Croatian Apoxyomenos On Display At Louvre In Paris
- by croatiaweek
- in News
A bronze Apoxyomenos sculpture, discovered in the Adriatic Sea off the Croatian island of Losinj by a diver in 1996, is currently on display in the Louvre in Paris.
Last night in the French capital Croatian Culture Minister Andrea Zlatar Violic opened the “Croatian Apoxyomenos” at the Musée du Louvre as part of “Croatie, la voici”, the Festival of Croatia in France.
In 1996, a recreational diver came across the large bronze statue which is thought to be a Hellenistic or Roman replica after a bronze original from the second quarter or the end of the 4th century BC, was recovered in April 1999 by Croatian archeologists and restored.
The 192 cm high statue, with red copper-inlaid lips and nipples, represents an “apoxyomenos”, which is an athlete removing the oil and sand from his body. Ancient athletes competed nude and outside; they covered their bodies in oil, which mixed with the sand of the palestra during their competition.
The statute will remain in Louvre until 25 February 2013.
