Saturday, 14 October 2023

Colour and the Elgin Marbles


The latest research on the Elgin - or Parthenon - Marbles has been to look at the fragmentary remains of the paintwork which once covered the marble and made the sculpture vibrant to the beholder on the Acropolis.


The Parthenon as originally built and painted in 433-2 BC

Image. mygreece.tv  

Analysis of the colour scheme suggests a significant use of blue and purple pigments in the original scheme. That any of it has survived at all is, given its antiquity and the exposure and handling the sculpture has endured over twenty four or so centuries, a tribute to the quality of the materials used.

The research is set out by an article by the Daily Telegraph which can be seen at Elgin Marbles were painted in vivid hues of ‘Egyptian blue’ and purple

King’s College London also discusses the project on its website at Scientific analysis reveals the true colours of the Parthenon Sculptures


The Parthenon as originally conceived and built

Image: mygreece.tv


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