Not only of clay. Reconstruction and meaning of a type of seated female figure

Abstract

During the study of the complex found in Piazza San Francesco in Catania, it was possible to isolate some fragments of seated female figures that are still unique. Among the fragments preserved are the front parts of the bare feet and the complete forearms of the hands of at least two large seated figures. All the fragments in question have technical characteristics which suggest that the figures were constructed by joining an internal structure, probably made of wood, to limbs and heads made of clay. This paper attempts to reconstruct the figures, which are probably acropelina. This term refers to figures structurally similar to the more valuable acroliths, whose limbs were generally made of marble, as in the case of the acroliths of Morgantina, which are the best known examples of a sculptural tradition that was particularly widespread in western Greece. The final remarks discuss the meaning and function of such artefacts from a ritual point of view.

The papers published in this volume were presented at the International Conference “What Can Terracottas Tell Us: Coroplastic Polysemy in the Ancient Mediterranean” (Cagliari – Cittadella dei Musei, 10–12th November 2022) organized under the scientific direction of Romina Carboni, Claudia Cenci and Nicola Chiarenza.