Marble female figure

Technical Analyses: Multiband imaging, raking light examination, X-ray radiography, optical microscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy


This reclining female figure carved of a heteroblastic, fine-grained (maximum grain size = 0.5-0.8 mm), white marble with slightly banded texture has a repaired break at the neck and the lower legs are missing. Its broad, backward-tilted, lyre-shaped head has a rounded chin, flat crown, and a short, broad nose carved in relief high on the facial plane. There are faint indications of once-painted locks of hair on the right side of the head and at the back. The broad, upward tapering neck rests upon the figure’s gently rounded shoulders that slope into the slightly projecting upper arms. To render the position of the forearms, folded left over right, the right upper arm was carved longer than the left. The handless forearms, defined simply by three deep, horizontal grooves, are folded tight against the torso, beneath a full bosom with large, rounded breasts and above a slightly bulging belly. A deep horizontal incision delineates the belly from the rounded hips. There is no indication of a pubic triangle. Rather, a deep, v-shaped groove delineates the upper legs. The figure is quite similar to two others in Berlin. (1).


The X-ray image shows that the legs were drilled to fit modern pins, now cut off near the end of the fragment, either for mounting or joining lower legs. Similar holes were drilled in the neck and torso to hold the modern pin that connects these two pieces. The edges have an uneven fit, and the join is covered by fill, bringing into question whether or not the head and torso are from the same figure.

Sandy MacGillivray, Dorothy Abramitis, Federico Carò and Elisabeth Hendrix