High-quality bronze statuette of a naked youth shown in a strictly frontal pose. He stands in the characteristic archaic striding position with the left leg slightly advanced. This posture is based on Egyptian prototypes. The body is slender and its anatomy is rendered in a schematic manner, with softly modeled transitions between the shoulders, chest, and legs. The upper arms hang down, yet the rigidity of the stance is subtly softened by the left arm, which is drawn back, bent, and held slightly away from the body. The youth wears a short, cap-like coiffure that completely covers the ears and is enlivened with fine incised striations. Almond-shaped eyes, pronounced cheekbones, and the enigmatic “Archaic Smile” convey an impression of vitality and form a striking contrast to the formal austerity of the body. The figure stands in the tradition of small Etruscan bronzes, that were produced from the 7th cent. B.C. onwards and were frequently dedicated as votive offerings in sanctuaries. The depiction of the nude male youth in the so-called kouros scheme follows Greek models and symbolizes ideal youth, beauty, and cultic purity. The figure probably represents either a deity (e.g., Apollo/Apulu) or a worshipper who dedicated the figurine as an offering to a god. Bronze statuettes of kouroi were also used in a decorative context, for example as supports for thymiateria (stands for burning incense; such a function, however, can be excluded here due to the fully modeled head). Part of the left forearm and the hand are missing. The beginning of the right arm is preserved. Feet lost. Hair strands and some facial details executed in cold work.