Active during the High Classical period, Polykleitos was a master sculptor from the Argive school. He is best known for his work in bronze, which established a standard for the representation of the male nude that influenced generations of artists throughout antiquity.

His signature contribution was the Canon, a lost theoretical treatise that codified the mathematical ratios of the human body. This system was exemplified in his famous sculptures, such as the Doryphoros, which utilized contrapposto to create a sense of dynamic balance and naturalism.

While his original bronze works have not survived, his influence persists through numerous Roman marble copies. His legacy remains a foundational element in the study of classical art history and the development of aesthetic proportion in Western sculpture.