Non solo pareti: la pittura su scultura

Since 2003, when the exhibition Bunte Götter / I colori del bianco was opened, the study of polychromy on Greek and Roman sculpture has been developed: nowadays, there is no doubt that classical sculpture was actually brightly coloured. In order to understand, analyse and study the remains of these traces of ancient colour, a multi-disciplinary approach – which combines skills from different backgrounds, from applied science to the humanities - is mandatory. For this reason, during the last years various multi-disciplinary groups were formed, with the aim of studying polychrome sculptures and architectural elements, in order to deepen the knowledge in this peculiar field of research. This paper shows a selection of case - studies on residual polychromy on marble reliefs and slabs which were set in walls of Roman buildings. The contexts were different in function and chronology, spanning from the domestic to the public ones and from the 1st century BC to the 3rd century AD. These case studies were part of a larger research on painting on marble sculptures, carried on in the framework of a collaboration agreement between the University of Florence and the ISPC - CNR of Florence since 2012.