Athlete Torlonia, replica of Polykleitos Diadumenos

Diadumenos , from the Greek diadeo , "cingo", is the athlete who wraps the tainia , the victory bandage, around his head . The athlete Torlonia constitutes a marble replica of the original Diadumenos by the sculptor Polykleitos, the artist who imprinted in his creations the canons of ideal beauty of the Greek world, believing it to be achievable only through the perfect balance of the parts of a form. In the representation of the triumphant gesture, the tense muscles hint at elasticity and movement, renewing the synthesis of harmony, balance and rhythm already achieved by the Argive master in the creation of the famous Doryphoros, "Spear bearer". Emblem of vigor and beauty, the athlete with the tainia has sometimes been interpreted as a portrait of a triumphant deity or hero, such as Apollo, the Trojan Paris or the Athenian Theseus.