Red-Painted Stones in Roman Architecture (original) (raw)
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Minerals, 2019
Fifty-four pieces out of 356 marble pieces deriving from the decorative and architectonic apparatus of the medieval monastic complex of S. Francesco of Castelletto (Genoa, Italy) preserve traces of varicolored paint layers. Microscopic samples of green, blue, red, pink, white, and yellow paint relics were collected by scalpel and analyzed by means of Scanning Electron Microscope coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), µ-Raman, and Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy with Attenuated Total Reflection (FTIR-ATR), to characterize pigments and binders. The combined results from the different techniques allowed verification that stone decoration in Genoa during the Middle Ages encompassed a calcite groundwork and the use of a mixture of oils and proteins (probably egg) to apply pigments. The assemblage of impurities within the pigment has been correlated with the provenance sites along the commercial continental (Hungary and France) and maritime (Sardinia, Cyprus, or V...
in P. Pensabene, E. Gasperini (eds.), Interdisciplinary Studies on Ancient Stone, Proceedings of the X ASMOSIA Conference (Roma 21-26/05/2012), Roma 2015, pp. 55-62.
Recently (2000-2004) a First Style wall painting (end of 2nd century BC) was found in the Etruscan-Roman town of Populonia (LI – Italy). The richness and variety of marbling in the multicoloured courses of ashlar blockwork are extremely interesting if compared to other contemporary examples, up till now known, in Italy. The marbling, especially for some types, resembles the real stones surprisingly, not only for the realistic pattern but also for the accurate modelling, the colours tones and the smoothing and shimmering gloss of the surface. The plasterers and painters had a great technical skill that allowed to make a surface appearance very similar to real marbles. The minero-petrographic analysis of the tectorium and pigments, carried out in order to identify the raw materials and the different painting techniques used, have emphasized the great accuracy of the wall painting.
Van Os, Bertil, Lara Laken, and Luc Megens. “Seeing Red on the Walls of a Roman Villa Rustica. A Reconstruction of Wall Decoration through Combined Mortar and Plaster Analysis.” In Proceedings of the 39th International Symposium for Archaeometry, Leuven (2012), 042–045. KU Leuven, 2014.
In 2008 and 2009 a joint team of the Cultural Heritage Agency, the municipality of Maastricht and the University of Amsterdam excavated a Merovingian burial site at Borgharen, near Maastricht, the Netherlands. For their burials, the Merovingians used the ruins of a Roman villa rustica, situated on a high gravel bed in the flood plain of the river Meuse. During the excavation, many small fragments of mortar and plaster were found. The study of fragmentary paintings provides examples of provincial-Roman interior decoration in the Low Countries. Through comparison of Roman villae rusticae in this area, we can track patterns of Romanization in the first and second centuries A.D.
In the last decade or so there has been steadily growing interest in determining the original appearance of ancient polychromed sculpture and architectural decoration. As a result, there have been a number of collaborative efforts on the part of scholars of classical antiquity, scientists, and digital computer artists. Technological advances in the testing of marble surfaces to detect even the most microscopic traces of ancient pigments or gilding have advanced our knowledge of ancient polychromy considerably. The interest in ancient polychromed marble is also evident in the increased number of papers and posters presented at our ASMOSIA conferences in recent years, expanding and complementing our study of the use of colored stones for ancient sculpture and architecture. The examination of ancient polychromy has resulted in a number of traveling museum exhibitions on this subject, with ancient sculptures still bearing traces of color being displayed next to painted plaster casts of the same objects. For the general public, long used to the purity of 18th and 19th century neo-classical white marble sculpture and modern plaster replicas of ancient sculpture, the display of such painted casts in these shows has come as a shocking surprise. In my paper, I shall not only consider some of problems and questions involved in the study and recreation of ancient polychomatic sculptures but also question the wisdom of using painted plaster casts for didactic purposes, especially in public museum exhibitions. I shall discuss as well some of the recent attempts, including my own, to colorize a marble portrait of Caligula in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen, a work that -- along with polychromed marble copies -- has been one of the more interesting objects displayed in these traveling exhibitions on colorized ancient sculpture.
'The importance of colour on ancient marble sculpture'
This article explores the significance of paint and pigment traces for understanding the aesthetics and artistic composition of ancient marble architectural and statuary sculpture. It complements the pioneering technical and reconstructive work that has recently been carried out into classical polychrome sculpture by approaching the subject from the perspective of the cultural history of colour and perception in the ancient world. The study concentrates in particular on the art of imperial Rome, which at the present time is under-represented in the field. By integrating visual material with literary evidence, it first reviews some of the most important pieces of sculpture on which paint traces have survived and then assesses the significance of sculptural polychromy under four headings: visibility, finish, realism and trompe-l'oeil. Finally, it considers some of the ways in which polychromy can enrich our understanding and interpretation of the Prima Porta statue of Augustus.
Painting layers on stone: study of an Early Middle Ages high-relief
Examples of painted layers on statues, bas-reliefs and other architectural elements have been discovered in the course of conservation works in last decades. In most of the cases painting layers are in the state of remnants because of decay mechanisms, soiling, and invasive cleaning. Nevertheless, these colour relics witness ancient pictorial techniques, and contribute to define a symbology, an iconography, and the importance of stone elements in a complex building. An important high relief representing the figure of St. Siro, who is traditionally said to have been the first bishop of Pavia during the 1 st century, but probably lived during 4 th century, is conserved in Sts. Gervasius and Protasius Church in Pavia.