In Western culture it exist a widespread difficulty to accept the presence of colours in ancient art.
The neoclassical period and Winckelmann ideas are still rooted and we keep believing ancient temple’s ornaments or statues were merely white or plan.
Of course this is not true.
Just think about the function of a temple aimed to worship a deity who was represented at the top of the temple front.
The neoclassical period and Winckelmann ideas are still rooted and we keep believing ancient temple’s ornaments or statues were merely white or plan.
Of course this is not true.
Just think about the function of a temple aimed to worship a deity who was represented at the top of the temple front.
  | White images would not have given the opportunity of recognizing the identity of the statue. The story telling highlighting the most important myths, usually depicted in the marble friezes, above the temple columns would have not been readable without coloured details. The first to guess that ancient art was colored was the great painter Raphael In Roman portraits hair and eyes were painted. Glass eyes could be inserted in marble faces. Sometimes wicks were made of a different coloured marble too. |
