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Polychromy in Africa Proconsularis: investigating Roman statues using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Noémie Kopczynski
Affiliation:
UMR 8167 Orient et Méditerranée, Centre d'Antiquité Classique et Tardive, 28 rue Serpente, 75006 Paris, France
Laurence de Viguerie
Affiliation:
Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 6, CNRS, UMR 8220, 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France CNRS, UMR 8220, Laboratoire d'archéologie moléculaire et structurale (LAMS), 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
Elisabetta Neri*
Affiliation:
UMR 8167 Orient et Méditerranée, Centre d'Antiquité Classique et Tardive, 28 rue Serpente, 75006 Paris, France Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 6, CNRS, UMR 8220, 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France CNRS, UMR 8220, Laboratoire d'archéologie moléculaire et structurale (LAMS), 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
Nesrine Nasr
Affiliation:
Institut National du Patrimoine de Tunis (INP), Musée National de Carthage, place de l'UNESCO, Tunis 2016, Tunisia
Philippe Walter
Affiliation:
Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 6, CNRS, UMR 8220, 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France CNRS, UMR 8220, Laboratoire d'archéologie moléculaire et structurale (LAMS), 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
Fathi Bejaoui
Affiliation:
Institut National du Patrimoine de Tunis (INP), Ministère de la Culture, 4 place du Château, Tunis 1008, Tunisia
François Baratte
Affiliation:
UMR 8167 Orient et Méditerranée, Centre d'Antiquité Classique et Tardive, 28 rue Serpente, 75006 Paris, France
*
*Author for correspondence (Email: elisabetta.neri@unicatt.it)
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Abstract

Colour was a key feature of Greek and Roman sculpture, but due to the current bare-marble appearance of many such statues, it is now frequently overlooked. This is illustrated here by the first study of polychromy in Roman statues from the province of Africa Proconsularis. Five sculptural fragments dating to the second and third centuries AD were examined using techniques including XRF analysis, and a variety of pigments were detected. The differing colour schemes presented by each of the pieces are here assessed, and consideration is given to the technical process by which they were coloured, the significance of their decoration and the potential for applying similar approaches in future studies of ancient statuary.

Information

Type
Research
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd, 2017 
Figure 0

Figure 1. Statue fragments included for study: a) head of Athena Lemnia, marble, 166 × 100mm, Bardo Museum; b) warrior's left leg, marble, 575mm, Bardo Museum; c) fragmentary colossal right foot, marble, 235 × 185mm, Bardo Museum; d) fragmentary right elbow, marble, 360 × 145 × 175mm, Bardo Museum.

Figure 1

Figure 2. Measurements performed at the Bardo Museum by a portable Pd-anode XRF system developed in-house on a female head wearing a helmet (Athena Parthenos), marble, 290 × 230mm, Bardo Museum.

Figure 2

Table 1. Details of the statues analysed.

Figure 3

Figure 3. Athena Lemnia, micrograph of the hair (width: 1200µm).

Figure 4

Figure 4. Athena Parthenos: a) detail of the eye; b) detail of the visor of the helmet and the medallion.

Figure 5

Figure 5. Warrior's left leg showing details of the greaves and the background.

Figure 6

Figure 6. The colossal left foot, showing a) the naked skin of the little toe (width of the micrograph 1220µm) and b) black shading near the sandal (width of the micrograph 1280µm).

Figure 7

Figure 7. The colossal elbow showing blue spots on yellow.

Figure 8

Table 2. X-ray fluorescence results on each sculpture: the pigment(s) used is identified from the detected elements (trace elements in parentheses). When lead is detected, an assumption is made between lead white or minium according to the observed tone. Calcium is detected in each colour, mainly coming from the marble support.

Figure 9

Figure 8. XRF spectra of three points on the Athena Parthenos: the spectrum of the marble without colour traces is shown in green, while different shades of red on the helmet are shown in red and black.

Supplementary material: PDF

Kopczynski supplementary material

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