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ands that appear at Punta Scifo were intentionally carved to designate the beginning of
the bases’ decoration and to demarcate an area for the inscription.
One of the four sides of the pedestal shown in Fig. 42b was left unfinished,
suggesting that it was meant to be placed against a wall. Figure 42b shows that the
working of the stone closely resembles the technique used at Punta Scifo. The marble’s
surface is rough-hewn with a pointed chisel, and some deep cavities still bearing the
impressions of “footsteps” prove unquestionably that the pedestal functioned as the base
for a piece of statuary (Fig. 43).
Fig. 42. (a) Statue pedestal in the courtroom of the medieval castle of Baiae. The arrow
shows the moulding of the pedestal. (b) Unfinished side of the pedestal.
(Photo: D. Bartoli).
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