1. I was pleased that almost
half of those who took the
quiz guessed correctly that
the very crude Funerary
Stela with Male Figure in
the nude is ancient.
Funerary Stela with Male Figure. Limestone, traces
of white (underpainting?), red pigment; Egypt,
exact provenance unknown; ca. 500-600 A.D., or
later; Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 40.301

2. Almost half also guessed
correctly that the Stela with
a Boy Standing in a Niche
is only partly ancient,
having a heavily recut and
repainted head.
Funerary Stela with a Boy Standing in a Niche.
Limestone, paint; From Oxyrhynchus; 3rd-5th
Century A.D. with modern revisions. Charles Edwin
Wilbour Fund, 58.129

3. But the Figure of a Man in
High Relief fooled a lot of
people, though his
nonfrontal pose is
definitely not ancient nor
are his very unrealistic hair
and—what I did not
mention—his big, staring
eyes. That type of hair and
those kinds of eyes are
found on almost all of the
forgeries.
Figure of a Man in High Relief. Limestone, paint;
Provenance unknown; 20th Century A.D. Gift of Mr.
And Mrs. Harry Kahn, 72.9

4. Most everyone recognized
that Hercules Smiting
Acheloos in the Form of a
Bull was ancient. Like the
subject, his pose and his
nudity are purely classical,
though rather
unsophisticated and
provincial in their forms.
Heracles Smiting Acheloos in the Form of a Bull.
Limestone; from Oxyrhynchus; ca. 300-500 A.D.
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 61.128

5. But the Scroll with Human Figure and Lion Head, which is
partly recarved and therefore partly a forgery, fooled a lot
of people.
Recarved Plant Scroll with Human Figure and Lion Head. Limestone; said to be from Behnasa: ancient relief
recut in the 20th Century, A.D. Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 67.176.2

6. This is the one case where
I think it might have been
useful if details could have
been enlarged, so that one
could have seen clearly
how much empty space
there is, how very oddly
the man is posed, and how
hopelessly bad the lion's
head is, quite apart from
the fact that animals on
these reliefs are always
shown complete.
Recarved Plant Scroll with Human Figure and Lion
Head (Detail). Limestone; said to be from Behnasa:
ancient relief recut in the 20th Century, A.D.

7. On the other hand, most of
those who took the quiz
recognized the Paralytic
Raising His Bed as a
forgery, which rather
surprised me, because the
quality of this work by a
modern stone carver is
almost as good, I think, as
the best of the ancient
examples!
Paralytic Raising His Bed. Limestone, painted; said
to be from Sheikh Ibada; probably 20th Century

8. That the Top of an Arch
with a Nymph Riding a Sea
Monster is ancient was
recognized by most of
those who took the quiz—
was that because we used
an old black and white
photo? I do think she is so
cute, the way she holds
down her skirt with one
hand and pets her monster
with the other.
Top of an Arch with a Nymph Riding a Sea Monster.
Limestone, traces of paint; from Herakleopolis
Magna; 5th-6th Century A.D. Charles Edwin

9. And a fair number realized
that Fragment of a Frieze
with Leda and the Swan
was ancient but a little
recarved and a lot
repainted.
Fragment of a Frieze: Leda and the Swan.
Limestone, ancient and modern paint; from Egypt,
exact provenance unknown; 4th -5th Century A.D.,
with 20th Century Alterations. Charles Edwin
Wilbour Fund, 55.2.1

10. As for our Standing
Woman, her front is all
wrong: that hair! those big
eyes! the way the dress
folds—or are they pleats?—
go up the arms and down
the body.
Standing Woman. Limestone, remains of paint; said
to be from Sheikh Ibada; probably 20th Century
A.D. Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 63.36

11. The only thing good about
her front is that it's not as
bad as the back!
Standing Woman. Limestone, remains of paint; said
to be from Sheikh Ibada; probably 20th Century
A.D. Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 63.36