Reconstruction of a Cuirassed Torso in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, December 2022

Title: Reconstruction of the so-called Cuirass-Torso from the Athenian Acropolis, Variant B

Artist: Vinzenz Brinkmann

Artist: Ulrike Koch-Brinkmann

Date: 2005

Medium: Plaster cast, natural pigments in egg tempera, gold foil

Dimensions: 23 5/8 × 17 5/16 × 9 13/16 in. (60 × 44 × 25 cm)

Credit Line: Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung, Polychromy Research Project, Frankfurt am Main, acquired 2016 as a gift from U. Koch-Brinkmann and V. Brinkmann

Accession Number: POL.003


"This marble statue of a torso wearing a cuirass (a piece of armor comprising a breastplate and backplate) stood in the Sanctuary of Athena on the Athenian Acropolis. Two holes on the back below the left shoulder may have once held a sculpted quiver, indicating that the figure represents an archer .In Antiquity cuirasses were modelled in metal, in order to fit exactly the proportions of the warrior's body. The sculptor of the so-called Cuirassed Torso shaped the body as if the figure were nude. Only the lower edge of the cuirass is slightly raised. But the sculptor completely ignored the undergarment, or chitoniskos. Instead, it was the painter who completed what the sculptor left out. Although no pigments are preserved on the original, in ultraviolet and raking light, traces of the patterned decoration of the garment are visible. Suspended and upright leaves are attached to one another by small spirals. This delicate ornament completely covers the chitoniskos and enhances the plasticity of the figure.

Traces of weathering confirm that a variety of colors were used. Two reconstructions show different possible color schemes for the cuirass and the pattern on the chitoniskos: Variant B represents a metal cuirass, while Variant C depicts a leather one."


Vinzenz Brinkmann and Ulrike Koch-Brinkmann, 2005

Reconstruction, Variant B, 2005

Vinzenz Brinkmann and Ulrike Koch-Brinkmann

plaster cast and natural pigments using the Michael Price method in egg tempera, gold leaf,

H. ca. 62 cm.

Sylvia Kellner, Miguel Gonzalez and Harald Theiss provided assistance with the gilding and the application of color.

Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung (Liebieghaus Polychromy Research Project), Frankfurt am Main, Inv. St.P 686


Scientific methods used:

Ultraviolet-induced visible luminescence imaging (UVL) (Schott KV 418)

Ultraviolet-reflected imaging (UVR) (Schott UG1 or Schott BG12)

Optical stereoscopic microscopy (10–50x, Zeiss and Olympus)

Raking light imaging (Schott KL1500)

Black and white imaging in visible light (VIS)

Color imaging in visible light (VIS)

Photomicrograph (with microscope or macro objectives)


Scientific evaluation
Vinzenz Brinkmann, Ulrike Koch-Brinkmann

Pigments used for the reconstruction
blue: Egyptian blue; red: red ocher, calcite; flesh tones: rose madder, calcite.


Acknowledgements

Christina Vlassopoulou, Athens
Acropolis Museum, Athens


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/853786