Running woman

Owner institution Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

Summary

The statue is made of Parian lychnites marble. The upper right arm and the lower left arm are missing. The head was attached with a dowel, and the front of the neck has been reworked. The statue was examined with Visible Induced Luminescence with a positive result for Egyptian Blue. The luminescent particles are seen all over the garment.

In 1962 a marble sample was extracted to determine the provenance. In June 1993 a marble sample was extracted for an isotopic analysis.

Description of object

The upper right arm and the lower left arm are missing. Until 1978 a right hand was attached with a plaster arm but was removed as not belonging. The figure is broken off in an oblique line from the top of the right foot through the garment and the left knee. The head was attached with a dowel, the front of the neck has been reworked and a secondary hole was probably bored for the attachment of (cat.no.) 4, which was joined to the torso when acquired.

A young woman is running towards her right in the classical ”Knielauf” motif with the front, right knee bent, and the left stretched back. The swiftness of the movement is evident from the folds between the breasts being dragged towards the right. The woman wears a peplos, originally fastened with metal fittings on the shoulders and with a metal belt, as shown by remaining pin-holes. The kolpos is richly folded and the apoptygma is shorter than the kolpos in front but longer at the back. There are four pin-holes for the fastening of the right arm, which was probably held a little forward, perhaps securing the overfold which seems to have been heavily undercut in this section. The left arm was fastened by an iron dowel, still in place, in a rough cutting, with a smaller pin-hole beside it. The head which was also fastened with dowels probably faced towards the woman’s left.