Museo del Compito | Don Giorgio Franchini

The fragmentary female statue of San Giovanni in Compito, was found in a field near the Pieve. It was upside-down with its base upwards. Since there were suppositions regarding the existence of a temple in that area, the statue was immediately identified as the statue of the temple. The suppositions about the temple were based on the still existing fragments of columns.

The fragmentary statue is composed of the lower part of a naked bust woman sitting on a stone with a mantle over her legs; she holds a basket of fruit with her left hand and there is probably an upright small goat on its back legs to the right of her feet. On the left there is a round pot; the right arm was probably near the body, a bit forward. It is not possible to guess how the upper part and the head of the woman were.

The statue is unusual: because of its dimensions it is not likely to be a cult statue and it is not easy to understand what it represented. It is supposed to be a personification or an image of a rural divinity, maybe protecting animals, in particular ovine, or fruits. If this is the case, it was probably the personification of autumn.

This marble statue has very refined details, remade by drill and it dates back to the II century A. C.
Its use is connected to its exegesis: it could be either inserted in a sacred area or it could be used as a decoration in a big villa.

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