 Donohue holds that the "objective" description of archaeological objects has been anything but.Through an evaluation of the historical, ethnic, and psychological context of scholarly criticisms of the statue, Donohue illustrates how the reception of Nikandre's dedication today should not necessarily build on previous descriptions, which have often scorned the flat nature of the work and the heavy dress as poor craftsmanship.In comparison with later Hellenistic sculpture, which is characterized by a progressively idealistic treatment of the human form, Nikandre's dedication, with its heavy garment and blockish torso, appeared to many early scholars as wholly unfeminine.