Pseudo-athlete

The term Pseudo-athlete is used to describe works of art from the Late Republican period in Ancient Rome that combine a veristic head with an idealized body that references Classical Greek sculpture.

The pseudo-athlete's body is typically depicted in heroic-nudity with highly smooth muscular forms and are often shown in an active stance or standing in an S-shaped curved known as contrapposto.

[6] These public funerals intended to honor the virtuous character of the deceased, emphasizing prized Roman values such as stern moral seriousness (gravitas), firmness and strictness of judgement (severitas), and determination and self-possession (constantia).

[5] During the late republic, many Roman traders and merchants came to Delos to take advantage of its central location for sea trade, bringing their own artistic style along with them.

[9] The bust of the sculpture follows the tradition of Roman veristic portraiture, most notably in the figure's balding head, large ears, the subtle wrinkles on his forehead and at the corners of his mouth, as well the sagging skin around his neck and chin.

The sculpture also depicts the patron in contrapposto, or a stance in which the figure's weight is distributed unequally on their two feet, creating a naturalistic "s-shaped" curve of the body.

His typical Republican stern and wrinkled face is contrasted by a youthful almost nude body that exudes power and is in the tradition of a Hellenistic ruler.