Marble female figure

Technical analysis: Multiband imaging, X-ray radiography, optical microscopy


The figure is complete, but there is a repair at the top of the neck. There is also a loss on the back of the proper left upper arm, and the toes of the proper left foot are chipped. The front of the lower legs is heavily pitted. A smooth area on the proper left thigh is likely the result of a shallow modern fill. Similar areas of fills are visible on the proper left shoulder, at the small of the back, and on the top of the head. There is a small area of inpainting at the top of the head and at the join of the neck. There are numerous scratches and abrasions

The figure has an unusually long head and neck, and narrow shoulders. The upper arms are defined by broad inward grooves separating the arms from the breasts. The lower half of the body is more typical of the proportions found in Early Spedos statuettes. The pubic area is marked by the raised tops of the legs; a pubic triangle may have been painted, but no pigment has been preserved. The legs are separated by a deep cleft, which is perforated from above the knees to above the ankles. The back of the figure is fairly flat, with the spine lightly incised and the buttocks are slightly rounded. A deep groove separates the legs, and the soles of the feet are arched. The raised thigh tops and the perforation of the leg-cleft between the calves in particular are characteristic features of the Early Spedos type of the folded-arm figure type.


Alexis Belis and Dorothy Abramitis