Bronze hand of a boxer

1st–2nd century CE

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 168

The hand is clad in a caestus (boxing glove), comprising a semicylindrical strip and a projecting spike, tied with cords running from the wrist. Although Roman boxers are represented on statues, mosaics, terracotta plaques and lamps, and bronze figurines, few objects show the actual boxing glove with such clarity of detail as the present piece. The hand is probably not a fragment of a larger composition; it was, perhaps, a votive, dedicated by a boxer on his retirement.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Bronze hand of a boxer
Period: Imperial
Date: 1st–2nd century CE
Culture: Roman
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: H. 3 in. (7.6 cm); width 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm); length 7 11/16 in. (19.5 cm)
Classification: Bronzes
Credit Line: Gift of the Safani family, in honor of Edward Safani, 2001
Object Number: 2001.219
Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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