Boxer at Rest — Palazzo Massimo, Rome

💡 4 things to know

1. A darker bruiseThe bruise under his right eye was cast with a different alloy to give it a darker colour. The Met, 2013 Checked
2. Wounds in red copperThe museum describes the injuries on his body and face as rendered in colour with red copper, with small drops of blood falling from the wounds. Museo Nazionale Romano, 6 Dec 2023 Checked
3. Ancient boxing glovesHis hands are wrapped in himantes oxeis, straps of hard leather with woollen padding in places. Greek Ministry of Culture Checked
4. A date in disputeThe Met dates the bronze most likely between the late fourth and the second century BC; the Greek Ministry of Culture gives the 3rd century BC. No sculptor is named. The Met, 2013 · Greek Ministry of Culture Conflicting

📍 Check-in guide

🗓️ Sightings

1. 1885

   Excavated in Rome · The Met

2. 2009

   Photographed · Marie-Lan Nguyen

3. 20131 Jun

   On show in New York · The Met

4. 20236 Dec

   Back at Palazzo Massimo · Museo Nazionale Romano

Every stamp links to its source. Green stamps are dated evidence of where the bronze was: Marie-Lan Nguyen’s 2009 photograph, the Met exhibition from 1 June 2013 and the museum’s announcement of its return on 6 December 2023, which sets the status stamp. The amber stamp is the excavation in 1885, as the Met records it.

📰 On the record

✅ The facts

Title

Pugilatore in riposo (Boxer at Rest); the Met showed it in 2013 in the exhibition “The Boxer: An Ancient Masterpiece”. Museo Nazionale Romano, 6 Dec 2023 · The Met, 2013 Checked

Artist

Unknown; no sculptor is named in these sources. The Met, 2013 · Greek Ministry of Culture Unconfirmed

Date

Late 4th to 2nd century BC (the Met); 3rd century BC (Greek Ministry of Culture). We give the Met’s wider range, which reflects the scholarly debate it describes. The Met, 2013 · Greek Ministry of Culture Conflicting

Found

Rome, 1885, on the south slope of the Quirinal Hill near the Baths of Constantine. The Met, 2013 Checked

Medium

Bronze with copper inlays. The Met, 2013 · Museo Nazionale Romano, 6 Dec 2023 Checked

Size

Height 128 cm (the Met, Greek Ministry of Culture); Wikimedia Commons gives 1.20 m. We lean to 128 cm, given by two museum sources. The Met, 2013 · Greek Ministry of Culture · Marie-Lan Nguyen photo, Commons Conflicting

Inventory

Museo Nazionale Romano, inv. 1055. The Met, 2013 · Greek Ministry of Culture Checked

Status

Back on show at Palazzo Massimo, announced 6 December 2023. Museo Nazionale Romano, 6 Dec 2023 Checked

Our photo

Marie-Lan Nguyen, 2009, public domain. Marie-Lan Nguyen photo, Commons Checked

🔗 Related

• When Sculptures Come Alive (12 Photos vol. 3): the SAU collection with the Boxer

All sources (5)

Museums and records

• The Met: exhibition “The Boxer: An Ancient Masterpiece”, exhibition 1 June to 18 July 2013. Discovery in 1885, dating, copper inlays, the darker bruise, height, inv. 1055.
• Museo Nazionale Romano: “Il Pugilatore in riposo torna a Palazzo Massimo”, 6 December 2023. Return from Brescia, red copper wounds.
• Greek Ministry of Culture: “Boxer”, Olympic Games pages. Inv. 1055, height 1.28 m, 3rd century BC, himantes oxeis.

Photos

• Wikimedia Commons: Marie-Lan Nguyen, “Thermae boxer Massimo Inv1055”, 2009. Public domain.

Street Art Utopia

• Street Art Utopia: When Sculptures Come Alive (12 Photos vol. 3), 19 October 2026. The SAU post with this photo.

Artwork File · Last checked 19 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files