Marble double female figure

Technical Analysis: Multiband imaging, optical microscopy, X-ray radiography, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, micro-X-ray diffraction





The two female figures in this group, carved from a fine-grained dolomitic marble, are of a canonical type featuring lyre-shaped heads that are tilted back and arms that are folded left over right, The upper smaller figure is standing on the forehead of the lower larger figure. The group is carved from a block of white marble with black inclusions and belongs to the Early Spedos variety. Both lyre-shaped heads have a flat top, rounded chin and prominent long triangular nose carved in high relief in the middle of the facial plane. There is a faint paint-ghost of an eye on the right side of the face of the larger figure.




An incised line on both figures delineates the head from the top of a short thick neck. The torsos are broad and flat with angular shoulders that slope downward. Two vertical incisions on each figure delineate the upper arms from a flat chest, and three horizontal incisions define the forearms (no fingers indicated), folded left over right above a short belly. There is no suggestion of a pubic triangle, breasts or any other anatomical details that would describe the sex of either figure. Instead a horizontal incision marks the bottom of the belly and the beginning of the broad thighs. On the smaller figure the legs are delineated by a vertical groove that continues to the ankles. On the larger figure they are separated by a cleft and then join again at the ankles. The arched feet of both figures are slightly angled outward and short vertical incisions mark the toes on each. Smooth transitions between concave and convex areas and shallow incisions on the back describe the backward tilt of the head, the slight rise of the buttocks, a bend at the knees and the beginning of the ankles. No spine is indicated on either figure.





The composition falls into a category of double figurines from the Early Cycladic II period; however, the lack of any indication of a spine and the placement of the feet of the smaller figure on the forehead of the larger suggest a need for further examination and analysis. Pat Getz-Gentle in her publication discusses these features and compares them to the known examples from Karlsruhe.(1)





There are restored breaks at the base of the neck and ankles of the small upper figure visible in both ultraviolet light and in the X-ray image. The surface of the stone is covered with burial accretions that range in color from beige to an orangish-brown. The figures are worn from handling and show scattered minor scrapes, and discoloration. Much of the front and part of the back, including the heels, is covered with small speckles of modern zinc white paint.






Geogios Gavalas, Dorothy Abramitis, Linda Borsch, Federico Carò





(1) See Getz-Preziosi, Pat. 2001. Personal Styles in Early Cycladic Sculpture. p.176, Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. See also Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe. 1977. Art and Culture of the Cyclades in the Third Millennium B.C., Brinna Otto and Jürgen Thimme, eds. p. 43, fig. 24, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.