The Moschophoros, or Calf Bearer, is made of marble, specifically grayish marble from Mount Hymettus. Its limestone base is a separate element and should not be confused with the material of the statue itself.
Created around 570 BCE, the sculpture belongs to the High Archaic period of Greek art. It shows a mature, bearded man carrying a calf across his shoulders, probably representing a sacrifice intended for Athena. An inscription on the base identifies the dedicator as Rhombos, son of Palos, suggesting that the figure may portray the wealthy donor himself.
The composition is unusually cohesive: the man’s arms and the calf’s legs form an X-like arrangement, while the animal’s head echoes the bearer’s. The figure also preserves traces of features common in Archaic sculpture, including a faint “Archaic smile” and eyes that originally contained separately made inlays.
The statue was discovered in fragments on the Athenian Acropolis. The body was found in 1864, and the base and feet were recovered in 1887. It is now displayed in the Acropolis Museum, inventory number 624.