Precise proportional rules in Polykleitos’ Canon

Ascertain the exact proportional system specified in the lost Canon of Polykleitos—particularly the body-to-head ratio—based on extant textual references and sculptural exemplars.

Background

Debates about proportional adjustments in high reliefs and friezes are often linked to classical canons of proportion, including Polykleitos’ lost treatise.

The paper notes that modern anthropometric ratios differ and that textual evidence for Polykleitos’ exact system is unclear, with sculpture-based estimates around 7–7.4 heads tall.

References

It is not clear what this proportions were from available texts but the best known examples of Polykleitan statues show a BHR of 7 for the Doryphoros and 7.4 for the Diadoumenos, close to the BHR found in the Parthenon.

— The illusion of illusions: There are no optical corrections in the Parthenon (2510.16831 - Goriely, 19 Oct 2025) in Section 5.2 (Myth #4: Proportional adjustments — The myth)