Masterhand identification in 3D - Case studies from Archaic and Classical Greece
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2019-12-05

In order to arrive at a better understanding of ancient sculpture, it would be essential to determine which pieces were carved by the same workshop(s) or master(s). Reliable ancient evidence on this is quite rare and the masterhand attribution method, universally used for paintings, was applied only sporadically to sculptural works. After scanning (with Artec EVA and Spider) many pieces of archaic and classical Greek marble sculpture, an attempt is made to use these data for the identification of common traits and idisyncrasies in the treatment of frequently recurring details, e.g. drapery, facial features or locks of hair. Two different datasets (recorded with the same equipment) were selected for analysis: the sculptural decoration of the temple of Asclepius at Epidauros and the frieze of the Siphnian treasury at Delphi. They represent different stages of artistic development (from the 4th and the 6th centuries BC respectively), are relatively well-preserved and are suitable for analysis mainly because each group constitutes a relatively large sample, within which comparisons can be made and because there is some documentary evidence (contemporary inscriptions) regarding the identity of the masters and the division of labour among them. The comparison of sculptural details is based on the methodology of geometric morphometrics used in paleontology for detecting and quantifying the similarities and differences of skeletal remains and thus enabling a detailed reconstruction of biological evolution. The same statistical analysis has been applied to comparable features extracted from 3D models of ancient sculpture. Some preliminary results of these comparisons will be presented with a discussion of possible interpretations.

(András Patay-Horváth)