Marble female figure

Technical analysis: Multiband imaging, optical microscopy, computed radiography





This elegant female figure of the Spedos type is complete with mended breaks at the base of the neck, the right upper calf, the left ankle and between the feet. The lyre-shaped head is tilted back with a rounded crown at the front, flattened crown at the back, a rounded chin, and a large, wedge-shaped nose in high relief. A shallow incision that is rounded at the front and peaked at the back delineates the head from the figure’s long thick, slightly upward-tapering, neck. Another shallow incision that is rounded at the front and V-shaped at the back delineates the neck from the torso. The shoulders are narrow and slope down toward well-rounded, slender arms, folded left over right beneath two very small conical breasts. Finely incised, horizontal lines indicate four fingers on the left hand and five on the right. The low placement of the folded forearms accentuates the atypically elongated torso, as does the long, slightly inflated, abdomen. Such elongated proportions call to mind a figure attributed to the Steiner sculptor.(1)




A shallow horizontal incision below the abdomen and two shallow curved incisions at the top of thighs define the pubic area. The hips, thighs and calves cut a curved contour, though the front of the legs are carved relatively flat. A deep incision with a perforated notch from the knees to the ankles delineates the legs. The feet point downward and are slightly splayed with fine incisions indicating five toes on each. A long vertical incision indicates the spine on the relatively flat back of the torso. Convex and concave planes describe a slightly protruding buttocks and the backs of the bent knees.




The surface is partially covered with burial accretions that vary in color from beige to brown. The patina on the head, ankles, and feet appears darker than that on the body. Ultraviolet-reflected imaging revealed several almond-like shapes on the face, which may or may not be intentional.




Geogios Gavalas, Dorothy Abramitis, and Linda Borsch




(1) Getz-Gentle, Pat. 2001. Personal Styles in Early Cycladic Sculpture. pp. 79-80, 159 [6], pl. 67c, Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2001.