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A Female Statue from the Archaeological Museum Zadar

In the Lapidarium of the Archaeological Museum of Zadar lays a beautiful marble female statue, now selected for the new permanent exhibition of the Department of Roman Antiquities. The statue with its female attire represents, in a higly symmetrical and balanced manner, an exceptional visual and artistic creation. The topics of this presentation were to try to identify important data about her provenance and her identification. Sadly, in the old Inventory books and the Book of entry available to us there were no data about her provenance. It is a fragment of a statue, cut under the breastline, missing the head, both arms, foot and the base. All through the body cracks can be seen, severe damage on the edges of the folds of the cloth, particularly at the front of the statue, where the folds are thickest and spread out in many directions. On the right thigh most probably we can see the remains of a support. A support is a sculpted object attached to the lower legs of a statue in order to strenghten and stabilize the figure (commonly in the shape of a tree trunk). The marble is of greek provenance, at this point impossible to determine with security cause to the unclean surface and without geological and other analysis. The figure' s weight is placed on its left leg which is barely angled. The right leg is slightly positioned backward so it seems that the left leg is positioned in front the right leg, squeezed together. It all together produces a sprightly motion of the lower part of the body. Motion lines were added to the drapery to suggest movement. The statue was clothed in several layers of dress comprising a tunic with sleeves, a stola and a palla. The lowest item of clothing appears to be a tunic with sleeves. We can see least of the tunic, which was covered by the upper layers of clothing. Over the tunic the Roman women usually wore the stola, a full-lenght garment, the back and front fastened at the shoulders (by pins or brooches or sewn straps). It falls half way down the leg. The stola was tied high above the waist, emphasising the breasts. The fastening of the cloth creates vertical pleats. The garment clings tightly to the body, the stomach and navel. The lower part concludes in fine, dense folds. The folds are arranged tightly and fluted. The largest part of the clothing on the rear part of the statue relates to the palla or a cloak with which the statue was covered. When out of doors, Roman women covered their bodies and probably their head as well with this long rectangular piece of cloth to protect themselves against both the elements and impropriety. The folds are richly worked, wide and shallow, diagonally arranged from the left shoulder towards the right leg. Most probably across the left forearm was thrown a part of the garment, which then falls below the right armpit and crosses the area of the hip in a gathered bundle of material. The greater part of the folding on the rear of the statue relate to the fall of the cloak, that is wide and emphasised. The statue is distinctly over life-size, most probably representing a Roman Empress presented clothed as the Roman matron. In the context of statuary art, this confirms the interpretation. The head (portrait) and the arms with hands are missing, which can hold some attributes that would permit as a more secure interpretation. We can stretch the theory that it represents a Roman Empress or an empress in the character of some other Roman goddess or priestess.

female statue; Archaeological Museum of Zadar

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