Roman Marble

 Lansdowne Dionysus, 2^nd c. CE  (Gail Stichler)

•  Marble:  Qualities include plentiful, non-foliated, low refraction index, non-metal.
• Tools & purposes of each:  point for roughing out; claw tools or tooth chisels for grooved surface; gouges to shape details; chisels for detail work; drills to produce gaps or channels; rasps or files.
• Proportions/mathematics:  Idealized beauty.  Perfected proportions including 6 basic measurements of head.  Produced in multiples known as replica series.  Excellent copiers using calipers, compasses, rulers.  Techniques included freehand as well as “pointing method”.
• Paint:  solid, bright colors.  Pigments in suspended in beeswax and liquefied with carbonated water.   How we know:  writings and frescos.
• Dionysus attributes:  animal skin and chiton.  God of wine.
• Discovered 18^th c at Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli along with 70 other works.
• Bartolomeo Cavaceppi:  18^th c restoration.  Used 18^th c tastes for restoration.  Added new head, arms, legs and a support of tree trunk.  Kept records of restorations.
• Sold to Marquis of Lansdowne (1737-1805) and was used as decoration in his house.
• 1930 Purchased by Wright Ludington [18th c. restoration removed around this time]; acquired by SBMA in 2009.  Damage due to being outdoors.  Unstable due to original stand on which it was mounted created pressure on the marble and increased possibility for fractures.
• J. Paul Getty Restoration: completed in 2010.

Peplophoros, 1st c. CE (Scarlett el-Khazen)

•  Pep-lo-phor-os – definition of she who is wearing the name of the Greco/roman dress, made of thick wool in Doric style, a known severe style, was sewn in the likeness of a tube.
• This roman copy, early 1st c. CE – is architecturally strong in design and structure
• Hand carved marble: natural, non-toxic materials of calcium calcite. The use of pointed and angle chisels with small claw hammers, hand drills and gouges were used in the initial carving. Rasps were used in the final stages. (See techniques paper for carving marble on our website)
• Features and characteristics: the body and head were carved out of the same piece of marble-the hollowing out was done sometime after the head was broken off. The general form is compact, stationary, symmetrical and vertical-allowing us to focus on her as a contained mass. She stands in 3D on a shallow plinth set into the marble base by clamps and molten lead.
• The wool cloth of her upper torso is double draped and belted at the waist referred to as a girdle. On the lower drape the artist emphasizes repeated, deep folds to produce the effect of light and shadow. Notice her right leg, slightly bent, with her foot advancing beneath her hem beginning to show contrapposto. In the home, people went without shoes, in the streets they wore sandals, made to custom measurements from leather. The sole was attached to the foot by leather thongs tied across the instep around the ankle.
• White lead pigment mixed with water was used as a cosmetic to whiten their skin, a sign of beauty. Juice from the alkanet roots was used on the cheeks. Her hair would have been long and braided. Eye shadow from charcoal -(see attached photo) and perfume oils were also used.
• An example of an extreme embellished peplos is on our Athena from the Hellenistic period – think: how would this piece look if made of a different material?