Painted Statues of Antiquity

Unveiling the colorful past of Greek and Roman Art

When one thinks about Ancient Greece and Rome, one of the first things to come to mind are the elegant, white marble statues standing the tests of time.

While certainly elegant, the visual of white marble is far from accurate. Much of this comes from how our present cultures view Antiquity, as well as our past archaeological methods.

Many of the white statues people have come to love were originally painted with a variety of colorful pigments.

These finds may come as a shock to many readers, but it is important in understanding the cultures and attitudes of the Greeks and Romans.

They were painted?

Yes, they were painted. As previously mentioned, this may come as a surprise to many, but research has shown that many of the statues assumed to be white are actually full of many different pigments.

Pompeiian fresco depicting the colorful life and architecture of the Romans

This would make sense given the vast amounts of colors found in many Greek and Roman art and frescos as well as architecture.

Through research, archaeologists how shown how many of Antiquity’s most famous statues had painted skin and hair as well as colorful outfits.

Painted recreation of a famous Greek archer statue. Using similar techniques and materials, this recreation displays the colors available to the Greeks at the time

Many modern constructions have attempted to recreate what the statues would have likely looked like.

It’s important to note that the research around this is constantly changing as archaeologists' knowledge of the methods and materials used by the Greeks and Romans improves.

A modern recreation of what the Head of Caligula statue would have looked like compared to the original. Similar to other recreations, this is meant to reflect the appearance of the subject

Evidence to support painted statues

Much of the evidence supporting the painted statues theory has been there all along. Paint fragments and residues have…