Marble female figure

Technical analysis: Ultraviolet induced visible luminescence, Multiband imaging, raking light examination, X-ray radiography, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, micro X-ray diffraction.


The reclining female figure with flat back and bent knees is complete from the knees up. It was broken at the neck and knees, now conserved. The lyre-shaped head is lightly back-tilted with rounded chin, flat crown, and large triangular centrally placed relief nose. The long thin neck is separated from the squared shoulders by a thin groove. The upper arms project lightly from the torso with the forearms folded left-over-right below two very low relief breasts and above a small abdomen separated from the top of the legs by a thin incised waistline with no indication of genitalia. The upper legs are separated by a deep groove. There are ghosts of hair curls down the proper right side of the face and possible traces of the proper right eye. (1).


Ultraviolet induced visible luminescence shows a slightly different fluorescence between the head and the body; further study is required to determine if they belong together. The unusual erosion of the marble on the left arm may indicate an acid attack. The top right side of the head has a small spot of modern looking blue pigment and there are numerous patches of modern looking yellow color along the top of the head. The dark orange patina is gypsum rich, and has high iron, copper, zinc and arsenic contents. This unusual weathering suggests to us it has been induced with a chemical treatment, similar to L.2022.38.107 and L87. It.38.87. It is possible that the figure was heavily cleaned with a combination of chemical and mechanical treatments that altered the original surface of the stone, leaving behind a heavily etched marble. However, it seems more likely to us that the body was made in modern times to join the head, and both patinated to appear similar.

Sandy MacGillivray, Dorothy Abramitis, Federico Carò


(1) The entry for the Smeets catalogue notes a groove for the mouth and two circles very close to the bridge of the nose that represented eyes but none of these except possibly the proper left eye were apparent to us.