Reflecting on the colours of ancient sculptures, Susanne Pearce discusses a memorable exhibition she saw in Berlin. Susanne writes: Amanda Dunsmore (Senior Curator, International Decorative Arts and Antiquities at the National Gallery of Victoria) mentioned, in her recent lecture on the exhibition Spectrum, that sculptures of the ancient world were brightly coloured. This reminded me that I had seen a most startling travelling exhibition in Berlin a decade ago called Gods in Color: Painted Sculpture of Antiquity. The images included are from holiday snaps – with two taken from the internet. Not being a gallery guide at the time, I did not record details, but from various sources I have found some information on a few of the works.
First let us look at a sculpture from the NGV collection – the elegant Archaistic Kore, a Roman sculpture referencing the Greek votive sculpture, the kore or maiden, from the Archaic Period. The Roman sculpture shown was made some 500-600 years after the Archaic period and has a much more fluid, graceful style with significant differences in the clothing. Traces of pigment can be found in some of the folds of the garment, but the overall effect is of elegant simplicity. While we guides are aware of the use of colour on ancient sculptures it is not easy to imagine the original effect.
The second sculpture is thought to be a copy of a Greek bronze sculpture of the 5th or early 4th century BCE by the classical sculptor Polykleitos. It is an excellent example of the way we see sculptures today – in museums, white, unadorned. The defined musculature of this ideal male torso can be seen clearly. But what were sculptures really like?
The exhibition Gods in Color: Painted Sculpture of Antiquity was based on many decades or research carried out by Vincenz Brinkmann and put together by him together with Raimund Wünsche, the Director of the Munich Glyptothek in 2003. Before I saw it at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin it had already travelled to many cities throughout Europe as well as Boston and Los Angeles, and it went on to others. Perhaps some readers will have seen it.
The researchers used UV light, side-light, and chemical and optical analyses and more to examine traces of colour on numerous classical sculptures. For the exhibition, copies of a number of well-known sculptures were painted in the same natural pigments employed by the original artists. Where the colours could not be determined was left white on some examples.
I must say I found the exhibition on first glance shocking – it seemed so gaudy to my eyes accustomed as I was to seeing numerous white sculptures of ancient Greece stripped clean of their colour – so pure, such graceful simplicity. And the wonderful white marble temples – the elegant columns and sculptural pediments. Now I had to imagine walking along the streets of ancient Athens and elsewhere accustomed to brilliantly coloured temples and sculptures.
Here are some korai (maidens) from 6C-5C BCE. On the left is a copy of the Phrasikleia Kore now in the National Archeology Museum of Athens. The middle image is of the same sculpture in more detail (image taken from Wikipedia). Analysis showed that the Phrasikleia Kore had eleven different colours – reds, yellow, black and white pigments. Her skin has a mixture of red ochre, light brown umber and lead white. In addition, gold and lead foil appliques were applied. I know nothing about the kore on the right in my first photo other than it is an original from the Pergamon Museum. Some traces of red pigment can be seen. The next image is of two more korai from the Exhibition with the one on the left a copy of the famous Peplos Kore from the Acropolis Museum, Athens.
All the korai show the same rigid, columnar, front-on stance, often with an extended arm, perhaps to offer fruit or flowers. And they have the “archaic smile”- not to show emotion but as a symbol of the ideal.
Some other examples:
More colourful leggings can be seen in these two images The wall plaque on the right is extraordinary and gaudy. Unfortunately, I know nothing about it. I can’t help but feel that the original artists would have provided somewhat more nuance in the colours, at least in works that would be seen up close.
Then there is this wacky lion with his gappy smile and blue mane which brings a smile to my lips!
Amanda showed slides of natural pigments in the NGV’s Spectrum Exhibition. They are largely the same as those used for the colouring of the original Greek sculptures and for the reproductions in Gods in Color. They include the reds of red ochre, haematite and cinnabar, the pinks from the madder root, azurite blue, Egyptian blue, malachite green, yellow and brown ochres. The natural earth colours especially yellows and browns were more light sensitive and weathering occurred more rapidly. Reds seem to have lasted longest.
Copies of the exhibition catalogue can be found for sale on-line. There were several different versions put together for the various exhibitions. The one from Berlin seems to be more expansive than earlier versions.
I hope I haven’t ruined viewers’ experience of the wonders of temples and classical sculptures! If so, stick with the purity of neo-classical sculptures!
Thank you for drawing those connections, Suzanne. I saw the exhibition at the Glyptotech in Munich and yes, it did seem gaudy and shocking to see those bright colours. It looked more like some Indian temples with their brightly painted statues than the sedate white marble we are used to.
Thanks Susanne for showing us these examples. We have heard that both the buildings and sculptures of Greece were painted, but it is another thing to see the actual effect of the colours. Love the patterned leggings!
Thanks, Susanne. One could almost say ‘thank goodness for the ravages of time’ because despite what we know, I find it difficult to imagine one of my favourite Greek sculptures, the ‘Winged Victory of Samothrace’ (Louvre), painted in those garish colours.