National Archaeological Museum of Athens: Gods In Color
On January 29, 2007, a new Exhibition was opened to the public at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. After having made the rounds at a variety of Museums in Europe, “Gods in Color” has been on view in Athens until March 25th. However, thanks to our Album, visitors to our website will be enjoying it permanently! The 21 casts exhibited (in Ground floor Galleries 44 and 45) are of well-known statues (Cuirassed torso of the statue of an archer or chariot driver from the Acropolis Museum, Akr 599, the bronze head of a victor from Glyptothek München, the “Peplos Kore” from the Acropolis of Athens Museum, Akr. 679, the Lion of Loutraki, etc), of Tombstone Stelae (tombstone of Aristion, the one of Paramythion, etc), of Pediment sculptures (from the Athena Afaea Temple in Aegina, the East Frieze of the Siphnian Treasury in Delphi, parts of the so called Sarcophagus of Alexander the Great) and specimens of real pigment used in antiquity. (Text and Photos: Michael Tziotis)
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Click on any of the pictures to enlarge.
Temple of Aphaea at Aegina - Colored Reconstruction of a Warrior's Head from the East PedimentThe warrior (ca. 490 B.C.), bent over, charges forward to rescue a comrade. He is wearing a helmet with a nose guard and it is apparent from the cuttings in the original that the chin guards were folded up. A diamond pattern covering the surface of the helmet can be seen with the naked eye. Ultraviolet light shows that it forms a frame around a scale pattern which covers the entire helmet. A similar feature is shown by a contemporary vase painting.
The range of possible color combinations is given by the character of the weathering relief, the grey tones of the UV fluorescence and the discovery of blue pigment on the scales next to the visible diamond pattern. A simpler solution is possible, as is shown in the accompanying photograph.
The palmette-volute on the helmet's neck guard is hypothetical. It copies a similarly placed ornament on the helmet of the Athena Aphaia statue.
Gods in Color: Informative photograph of the Greek Warrior's Head Coloring Research |
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Gods in Color: The Greek Warrior's Head (Aphaea East Pediment)
Research, documentation and reconstruction: Vinzenz Brinkmann.
Restoration of the synthetic marble copy: Gabriela Tobin.
Painting (using authentic pigments and binder): Sylvia Kellner
Blue: Azurite
Red: Cinnabar
Green: Malachite
Yellow: Ochre
Brown: Ochre
Skin color: Madder, Calcite
Painted cast: Stiftung Archäologie
Original: Munich, Staatliche Antikensamlungen und Glyptothek |
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Gods in Color: The Greek Warrior's Head (Aphaea East Pediment)
In the background, a cast of the original, kept in Munich, at Staatliche Antikensamlungen und Glyptothek, is visible. |
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Gods in Color: Cast of the original Greek Warrior's Head (Aphaea East Pediment) |
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