Plaster Acanthus Relief on a Workshop Table

The Roman writer Vitruvius told a story about the acanthus leaf in classical design. A basket of a young girl's belongings was left on her grave in Corinth. An acanthus plant grew up around it, its leaves curling under the tile placed on top. The sculptor Callimachus passed by and copied it for the first Corinthian capital. Plaster versions of those leaves have decorated ceilings and cornices ever since. This panel lies on a dusty workshop bench beside a wooden modeling tool, its deep curls cracked along one edge. With so much off-white, the shadows in the carving do the real work in an acanthus relief jigsaw puzzle.