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Female torso
Greek
Hellenistic Period
2nd–1st century B.C.
Medium/Technique
Marble, probably from the Greek island of Paros
Dimensions
Overall: 78 x 47.3 x 21.6 cm (30 11/16 x 18 5/8 x 8 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Catharine Page Perkins Fund
Accession Number97.286
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSculpture
Catalogue Raisonné
Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 091; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 109 (additional published references).
DescriptionThe female torso wears a thin chiton bound under her breasts by a cord tied in a large bowknot. The garment is drawn tight over her breasts, abdomen and hips, and hangs in rippling folds elsewhere. A himation or cloak is visible along the bottom of the torso on the figure's left side. The right hip, which is cocked to one side, is raised over the left hip while the upper body twists towards her right.
Condition: The missing head and neck were fastened to the torso with a dowel. The missing arms were also inserted into the torso with dowels. The bottom of the torso is roughly cut. In contrast, the back of the torso is a flat, smooth surface indicating that the back may have been cut off at a later period. Marble surface pitted and corroded.
Scientific Analysis:
Harvard Lab No. HI230: Isotope ratios - delta13C +1.79 / delta18O -3.65, Attribution - Probably Paros 2, Justification - Grayish, coarse grained marble.
Condition: The missing head and neck were fastened to the torso with a dowel. The missing arms were also inserted into the torso with dowels. The bottom of the torso is roughly cut. In contrast, the back of the torso is a flat, smooth surface indicating that the back may have been cut off at a later period. Marble surface pitted and corroded.
Scientific Analysis:
Harvard Lab No. HI230: Isotope ratios - delta13C +1.79 / delta18O -3.65, Attribution - Probably Paros 2, Justification - Grayish, coarse grained marble.
ProvenanceBy 1897, acquired by Edward Perry Warren (b. 1860 - d. 1928), Rome and London [see note 1]; 1897, sold by Edward Perry Warren to the MFA for $25,000 [see note 2]. (Accession Date: October 5, 1897)
NOTES:
[1] According to Warren, the torso came from Rome or its neighborhood. [2] Total price paid for MFA accession nos. 97.285 - 97.442 and 97.1104.
NOTES:
[1] According to Warren, the torso came from Rome or its neighborhood. [2] Total price paid for MFA accession nos. 97.285 - 97.442 and 97.1104.