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Marble head of a figure

Cycladic

ca. 2700–2500 BCE

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 171

Technical analysis: Multiband imaging, optical microscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy

This fragment preserves the head and neck of a figure carved out of white marble. Modern restorations include a large fill on the proper left edge and partially filled joins at the bottom of the back of the neck. What appears to be the same fill material was also found in a groove at the top of the neck and on the proper right side of the face. The surface shows erosion along the marble grain boundaries, areas of abrasion on the face, and accretions in what appear to be the shape of rootlets on the back. A modern hole was drilled in the bottom of the neck to hold a brass rod for mounting. Red pigment visible on the proper right side of the face and nose has been identified as cinnabar.

The head, which once belonged to a relatively large figure, is elongated and lyre-shaped, with an arching crown that contrasts with the rather straight, wide chin. The long nose in relief is centered and begins at the point where the forehead begins to curve back, clearly visible in the profile. The back of the head and neck are quite flat, except for the projecting crescent-shaped ridge along the top, and are differentiated by well-defined grooves that meet in an angular configuration characteristic of the Spedos type.

The cinnabar found across the face is a pigment often used on Early Cycladic figures. However, the location, with no discernable pattern, is unusual, as is the fact that it extends over accretions, scratches, and weathering that were not part of the original surface of the marble. This suggests that the cinnabar is a more recent contamination that may have occurred either after modern restoration, or during the original burial conditions in which the figure was placed. Possibilities for ancient transfer include the spill of cinnabar from a pigment container that was placed in the same grave, or even a scattering of pigment in the grave before it was covered.

Alexis Belis, Dorothy Abramitis, and Federico Carò