Provenance Studies of the Marble of Ancient Sculptures in the T ribune of the U ffizi G allery, Florence

• Published in: Archaeometry Vol. 57; no. S1; pp. 74 - 89
• Main Authors: Attanasio, D., Boschi, C., Bracci, S., Cantisani, E., Paolucci, F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-07-2015
• ISSN: 0003-813X; 1475-4754
• DOI: 10.1111/arcm.12121

The provenance of the marbles used for the five ancient sculptures on display in the
T
ribune of the
U
ffizi—the
Venere Medici
, the
Apollo Medici
, the
Satiro danzante
, the
Arrotino
and the
Lottatori
—has been determined using a well‐established multi‐method approach that includes isotopic, petrographic and
EPR
data. The
Arrotino
was found to be made of Docimium marble from the Phrygian quarries of Iscehisar, whereas
P
arian
lychnites
was used for the other four sculptures. Restorations, including the restoration of the
Satiro
ascribed to
M
ichelangelo or his school, primarily used Pentelicon marble. The
Lottatori
, however, underwent multiple restorations that used a
lychnites
analytically different from the original stock, as well as Docimium,
C
arrara and Göktepe marbles. The right arm of the winner, which was considered to be a later addition, turned out to be made using the original marble—
lychnites
marble. The marble data provide support for the chronology of the sculptures and give insight into the complex sequence of restorations that they underwent.