Czére Andrea szerk.: A Szépművészeti Múzeum közleményei 104. (Budapest, 2006)

JUDIT LEBEGYEV - ANDRÁS MÁRTON: Early Cycladic Objects in the Collection of Classical Antiquities

10-12 EARLY SPEDOS FIGURE (DETAILS). BUDAPEST, MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS The body is damaged at several points: the left breast and the tips of the feet have broken off. The external side of the left foot must have broken already in Antiquity based on the patina that developed on it. On the basis of the lack of patina, both cheeks beside the nose must have been polished after Antiquity, which damaged the traces of paint and removed the patina of the surface (fig. 10). The head broke off, and it has been fastened to the body with a bolt. Microscopic examination has revealed stains of modern times on the surface of the body: some black substance has encrusted at the top of the head; the dark stains on the left thigh must have been caused by some greasy substance, and red traces of paint can be seen on the interior side of the right leg and around the knee. In the hour of peril of World War II (around 1942) the piece was packed up. It was rediscovered in the basement of the Museum as late as 1968. Hence, the piece was known only through photographs for a long time. The right eye, the forehead and the dark trapezoid pattern under the nose has been identified by P. Getz-Preziosi and S. Weinberg as paint by photograph, (fig. 13).

9 These observations may be made more exact and complemented with the following. A slightly protruding stripe bordered with a pair of horizontal lines can be seen on the forehead (fig. 10).

10 The right side of the face preserves the bulging contours of two almond-shaped eyes of the same size painted above each other with circular irises inside." On the right side, under the lower eye there are some slightly projecting pieces of lines. The eyes were partly painted over these lines. Their traces are more worn than the contours of the eyes, which makes it