Some of the most famous Ancient Greek statues in the world are now beginning to show their true colors. The Parthenon Marbles, a collection of ancient Greek sculptures illegally held at the British Museum for centuries, were not originally white, as they appear now.
When they were first installed on the Parthenon some 2,500 years ago, they were colorfully painted, according to a study published Oct. 11 in the Cambridge University journal Antiquity.
But over the centuries, just as the Statue of Liberty turned from gold to green and other statues react to elements in the atmosphere, the marbles turned from multicolored to monochromatic.
Researchers at the British Museum, where the statues are held, made this discovery after spotting traces of paint on the ancient busts.
The microscopic strokes were found using pioneering and non-invasive digital imaging techniques, according to a news release from King’s College London which collaborated with researchers from the Art Institute of Chicago. Three colors were detected: purple, white and blue, which would have been sourced from Egypt, researchers said.
The colors would have been used to paint various outfits, including those made from wool, skin and linen, carved on the statues.
“The use of color might also have been intended to aid the viewer in the identification of the figures from a distance, for religious or even political purposes,” researchers said. The colors would also have displayed the grandeur of the Athenian Empire.
Interestingly, the statues were painted not only on their front sides, but on their backs, where no one would have been able to see them.
It’s long been known that many classical sculptures were originally painted, but, until now, paint had never been found on the Parthenon Marbles despite having been scrutinized for centuries.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City hosted a groundbreaking exhibition showcasing what some Ancient Greek statues would have looked like in antiquity.
The full paper from the Cambridge University journal Antiquity can be downloaded here.