I limiti del marmo. I supporti della scultura antica nella storia della critica

Supports are a crucial yet neglected feature of Roman marble sculpture. A support is a mass of stone left in place to reinforce a point of potential weakness in a statue. Scholars have wavered between two explanations in order to account for the function of supports. On the one hand, supports enabled Roman workshops to transform lighter (Greek) bronze prototypes into heavier marble replicas. On the other hand, they secured appendages for transport; therefore, they testify to a sculpture’s import. Agreement in stressing the necessity of supports for the mechanics of production and trade carries the corollary of downplaying aesthetic concerns. Thanks to a historical reading of scholarly literature, I argue that the issues that supports raise should be examined within a broader context, which considers the Roman technologies of stone sculpture and viewing practices.