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Athens (Attica) | Attica | Athens City

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.

Original Statues with Traces of Color

As mentioned in our Introduction Page of this Album, 51 original artwork, property of The National Archaeological Museum in Athens, accompany the 21 painted casts exhibited. These artifacts preserve some traces of the initial coloring, so that even the most questioning visitor cannot help but reach to the right conclusions. Photos of the statues among these artifacts are shown on this page.


15241. Grave statue of a lion. Poros-stone. Corinthian workshop. Unknown provenance. 560-550 B.C.

15241. Grave statue of a lion. Poros-stone. Corinthian workshop. Unknown provenance. 560-550 B.C.


Body and face are covered with a dark black color. A lighter shade of black is applied to the flamelike tufts of its mane and the tufts of other parts of the body. Beneath the thin layer of black, microscopic analysis revealed traces of a yellowish pigment which most probably indicate the use of ochre. On the tongue and inner part of the lower eyelids there are traces of red and below these, traces of black.
15241. Grave statue of a lion. Poros-stone. Corinthian workshop. Unknown provenance. 560-550 B.C.

15241. Grave statue of a lion. Poros-stone. Corinthian workshop. Unknown provenance. 560-550 B.C.


Same statue as in the previous photo.
2891. Statue of a sphinx, originally crowning a grave stele. Island marble from the Cyclades. Attic work around 550 B.C.

2891. Statue of a sphinx, originally crowning a grave stele. Island marble from the Cyclades. Attic work around 550 B.C.


It was found at Athens in the ancient cemetery of the Kerameikos, built in the walls of Themistokles. The details of the wings were painted.
3711. Statue of Dionysos. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens (Koumoundourou Square). Around 510 B.C.

3711. Statue of Dionysos. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens (Koumoundourou Square). Around 510 B.C.


On the seat of the god some traces of color: black for rendering the panther skin, red for the decorative meanders and for the chequered pattern.
3477. Base of a grave kouros. Marble.

3477. Base of a grave kouros. Marble.


It was found at Athens in the ancient cemetery of the Kerameikos, built in the walls of Themistokles. Around 510-500 B.C. On the front there are young athletes playing a game which is similar to modern hockey (Please refer to the photo underneath). Both sides render warriors and four-horse chariots. The reins were depicted in paint. Red pigment is preserved on the inner surface of the shields.
3477. Base of a grave kouros. Marble. It was found at Athens in the ancient cemetery of the Kerameikos, built in the walls of Themistokles. Around 510-500 B.C.

3477. Base of a grave kouros. Marble. It was found at Athens in the ancient cemetery of the Kerameikos, built in the walls of Themistokles. Around 510-500 B.C.


Detail
3477. Base of a grave kouros. Marble. It was found at Athens in the ancient cemetery of the Kerameikos, built in the walls of Themistokles. Around 510-500 B.C.

3477. Base of a grave kouros. Marble. It was found at Athens in the ancient cemetery of the Kerameikos, built in the walls of Themistokles. Around 510-500 B.C.


Τhe front side, where there are young athletes playing a game which is similar to modern hockey.
3477. Base of a grave kouros. Marble. It was found at Athens in the ancient cemetery of the Kerameikos, built in the walls of Themistokles. Around 510-500 B.C.

3477. Base of a grave kouros. Marble. It was found at Athens in the ancient cemetery of the Kerameikos, built in the walls of Themistokles. Around 510-500 B.C.


The other side of the base
3477. Base of a grave kouros. Marble. It was found at Athens in the ancient cemetery of the Kerameikos, built in the walls of Themistokles. Around 510-500 B.C.

3477. Base of a grave kouros. Marble. It was found at Athens in the ancient cemetery of the Kerameikos, built in the walls of Themistokles. Around 510-500 B.C.


Detail
3477. Base of a grave kouros. Marble. It was found at Athens in the ancient cemetery of the Kerameikos, built in the walls of Themistokles. Around 510-500 B.C.

3477. Base of a grave kouros. Marble. It was found at Athens in the ancient cemetery of the Kerameikos, built in the walls of Themistokles. Around 510-500 B.C.


Detail
15244. Complete upper part of a marble face. From the Asklepieion in Athens. Around 350 B.C.

