READING BETWEEN THE LOINS: A CURIOUS ANOMALY IN THE PORTRAYAL OF THE MALE PHYSIQUE IN GREEK SCULPTURE

Despite their apparent mastery of the representation of anatomical detail, Greek and Greco-Roman sculptors from the Classical period onwards regularly exaggerated the prominence of the “iliac crest” and its extension into the lower abdomen, creating the so-called cuirasse esthétique. This article explores possible reasons for this phenomenon.