A 19th Century Patinated Bronze of the Townley Discobolus, After Myron

European, 19th Century
Height: Approximately 27 cm

A finely cast nineteenth-century bronze reduction of the celebrated Townley Discobolus, after the lost Greek original by Myron of Eleutherae, conceived circa 450 BC.

The athletic figure is depicted at the moment preceding the release of the discus, his body held in a complex arrangement of tension and movement. His head is turned downwards, following the distinctive composition of the Townley marble, while the carefully articulated musculature captures the balance and dynamism of the ancient sculptural model.

Particularly notable for its accomplished modelling at this intimate scale, the bronze retains finely rendered facial features, individually defined curls and carefully observed anatomical detail. The figure is supported by the characteristic tree trunk and raised upon a circular plinth, the whole displaying a richly variegated dark brown and verdigris patina, with warm bronze highlights.

The Townley Discobolus was discovered in 1790 at Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli, and subsequently entered the celebrated collection of Charles Townley. Acquired by the British Museum in 1805, the marble became one of the most admired examples of classical sculpture in Britain, its distinctive interpretation of Myron’s original widely disseminated through casts, engravings and sculptural reductions.

Such bronzes formed an important part of the nineteenth-century taste for the Antique, allowing collectors to introduce celebrated works of Greek and Roman sculpture into the domestic setting. Produced as objects of artistic appreciation and scholarly interest, these reductions reflected the enduring influence of the Grand Tour and the neoclassical tradition.

A particularly attractive cabinet bronze, distinguished by the quality of its casting, expressive modelling and richly developed surface patination.