15244. Complete upper part of a marble face. From the Asklepieion in Athens. Around 350 B.C.


On the eyebrows and the inner part of the eyelids some traces of red pigment survive. The iris is of brown, the pupil of grey stone. The eyeball and the inner part of the corner of the eye are rendered in white and red stone respectively. The head was fastened into a poros block which had niches of various sizes for inserting the votive gifts. The inscription carved on the poros block informs us that it was an offer of Praxias to Asclepius for healing his wife.
15244. Complete upper part of a marble face. From the Asklepieion in Athens. Around 350 B.C.

15244. Complete upper part of a marble face. From the Asklepieion in Athens. Around 350 B.C.


Same exhibit fron a different angle
426. Grave bust of a maiden. White marble. Melos. Beginning of the 1st century AD.

426. Grave bust of a maiden. White marble. Melos. Beginning of the 1st century AD.


An inscription on the base reads: Ψυχή Στασίμης θυγατρός Στασίμου. (The soul of Stasime, the daughter of Stasimos). The iris, eyelashes and eyebrow of the right eye are rendered in black. Traces of black are also preserved on the hair.
426. Grave bust of a maiden. White marble. Melos. Beginning of the 1st century AD.

426. Grave bust of a maiden. White marble. Melos. Beginning of the 1st century AD.


Detail
129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.

129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.


This is the most complete copy of the gold and ivory statue of Athena Parthenos by Pheidias, which was erected in the Parthenon in 438 B.C.
The surface of the marble is polished to remid of ivory. Red and yellow pigments are preserved on the eyes, the hair, the snake and on the ‘gorgoneion’ (Medusa Head) of the shield.
129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.

129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.
129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.

129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.
129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.

129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.
129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.

129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.
129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.

129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.
129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.

129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.
129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.

129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.
129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.

129. Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.
177. Female head. Parian marble. Athens, Odeion of Herodes Atticus. 2nd century A.D.

177. Female head. Parian marble. Athens, Odeion of Herodes Atticus. 2nd century A.D.


The head belongs to the statue of a goddess, manufactured in the acrolithic technique. That means that the visible flesh of the limbs was shown in marble, while the body was wooden and covered with gilded garments. The statue is a copy of a most probably a gold and ivory cult statue of the 5th or the 4th century B.C. The surface of the marble is polished in order to imitate ivory. The inlaid eyes were made of ivory, the irises of black stone, the eyelashes of metal. The hair was painted red.
3344. Votive relief. Pentelic marble. From the vicinity of the temple of Athena at Sounion. Attic work from around 460 B.C.

3344. Votive relief. Pentelic marble. From the vicinity of the temple of Athena at Sounion. Attic work from around 460 B.C.


A youth is crowning himself with a wreath or he takes it off for offering to the Gods. The holes on the head were intended for the insertion of the metal wreath. Traces of blue pigment are preserved on the left side.
3567. Statue of Artemis. Marble.

3567. Statue of Artemis. Marble.


Found in Athens. The statue belongs to the type known as the Artemis Versailles. The goddess is depicted upright, with a distinct forward movement. With her right hand she held the horns of a deer, beneath which a dog is depicted. The arms were made of separate pieces of marble and inlaid. The chiton was decorated with red and yellow color, as is evident from the traces on the hem of her garment.

Roman copy of a 4th c. BC original attributed to Leochares.
3567. Statue of Artemis. Marble.

3567. Statue of Artemis. Marble.
3567. Statue of Artemis. Marble. (Detail)

3567. Statue of Artemis. Marble. (Detail)
Δ 959. Slab fragment of a coffer decorating the ceiling of the temple of Athena at Sounion. White marble. About 450 B.C.

Δ 959. Slab fragment of a coffer decorating the ceiling of the temple of Athena at Sounion. White marble. About 450 B.C.


Preserved is a part of the painted decoration. In the square panel there is a star or sun with eight rays decorated with a rosette in the middle. In the center of the rosette is a shallow hole, indicating the use of compasses.
Δ 959. Slab fragment of a coffer decorating the ceiling of the temple of Athena at Sounion. White marble. About 450 B.C. (Close-up)

Δ 959. Slab fragment of a coffer decorating the ceiling of the temple of Athena at Sounion. White marble. About 450 B.C. (Close-up)


Preserved is a part of the painted decoration. In the square panel there is a star or sun with eight rays decorated with a rosette in the middle. In the center of the rosette is a shallow hole, indicating the use of compasses.
87. Fragment of a relief. White marble.

