Boxer at Rest was uncovered near the Baths of Constantine. Broad-shouldered and lanky, this boxer has just finished a match. He is seated on a boulder, resting, when something catches his
attention, and he turns his head.

He’s wearing boxing gloves and a belt that covers his genitalia and lower abdomen. The condition of his face tells us that he’s been in many fights. This match, that he has just finished, must have been a tough one. He has cuts on his cheeks and forehead. His right eye is swollen. His nose is disfigured. Broken more than once. He is exhausted.

The statue can be anywhere from fourth and the second century B.C. (323-31 B.C.). “The statue was cast using the indirect lost-wax method. It was made in different sections that were then welded together: head, body, genitals, arms above the gloves, forearms, left leg, and middle toes. The top of the head was restored in antiquity.” The inset eyes are missing. “The statue is remarkable for its extensive use of inlaid copper, especially for the wounds to the boxer’s head and the drips of blood on his right arm and leg as well as his lips, nipples, and the straps and stitching of the boxing gloves. Of particular note is the bruise under his right eye, which was cast with a different alloy to give it a darker color.”