International Institute for Sport History
IISOH
Library & Museum

Sculpture Gardens Endowment



Discus Thrower

British Museum copy

The Discus Thrower
aka: Discobolos, Discobolus
Myron, circa 460 - 450 B.C.E.

Found at Hadrian's Villa,
Tivoli, Italy circa 1790-1791

Townley Collection, British Museum,
London, England

This image shows an ancient Roman marble copy of Myron's original bronze statue which was lost in antiquity.
Four marble copies made by the Romans can be seen in museums today. This marble statue was found at Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli around 1790
and purchased by Charles Townley, a British collector of Greek antiquities who thought he was getting an original Greek marble. The statue
was headless when found. When a head was later found the statue was incorrectly restored with the head pointed down, but it should be pointing back
facing the discus. Thomas Jefferson was among the many visitor's to Townley's home, which served as his private art gallery, at Park Gate in London.
Artist Johan Zoffany painted Charles Townley and friends in the Park Street Gallery in 1782 and 8 years after the painting was finished added the
DISCOBOLUS to the lower left corner at Townley's request. See the painting by Zoffany here. After Townley's death in 1805
his entire collection was purchased by the British Museum in London where you can see this statue today.

The IISOH will purchase from the British Museum a bronze copy made from a mold of this statue.
According to the British Museum, the mold has not been used in about 80 years.
They spent 6 weeks searching their warehouses to find the mold just for us.

You can honor or memorialize someone by donating a minimum of $300,000 for this statue.
As the benefactor you can name this Sculture Garden section -- with the final approval of the Board of Directors.
This statue will be erected in the sculpture garden with landscaping and seating and it will be dedicated with
the name you have chosen on a marker engraved in stone (marble or granite) or cast in relief in bronze.


Charter Membership Drive -
Support the IISOH with your tax-deductible donation


Go to the ENDOWMENTS PAGE for other STATUARY GARDEN ideas.

Go to the SUBJECT AREAS page for ENDOWMENT ideas in the LIBRARY.

Other IISOH links:

IISOH Articles of Incorporation | IISOH Bylaws | Meet the Board of Directors | Building Plans
Acknowledgements - a public "Thank You"

The International Institute for Sport History (IISOH) is a Pennsylvania non-profit
educational, literary and research corporation under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code
and is organized to operate a Library and Museum for the History of Sport, Physical Education,
Recreation, Dance, Sport in Art and the Olympic Games.
Donations are tax deductible.
Federal Tax ID# 41-2041155

International Institute for Sport History
(IISOH)

Mr. Harvey Abrams, President
PO Box 175
State College, PA, USA 16804
tel: (814) 321-4018
email:
HAbrams@iisoh.org


Page created October 4, 2001
This page was updated on May 11, 2010
This page was updated on December 22, 2011
This page was updated on June 12, 2018
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