“Reconstruction” of the polychromy of ancient sculpture: a necessary evil?

Østergaard, Jan

doi:10.4000/techne.2656

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This has caused significant confusion (discussed in [3], pp. [113][114][115]. Possibly, Herzfeld made the watercolor at a later point, drawing on earlier sketches and notes (such as Figure 6) but using as a model for the overall representation one of the reliefs preserved on site (a similar scenario was suggested by Tilia [26] p. 42, n. 3).…”

Section: History Of Reconstruction Attemptsmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Tangible three-dimensional reconstructions offer a further benefit, however, besides being visually powerful. Creating them can be an effective heuristic tool [115]. Ebbinghaus experienced this when she tried, brush in hand, to transfer to the plaster cast of the relief fragment a new color reconstruction that Lerner had sketched on paper.…”

Section: The Three-dimensional Proposal From 2007: a Critiquementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

An Achaemenid God in Color

Ebbinghaus,

Eremin,

Lerner

et al. 2023

Heritage

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A limestone relief fragment with a figure in a winged disk from the fifth-century BCE Hall of 100 Columns at Persepolis in southwestern Iran that entered the Harvard Art Museums’ collections in 1943 preserves significant traces of its original coloration and has played a key role in the rediscovery of polychromy at the Achaemenid Persian capital. After tracing the fragment’s journey to Cambridge, MA, this article presents the results of recent technical studies of its pigment remains, including visible light-induced infrared luminescence (VIL) imaging, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, and the analysis of micro samples by Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and polarizing light microscopy (PLM). The new scientific data is compared to the findings of ongoing investigations of polychromies at Persepolis and other Achaemenid Persian sites and evaluated for the information it can and cannot provide on the original appearance of the figure in the winged disk, likely the Zoroastrian god Ahuramazda. The article reviews past attempts at reconstructing the relief’s coloration and the assumptions that guided them, recounts the experience of creating a tangible three-dimensional color reconstruction for an exhibition, and concludes with some general thoughts on the valuation of colorfulness.

show abstract

Section: History Of Reconstruction Attemptsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: The Three-dimensional Proposal From 2007: a Critiquementioning

confidence: 99%

An Achaemenid God in Color

Ebbinghaus,

Eremin,

Lerner

et al. 2023

Heritage

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…362-363), which necessitated the removal of surviving pigments. Set against this background of the systematic erasure of traces of polychromy from Classical sculpture and the idealisation of pristine white marble [43] (pp. [78][79], it is perhaps surprising that GLAHM.F1 was repainted in vivid colours.…”

Section: Polychromy On Glahmf1mentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracking Trajectories: Projecting Polychromy onto a Roman Relief from a Scottish Castle

Campbell

2023

Heritage

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Antonine Wall Distance Sculptures are iconic and unique sculptural reliefs that marked Rome’s most north-westerly frontier across central Scotland. Their inscribed texts and iconography depict graphic tales of frontier life, and recent non-invasive analysis has confirmed they were originally brought to life through vibrant polychromy. This paper tracks the trajectory of one Distance Sculpture that was embedded into the dramatic setting of Dunnottar Castle off the north-east coast of Scotland during the 16th century, where it was recorded as having been repainted during that episode of use. A suite of complementary analytical techniques, including pXRF, FTIR, and SEM/EDS, was recently reported on which identified pigments and surface treatments as well as their chronology of application, confirmed through stratigraphic sequencing visible in cross-section. That approach facilitated the investigation of all episodes in the itinerary of this iconic sculpted relief from the second century to the Scottish Renaissance. That vanguard research has provided an unprecedented opportunity to unravel the rich hidden history behind this unique monumental inscription and re-tell a fascinating transformational tale of a pivotal period in its past. The combination of historical, archaeological, and scientific approaches to an understudied, and overlooked, phenomenon of post-antique colouration is revolutionary in polychromy studies. It provides innovative and well-contextualised information that lifts an aesthetically modest Roman monument into a vibrant, colourful, and sumptuous decorative feature fit to grace the walls of a Renaissance castle emulating Roman imperial practices. We can now trace its journey through time by delving into the detail of its Renaissance repainting to present, for the first time, an accurate digital reconstruction as it performed for 16th century audiences.

show abstract