eyelashes and open lips were made using copper.


It seems that the statues were cast in the middle of the fifth century B.C.  It is not certain who the sculptor(s) was/were.  It seems that the bronze material is from Agros or Attica in Greece.  Possibly they were on a ship that foundered off the coast of Riace that was carrying these statues to Rome (as plunder?)—but no shipwreck has been found in the vicinity.

They are now displayed in a climate-controlled room of the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia in Reggio di Calabria.