Sculpture of the Greek hero Meleager. Roman Empire, High Empire, I-II centuries A.D.

Sculpture of the Greek hero Meleager. Roman Empire, High Empire, I-II centuries A.D.
Marble carved in round bulk.
Provenance: European private collection.
State of preservation: fragmentary, with losses of head and arms; preserves part of the body, legs, base and partial figure of the dog.
It shows wear, erosions, small losses and superficial deposits in accordance with its age.
Measurements: 73 x 37 x 22 cm.

Important Roman sculpture in marble representing the Greek hero Meleager, central figure of the famous hunt of the wild boar of Calidon. The work is inspired by classical Greek models, traditionally linked to the type of Meleager attributed to Scopas, sculptor of the fourth century BC, whose formulation was widely disseminated and reinterpreted in Roman times.

The figure appears standing, in a serene attitude, with an elegant contraposto that preserves the anatomical tension of the body despite the ancient losses of head and arms. He wears a short tunic or chlamys, arranged in deep and rhythmic folds, with a meticulous treatment of the lower edge. On the torso there is a medallion with a lion's head, symbol of strength and heroism.

At the feet of the figure is partially preserved the figure of a dog, an attribute that reinforces the identification of Meleager as a hunter. This element refers directly to the mythical episode of the hunt for the wild boar of Calidon, sent by Artemis as punishment to King Aeneus. Meleager led the expedition, in which Atalanta also participated, and finally finished off the beast, triggering the family conflict that would lead to its tragic fate.

The piece retains a remarkable sculptural strength in the anatomy, posture and drapery work. The combination of classical idealization, heroic iconography and Roman execution responds to the taste of the imperial elites for mythological images of prestige, conceived as a cultured evocation of the Greek world and as a symbol of virtue, nobility and heroic memory.