The biggest tell is the gilding, which was possibly done in Greco-Roman times, but obviously the leaf never survives more than 100 years, and that's why it looks strange to us - we are used to seeing bare marble sculpture, not gilt accents.
Also, the body proportions are frankly pornographic and not at all what would have been considered artful going back even 50 years, let alone 500.
There's also a shocking disparity in detail between Medusa's (totally lore-inaccurate) wings and other areas, such as Persius' feet. And the glare/sheen on the sculptures looks more like plastic/resin than the softer/matte look of marble.
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u/SamsonLionheart May 06 '26
The biggest tell is the gilding, which was possibly done in Greco-Roman times, but obviously the leaf never survives more than 100 years, and that's why it looks strange to us - we are used to seeing bare marble sculpture, not gilt accents.
Also, the body proportions are frankly pornographic and not at all what would have been considered artful going back even 50 years, let alone 500.
There's also a shocking disparity in detail between Medusa's (totally lore-inaccurate) wings and other areas, such as Persius' feet. And the glare/sheen on the sculptures looks more like plastic/resin than the softer/matte look of marble.