Polykleitos of Argos was a renowned Greek sculptor of the 5th century BCE, a contemporary of Pheidias. Born in Argos, he was a student of the sculptor Ageladas and was celebrated for his work primarily in bronze, as well as gold, ivory, and marble. His career peaked during the High Classical period.

Ancient sources record his creation of a victorious Amazon statue for Ephesus and a chryselephantine statue of Hera for the Argive Heraion. His major works include the Diadoumenos (Youth Tying a Fillet) and the Doryphoros (Spear-Bearer), both known through Roman copies. He also authored the Kanon, a lost treatise on artistic theory and proportion.

Polykleitos was a central figure in Classical art, famed for his mastery of the male form. His greatest significance lies in the Kanon, which systematically defined ideal proportions, making his art a theoretical foundation for sculpture; the Doryphoros was its embodiment. His principles of balanced contrapposto and mathematical harmony profoundly influenced subsequent Greek and Roman art.