Marble head of a figure

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. Although broken off at the bottom of the neck, the beginning of a shoulder is evident on each side. Modern restorations include a large loss at the top of the head, a loss at the top of the neck on the reverse, and small losses on the tip of the nose and back of the proper left ear. Red color on the front—dots on the chin and a short red line under the nose—and back of the head have been identified as mixtures of modern iron-based pigments. Particles of blue visible in various places, including areas of surface loss and the fill at the top of the head, are most likely modern contaminations.


The face is carefully shaped in an oval outline with protruding ears and an upward taper towards the crown. The shallow chin is well defined. The roughly oval ears are positioned at the level of the prominent nose, with the left ear noticeably higher than the right. Grooves on the back define the transition from the head to the neck.

Possible paint ghosts include eyes, a polos, and a sidelock.(1)


This Kapsala type head is one of the very few Early Cycladic II works carved with ears, and is also one of the smallest of the known examples to have such ears. The carving of ears, although rare, dates back to Early Cycladic I Plastiras figures, some of which had additional sculpted facial features. Pat Getz-Gentle attributed the head to the Kontoleon Sculptor, one of the most prolific of the Kapsala sculptors. Several works associated with this artist come from Naxos.


Alexis Belis, Dorothy Abramitis, and Federico Carò


(1) Noted in an examination by Elizabeth Hendrix in 2023.