Marble female figure

Technical analysis: Multiband imaging, optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy


The figure, carved from fine-grained white marble, is complete and intact except for a modern join at the base of the neck and a repair at the tip of the proper left shoulder that are visible when examined using ultraviolet-induced visible luminescence (UVL). Traces of modern adhesive on the surface in various areas may be the remains of that used for the repairs. The surface is weathered overall with patches of deeper erosion above the proper right knee and on the proper left thigh. Red particles below the nose, identified as iron oxides, such as goethite and hematite, are likely from the burial environment.


The head of the figure is lyre-shaped with a delicate nose and pointed chin. The broad shoulders have a slightly angular outline, contrasting with the prominent rounded breasts and arms carved in relief on the body with the forearms folded in the usual left-over-right position. The fingers are not incised. A curved groove below the slightly bulging abdomen forms the lower boundary of the pubic triangle, which is further defined by slightly raised thigh-tops. The legs are separated by a deep cleft that is perforated from above the knees to the ankles. Small, toeless feet are angled down and outward. There is an incised spine on the back, and the lower boundary of the buttocks is marked by a horizontal groove.


Although no ancient pigment is preserved, there may be faint paint ghosts for eyes on the face and hair at the back of the head, including a straight sidelock on the proper right side and a possible zig-zag sidelock or curl at the proper left side.(1)


This carefully carved Early Spedos type figure belongs a fairly homogenous group characterized by rounded modeling, curving contours, a broken profile axis, elbows carved on the body, and an understated pubic area. Pat Getz-Gentle has suggested that many of these works were carved by one sculptor.(2)


Alexis Belis, Dorothy Abramitis, and Federico Carò


(1) Noted by Elizabeth Hendrix in an examination in 2003.

(2) Pat Getz-Preziosi, Early Cycladic Art in North American Collections (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, 1987), nos. 26, 27, 30, 31, 33, 34.