Marble female figure

Technical analysis: ultraviolet-induced visible luminescence examination and optical microscopy

The figure is carved from very-fine grained white marble. The surface is relatively clean and in excellent condition with scattered traces of yellowish-brown burial accretions including some in the shape of rootlets. There are restored breaks across the base of the neck and the front halves of both feet. The outer proper left toes appear to be restored. It is difficult to determine if there have been additional restorations to the feet since the appearance of the stone has been altered by the adhesive. There are scattered traces of other modern materials including soft beige material in between the lower back legs and black residues on the inside of the inner proper right ankle at the back. The surface of the figure is worn around the outer edges, with abrasions on the proper right upper corner of the head, at the proper right waist and under the front of the proper right elbow. There is a chip missing from the outer corner of the proper left shoulder.


The lyre-shaped head with arching crown features a slender nose, the only facial feature defined sculpturally. The head rests on a long neck which is defined at top and bottom by a shallow curving groove. The arms are folded in the canonical manner, left over right, below small evenly spaced conical breasts that are framed by broad shoulders. The waist joins the legs in a sinuous curve that extends to the downward pointing feet. The pubic area is defined by three shallow grooves forming a triangle, with a slight vertical cleft in the middle that extends up from the division of the legs. On the back, the spine is defined by a shallow groove which meets a much wider groove that divides the legs. Despite the thinness of the marble, the sculptor has indicated the backs of the arms, the fullness of the buttocks.


The figure is a particularly fine example of the Koumasa type, examples of which have only been found on Crete. It was likely made there either by an itinerant Cycladic sculptor or a Minoan sculptor influenced by Cycladic works.


Seán Hemingway, Linda Borsch, Federico Carò