Ancient Painting Materials

The material evidence for the wax finish on ancient marble statues, known as ganosis, is scarce and controversial, although Greek and Latin sources describe the recipes and cultural value of this treatment. The surface treatment of a colossal Roman head from the Roman theatre of Dougga (Tunisia), dated to the end of the second century CE, is studied by a multi-analytical protocol (video-microscope, cross section, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry of one sample). The results of this physico-chemical analysis and the comparison with ancient recipes, prove the use of ganosis on a Roman statue and explore, for the first time, the application of the recipes described in ancient sources. This result shows the potential of the Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry analysis, detecting at the same time organic and inorganic materials and their stratigraphy, to study the ancient recipes.

Subject of my work are the techniques of ancient Greek painting, in other words the materials and methods employed by ancient painters to produce their works of art. I attempt a brief inspection of the information available on painting techniques, gained through the study of the written sources, the investigation of the extant monuments, the number of which has significantly grew over the last decades, and the modern documentation and analysis methods, which are applied on them to ensure their fullest examination. The structure of my work is the following: In the introductory chapter, general information about ancient Greek painting and its study are given. The first chapter is devoted to ancient pigments, which today are divided into inorganic, organic (dyes) and synthetic. Information about these pigments is mainly derived from ancient written sources and contemporary analysis. In the second chapter the three painting techniques, through which an ancient painting could be produced, are presented: These are tempera (painting on a dry substrate, using an organic binding material), fresco (painting on wet substrate, without a binding material) and encaustic (painting with wax as a binding material). Emphasis is given to the special characteristics of each technique, along with its range of application in ancient painting. Furthermore, a brief reference in the possible protective methods of the painting surface is made. In the third and more extensive chapter, the examined monuments are presented, in the form of a catalogue. My research is confined in the area of Greek mainland. The majority of monuments derives from Macedonia and is dated to late Classic - early Hellenistic period. These are mural painting of macedonian and cist tombs, as well as houses, works on stone (painted grave stele, thrones, klinai etc. with painted decoration) and works on wooden substrate. Their examination is done in a uniform way: at first general information about the monument is given and its painted decoration is briefly described, and then the technical characteristics of this decoration are investigated, regarding the substrate and its preparation, the use of painted or incised preliminary drawing, the pigments used, the stages and special characteristics of the painting procedure and the subject of the painting technique. In the final chapter of my work, a synopsis of the information presented in the previous chapters is attempted, as long as the drawing of some general conclusions and some proposals about some open issues. The presentation of these conclusions follows the way the monuments are examined (1. Substrate and its preparation 2. Preliminary drawing 3. Pigments 4. Painting procedure 5. Painting technique) and in some instances a connection with the paintings of other areas and the sculptural polychromy is seeked.

A number of cartonnage fragments from the collections of the Petrie Museum, UCL, were examined to identify pigments, media and grounds. The different types of cartonnage made in ancient Egypt are reviewed. Special attention was paid to green pigments, which were shown to be of green earth, or a mixture of Egyptian blue and a yellow, usually goethite or orpiment. Green earth was found in one artefact, dated to the 9th century BC: all other examples were from the Graeco-Roman period. No copperorganometallic greens were present in the examples studied, or Egyptian green, or malachite. Binding media was identified both by ELISA and by GC/MS. A pink colourant was identified as madder, while lead white was used as a white in one example, showing the influence of Roman and Greek pigments on Egyptian art in these later periods. Plant gum, egg, and animal glue were found in different fragments, with mixed media in a few cases. Moganite was found associated with quartz in some preparatory layers by X-ray diffraction, which has not been reported previously as a constituent of ground layers in Egyptian artefacts.

This article describes a reconstruction of 40 sequences of historical glazes used by most European schools of painters from the 15th to the 18th century. Its main objective is to visually document the appearance of colours overlaid with historical pigments and dyes, which have often suffered from a degree of deterioration that renders it difficult to determine their original appearance. We also seek to show the extent to which the historical glazes and overlays can alter our perception of the underlying colour. To this end, lab tests and sources have been used with the aim of suggesting a series of sequences of colour overlays that were widely used in the aforementioned period, so as to reproduce them on a canvas using historical pigments and colours agglutinated in oil, in accordance with the main painting techniques of the era studied.

