Guide to the Online Catalogue
The online catalogue presents all the Cycladic works in the Leonard N. Stern Collection on The Met’s website with a full scholarly description—including technical analysis, provenance, and ownership history—as well as new color photography. This is the first major systematic study to combine scholarly, technical, and scientific analyses of a large group of Cycladic artifacts assembled from the art market. Only non-invasive methods of analysis were used, and analytical techniques included special photographic techniques, such as raking light and multiband imaging, as well as digital microscopy, X-radiography, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and micro X-ray diffraction. The research identifies a variety of surface conditions and accretions, numerous traces of original paint, as well as breaks, ancient and modern repairs, restorations and modern cosmetic interventions. The present study represents the beginning of the research on the Leonard N. Stern Collection of Cycladic Art and opinions of the works will continue to evolve in the future as further work is done, new analytical techniques are applied, and technical examination is undertaken on excavated objects.
Acknowledgments
Technical analyses at The Met were undertaken by Conservators in the Department of Objects Conservation—including Dorothy H. Abramitis, Jean-François de Lapérouse, Wendy Walker, and Linda Borsch—and by Federico Carò, Research Scientist in the Department of Scientific Research. Members of The Met’s Department of Greek and Roman Art—including Seán Hemingway, John A. and Carole O. Moran Curator in Charge; J. Alexander MacGillivray, the Dietrich von Bothmer Research Scholar; Alexis Belis, Assistant Curator; Maya Muratov, Senior Research Associate for Provenance; and Sarah Szeliga, Leonard N. Stern Associate Visual Research Manager—collaborated with distinguished colleagues in Greece, most notably Ioannis Fappas, Curator of Prehistoric Antiquities at the Museum of Cycladic Art; and Georgios Gavalas, archaeologist and curator of antiquities in the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades and a contributor to the online catalogue, who provided significant archaeological expertise and insight. In addition, Elizabeth Hendrix, one of the foremost scholars in the study of the polychromy of Cycladic sculptures, acted as a consultant and helped document the numerous remains of painted decoration on sculptures in the Leonard N. Stern Collection.
