Why Are Men Always Naked in Ancient Greek Art?

There is a scene painted on a clay drinking cup by an artist called the Foundry Painter from the early 5th century BCE. True to the painter’s name, the outer surface of the cup (called a kylix in Ancient Greek) shows the interior of a bronze foundry, where metallurgists worked to cast statues and other objects. Two nearly finished statues are carefully attended to by the busy foundry workers. One statue has yet to be fitted with its head, which rests on the ground. The posture of the statue strongly suggests it will, when finished, depict an athlete. The second statue is an over-life-sized, triumphant, striding warrior, a brazen hero bristling with helmet, spear and shield.