Ashmolean Museum: FAQ 2 - The Metrological Relief (5)

	Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology
	Department of Antiquities
	Frequently Asked Questions
	The Metrological Relief

How was it made?

The angle at the apex measures 140 degrees. This is one of the angles of a nine-sided polygon, and such a figure was presumably drawn out as part of the planning process.
Then the sculptor would have drawn out the figure and gradually cut it back with hammer and chisel, delineating the musculature and finishing the surface with an increasingly delicate touch.
Details such as the facial features, the outline foot, the lines on the hands would then be added. The fist measurement would have been carved out at a very late stage.

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Last updated: jcm/18-oct-1999