Statue of a bull

Summary

The statue is made of white marble. Most of the legs, horns and ears is broken off, and the surface is weathered. Red pigments can be seen with the naked eye in the right ear, corner of left eye and the tuft of the tail.

In June, 1993 a marble sample was taken for an isotopic analysis. It could be Parian marble. Vinzenz Brinkmann examined the statue in 2003 (Brinkmann, 2003). He found red pigments on the forelock, inside the ear and yellow ochre by the left eye.

Description of object

The right hind-leg is set slightly back, the forelegs on a line. The eyes are large and each is apparently provided with a caruncle in both corners, most distinctly in the inner one. Mouth and nostrils have been carefully cut, and the long, almost ornamentally curled hair on the forehead is carefully rendered. The head is finely smoothed, while the body has a fairly coarse surface, which may be due to weathering.

Choice of methods

Visual examination

• Macroscopic

Marble identification method

• Isotopic analysis. Results: d13C, 1,57 - d18O, -1,25. Possible origins: Hymettos, Paros/Chorodakia, Carrara, Aphrodisias.

Bibliography

F. Johansen (1994), Catalogue. Greece in the Archaic Period. Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, cat. no. 5.

V. Brinkmann (2003), Die Polychromie der archaischen und frühklassischen Skulptur, München, fig. 238.