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trapezophoros, a vertical support for a marble table. 181 Pensabene thinks that “the plinth
evidently lacks the final finishing which would have rendered the mouldings extremely
fragile during the transport of the sculpture. For the same reason, work on the hair and the
himation of Psyche is not deep and the legs of Eros have been left very thick: otherwise
they would have broken easily.” 182 Moss does not agree: “the figures are rather
superficially executed, and their shallow modeling creates a distinctly soft effect. Despite
this, the surfaces are well-finished, with portions of the Eros and the base tending toward
the polished.” 183 According to Moss, the real explanation for the cursory treatment of the
surface has to be sought in the function of the object itself, which, being a supporting
pillar of a trapezophoros, did not have to be highly finished. 184
Having examined the statuette, I am inclined to support Pensabene’s
interpretation. I did not notice, indeed, any trace of the little squared support for a table
top that should appear above and between the figures’ heads, as seen in a trapezophoros
representing Attis presently in Reggio Calabria, 185 or on four other trapezophoroi from
Ostia and Pompeii. 186 The total height, of 1.30 m, makes the Eros and Psyche group too
tall to support a table: the average height of the other trapezophoroi cited here is
0.75-0.80 m. Therefore, the statuette from Punta Scifo A should likely be considered a
small, unfinished, ornamental sculpture: the four rectangular feet placed under the base
were used to secure the artifact into the ground, suggesting an outside destination, such as
181 Pensabene 1978b, 233; Pensabene 2002a, 37; Moss 1988, 386-7.
182 Pensabene 1978b, 233.
183 Moss 1988, 387.
184 Moss 1988, 387.
185 Andronico in De Nuccio, Ungaro 2002, 373, n. 74;
186 Mastroroberto 2002a, 373-5, n. 75; Valeri in De Nuccio, Ungaro 2002, 375, n. 76; Mastroroberto 2002b,
375-6, n. 77; Borghini 2001, 245, fig. 92b.
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