The New York Kouros in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Feb. 2007

Marble statue of a kouros (youth), ca. 590–580 B.C.; Archaic
Greek, Attic
Marble, Naxian; H. without plinth 76 5/8 in. (194.6 cm); H. of head 12 in. (30.5 cm); length of face 8 7/8 in. (22.6 cm); shoulder width 20 5/16 in. (51.6 cm)
Fletcher Fund, 1932 (32.11.1)

This kouros is one of the earliest marble statues of a human figure carved in Attica. The rigid stance, with the left leg forward and arms at the side, was derived from Egyptian art. The pose provided a clear, simple formula that was used by Greek sculptors throughout the sixth century B.C. In this early figure, geometric, almost abstract forms predominate, and anatomical details are rendered in beautiful analogous patterns. The statue marked the grave of a young Athenian aristocrat.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/viewOne.asp?dep=13&vie...