Mix of metals in this Picasso sculpture provides clues to its mysterious origins
Alloy ‘fingerprints’ help curators piece together where a sculpture was cast

HISTORY MYSTERY Picasso first created this sculpture, Tête de femme de profil (Marie-Thérèse), in plaster in 1931, but its origins in bronze were unknown. A new analysis of the metals in the bronze gave an important clue to where and when it was cast.
© RMN-Grand Palais (Musée national Picasso-Paris), © Succession Picasso 2018