The ships of all warlords mentioned in the Homeric Epics were black except for 12 red-cheek vessels of Ulysses. Pitch was the common way to protect wood from seawater. The Iliad and the Odyssey provide full information of it. A similar reference can be found in the text of Genesis (6, 14) concerning Noah's Ark. Many scholars have studied the relevant verses of Homer (Il. 2.637, Od. 9.125), however, none of them seems to have understood the specific meaning of the structure mentioned. One of the first to investigate miltos from Kea Island was X. Landerer in mid-19th century. The view of Landerer was right, but his conclusion was uncertain. Others followed, yet the problem remains unsolved till present, e.g. why the conqueror of Troy had 12 ships only, while all other kings possessed 40 ships in the average. On the other hand, the ships of Ulysses were red-painted and not black-painted as the others. A technological question arises from this description. The redness of Ulysses' Ships was a matter of aesthetics or an application of Mycenaean maritime technology? Was red colour something " precious " or highly expensive and this was the reason that the king of Ithaca had twelve of the kind only? We will try to specify the substance of this material by experimental means and draw conclusions.

The potential of laser cleaning for paintings as an alternative to traditional cleaning methods has been recognized, and studies using industrial laser equipment have shown some potential. Irradiation at a wavelength of 248 nm has shown to be the most promising for natural resin varnish and overpaint removal, because it is strongly absorbed by triterpenoid varnish functional groups and associated degradation products (Georgiou 1998). However, it has been suggested that a minimal varnish thickness should remain intact to prevent any radiation from being absorbed by the underlying layers. This is because some painting materials have also shown sensitivity to laser radiation (Bordalo 2006). Research into the mechanisms of alterations which may occur due to laser radiation on resins, pigments and oils and its long-term effects has been scarce, and dispersed in its approach because of the multitude of different materials present in the paint layers (Chappé 2003, Sobott 2003, Melessanaki 2006). Thus, the systematic study of laser radiation interaction with paint materials is still important. The aim of this study was to advance the understanding of the effects that KrF excimer laser irradiation has on pigmented oil paint layers.

Le più antiche pitture del mondo etrusco...
Anche i tombaroli hanno un’anima, se si tratta poi di ricevere uno sconto di pena l’anima si pente candidamente. Grazie a questa “catarsi" il 31 maggio del 2006 il comando dei Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale ottiene il recupero di una piccola tomba a camera all’interno del parco archeologico di Veio con rilevanti fregi dipinti dai colori ben conservati.



Si tratta delle più antiche pitture etrusche, risalenti intorno al 690/700 a.C., dove spiccano figure di fiere, forse leoni, rese con una semplice e quasi infantile linea di contorno in nero carbone e definiti con una incisione preparatoria.

By studying the sensoaesthetic aspect of ancient materials, this workshop will explore the way specific experiences of materials could offer further knowledge over their physical properties. By examining how cultural and sensory experiences of a society allow aspects of the physical properties of materials to be appreciated, it will discuss choices of materials in relation to producer’s intentions, and, consequently, artefacts’ design, and the context of their use.

That ancient Egyptian painters used varnishes in the creation of tomb decorations has been known for a long time. The general assumption is that they were used as fixatives or to improve colour and brilliance. But they may also have served a more surprising end – to impart an olfactory dimension to the scenes painted.

That ancient Egyptian painters used varnishes in the creation of tomb decorations has been known for a long time. The general assumption is that they were used as fixatives or to improve colour and brilliance. But they may also have served a more surprising end – to impart an olfactory dimension to the scenes painted.

The material evidence for the wax finish on ancient marble statues, known as ganosis, is scarce and controversial, although Greek and Latin sources describe the recipes and cultural value of this treatment. The surface treatment of a colossal Roman head from the Roman theatre of Dougga (Tunisia), dated to the end of the second century CE, is studied by a multi-analytical protocol (video-microscope, cross section, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry of one sample). The results of this physico-chemical analysis and the comparison with ancient recipes, prove the use of ganosis on a Roman statue and explore, for the first time, the application of the recipes described in ancient sources. This result shows the potential of the Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry analysis, detecting at the same time organic and inorganic materials and their stratigraphy, to study the ancient recipes.

... Mycenaean era. Page 385. The Redness of Ulysses' Ships 389 4 Conclusions 1. The substance of miltos from Kea Island is lead-rich red earth. 2. Miltoparea means the front area and the whole of the bottom area of the vessel. 3 ...