The Lancellotti Discus Thrower is one of the most famous and seemingly, most faithful marble copies of the 5th century Greek sculptor Myron's bronze masterpiece.
Discovered in 1781 in the area of Villa Palombara on the Esquiline, it entered the collections of Palazzo Massimo Lancellotti (from which the name derives).
The sculpted image is like a snapshot photograph in which the naked athlete is depicted in the moment before the disc is released. The power of the gesture remains unchanged regardless of the point of view from which the statue is observed.
During the Second World War it was brought to Berlin where it remained for 10 years. It was then returned to Italy where, since 1953, it became part of the collection of the National Museum of Rome. It is one of the most famous sculptures in the history of art celebrated since ancient times for the surrender of the athlete in movement.
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