Elie Nadelman

The dotted impressions seen across the surface of the present work suggest the artist used a pointing machine in producing Female Head, categorizing the work as a unique marble reproduction of an identical plaster model. This is evidenced by the pindot impressions seen throughout the surface of the marble, which retain graphite marks in the crevices. This technique allowed the artist to transfer exact measurements from the plaster model to a corresponding position on the marble block, a lengthy process that created a nearly identical sculpture in exacting size and form. These indented impressions and pencil marks indicate that the marble was possibly unfinished when it was presented among a series of similar marble heads Nadelman produced between 1925-30. A number of these marbles from this period retain the same dotted surface though, suggesting instead that the artist may have been satisfied with the overall state of completion, leaving the work as-is.