Rencontres sur l’Archéologie Grecque et Romaine

 

The Hunt Frieze of the “Tomb of Philip II” at Aegae:Facing the Challenge of a new Colour Reconstruction
Harikleia Brekoulaki Institute of Historical Research,National Hellenic Research Foundation

Séminaire hybride / Υβριδικό σεμινάριο  / Hybrid seminar

=> Salle des conférences de l’EFA, Didotou 6 (port du masque obligatoire) / Αίθουσα διαλέξεων της ΓΣΑ, Διδότου 6 (υποχρεωτική χρήση μάσκας) / EFA Conference room, Didotou 6 (mandatory face mask)

=> Inscription au webinaire / Εγγραφή στο webinar
Περίληψη / Resume / Résumé

The hunt frieze decorating the façade of Tomb II at Aegae, discovered by Manolis Andronikos in 1977, is the largest and most fascinating figural painting of Classical antiquity. Because of the extensive damage of its pictorial surface, a meticulous drawing and a colour reconstruction of the painting were produced in 1985 by the archaeologist Giorgos Miltsakakis, hitherto serving as the primary visual reference of the original. In spite of the very high fidelity of those reconstructions as far as line drawing is concerned, the “reconstructed” colours of the hunt frieze were enhanced to resemble those of a restricted palette composed of warm hues only (the so-called four-colour palette), in order to accommodate academic preconceptions of what ancient painting should look like. A recent preliminary scientific investigation of the hunt frieze using multispectral imaging and elemental analytical techniques, confirmed the wealth of information that it was possible to retrieve from the pictorial surface and the fact that the hunt frieze was produced with a much larger and varied gamut of pigments than previously thought. A current project (ReVis) funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (ΕΛ.ΙΔ.Ε.Κ.) and hosted at the Institute of Historical Research (NHRF), proposes a thorough non-invasive investigation of the hunt frieze by applying state-of-the art technology in order to accurately evaluate the nature of the painting materials and the visual aspect of the original colours. This presentation addresses methodological and ethical challenges related to the creation a new colour reconstruction of the hunt frieze.

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CONTACTSIokasti Kammenou
Assistante administrative pour la Direction des Études
iokasti.kammenou@efa.gr
+ 30 210 36 79 958

Nolwenn Grémillet
Communication
nolwenn.gremillet@efa.gr
+ 30 210 36 79 943