Sounion-Kouros
The Sounion Kouros, is the colossal statue of a young man in the archaic style Kouros schema. The Sounion Kouros, which was created around 615-590 BC. The statue of marble was naxischen after its locality, the Cape Sounion named immediately before the famous Poseidon temple. She has been together with a torso found in 1906 in a deep hole east of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. It is located in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens and stands by Christiane Vorster stylistically close to the so-called Dipylon Master. Unusually for this period, however, such colossal statues are not. There are, for example, on a Samos Kouros of over 5 meters in height and in Thebes another with similar dimensions.
The 3.05 -meter-high statue is restored. Added, the left half of the face of the nose, and the greater part of the mouth, a part of the right arm, the right lower leg, and almost all of the left leg.
From the sanctuary of Poseidon Cape Sounion. In the rear view and the head cut the sculpture is still to be seen with their old supplements. The affiliation of ancient feet is questionable. In hairband red color traces are still visible, even fine engraving of the pupil is probably caused by application of paint and different corrosion. For the technical development of the marble processing is a small important only for the original to be recognized hole on the inside of the right forearm. It proves that arms were as in the younger Kouros of Muscat initially separated by parallel drill holes from the body and that then knocked the webs between holes in a further operation and the tracks were almost completely removed by sanding and smoothing.
The anatomical details are not yet worked out that way, as can be seen, for example, the so-called Kritios - boy in the Spätarchaik ( Strenger style) or the early classical period. The figure appears rather stylized, what about its fake step position as well as on the face can be seen clearly on the body parts such as the limbs with the disproportionately large eyes. The head shape as the hairstyle itself is not consistent with the nature. It is strictly directed axially and frontally to the viewer.
The proportions are unnaturally elongated. The statue has clear boundaries between the individual forms. The plastic values are strongly accentuated, so it has a reinforced design of the muscle structures. The statue shows a love for geometric shapes and symmetrical patterns. The muscles of the shoulder are deducted from the chest muscles and the shoulders are spread far apart. At the end of the thigh bone a distinct node emerges and the breast bulges particularly strong.
As Gisela MA Richter noted, anatomical details in grooves, furrows, ridges or knobs are working on the surface. The torso is square and flat on the back. On the back herringbone grooves are similar, perhaps intended to represent significantly over ribs. Two curved lines mark the shoulder blades. The Kouros has broad shoulders and a long thin waist. The head is cubic and on the top and back side rather flat. The ears are abnormally large and very high. The eyes are large and flat, the lower lid describes a flat curve, the upper arc. The mouth is horizontal with sharp- cut corners. The hair is tied wig similar and with a ribbon at the back. They consist of a complex system of convex and concave vertical - horizontal curls. This gives the impression optically opposing spiral curls. The arm is separated from the body to the hand. The hands whose thumbs are abnormally large, are clenched into fists.