87. Fragment of a relief. White marble.


From the Dipylon gate (Kerameikos). Work of a great sculptor working in Athens around the end of the 6th century B.C.
The body of an athlete is depicted in relief on a red ground.
505. Female portrait head in the form of a mask. Pentelic marble. Unknown provenance. Late 1st c. AD.

505. Female portrait head in the form of a mask. Pentelic marble. Unknown provenance. Late 1st c. AD.


The eyeballs are made of a different material and inlaid, as were the irises, which were made of glass paste.
This exhibit was not transferred to Galleries 44 and 45, where the Gods In Color Exhibition was held. Instead, it was marked with a multicolored sticker which signaled its relevance to the exhibition in question.
3476. Base for a funerary kouros. Pentelic marble.

3476. Base for a funerary kouros. Pentelic marble.


Found in Athens, in the Kerameikos, built into the Themistokleian wall. The kouros would have stood on the grave of an athlete. The three faces of the base are decorated in relief. The front face shows a scene from the palaestra. Two wrestlers are shown in action; on the left an athlete is ready to jump, on the right another one is preparing the pit. The left side of the base represents six athletes involved in various athletic games. On the right side, two seated youths pair a dog and a cat in a fight. About 510 B.C.
3476. Base for a funerary kouros. Pentelic marble.

3476. Base for a funerary kouros. Pentelic marble.


Found in Athens, in the Kerameikos, built into the Themistokleian wall. The kouros would have stood on the grave of an athlete. The three faces of the base are decorated in relief. The front face shows a scene from the palaestra. Two wrestlers are shown in action; on the left an athlete is ready to jump, on the right another one is preparing the pit. The left side of the base represents six athletes involved in various athletic games. On the right side, two seated youths pair a dog and a cat in a fight. About 510 B.C.
3476. Base for a funerary kouros. Pentelic marble.

3476. Base for a funerary kouros. Pentelic marble.


Found in Athens, in the Kerameikos, built into the Themistokleian wall. The kouros would have stood on the grave of an athlete. The three faces of the base are decorated in relief. The front face shows a scene from the palaestra. Two wrestlers are shown in action; on the left an athlete is ready to jump, on the right another one is preparing the pit. The left side of the base represents six athletes involved in various athletic games. On the right side, two seated youths pair a dog and a cat in a fight. About 510 B.C.
3476. Base for a funerary kouros. Pentelic marble.

3476. Base for a funerary kouros. Pentelic marble.


Found in Athens, in the Kerameikos, built into the Themistokleian wall. The kouros would have stood on the grave of an athlete. The three faces of the base are decorated in relief. The front face shows a scene from the palaestra. Two wrestlers are shown in action; on the left an athlete is ready to jump, on the right another one is preparing the pit. The left side of the base represents six athletes involved in various athletic games. On the right side, two seated youths pair a dog and a cat in a fight. About 510 B.C.
3851. Statue of a kouros. Parian marble. Found in Anavyssos, Attica. It had been stolen and taken to France, from where it was returned in 1937. The body is powerful and articulate, with emphasized musculature.

3851. Statue of a kouros. Parian marble. Found in Anavyssos, Attica. It had been stolen and taken to France, from where it was returned in 1937. The body is powerful and articulate, with emphasized musculature.


The statue was funerary and stood on the grave of Kroisos, as is indicated by the epigram on the base: "Stop and mourn at the grave of dead Kroisos, whom the raging Ares destroyed when he fought among the defenders". About 530 B.C.
3851. Statue of a kouros. Parian marble. (Portrait)

3851. Statue of a kouros. Parian marble. (Portrait)
1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938. Heads of helmeted warriors. Island marble.

1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938. Heads of helmeted warriors. Island marble.


Found in a pit NE of the Temple of Aphaia, except for Inv. nos. 1933 and 1938, which were discovered at the Western corner of the Propylon. It was originally believed that they come from the temple's pediments; it seems, however, that they belong to compositions with heroes' heads that were offerings to the Temple of Aphaia. The heads Inv. nos. 1933,1934,1935 and 1937 are stylistically close to the figures of the West Pediment and are datable about 490 B.C.
On the other hand, the heads Inv. no. 1936 and 1938 are earlier by approximately a decade and possibly belong to the figures II and X of the East pediment. Part of the head Inv. no. 1938 is now in the Munich Glyptothek.

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