Typology

Ideal sculpture

Definition

Statue of Athena Parthenos

Collection

Tunis, Bardo National Museum.

Inventory number

SSN

Provenance

Capitol of Oudna

Date

2nd c. CE

Material

White marble

Dimensions

Height: 29 cm

Analytical methods

VIS

VIL

UV

MO VIS

MO UV

MAXRF

Autoptic examination

There is a wide variety of colored surfaces, particularly on the helmet, that has different shades of brownish-yellow and red, while the visor is pinkish-red and the bird relief at the top of the forehead is brown, pink and blue. The hair, the right eyebrow and the corners of the lips are red. The area around the eyes is purplish-red, and the eyeballs show traces of yellow on their surface (as well as brownish concretions, due to the poor state of preservation of the sculpture). Traces of yellow are noted on the wings of the nose.

Imaging

The skin is colored yellow only near the helmet, hair, and corners of the mouth. The eyes are outlined in a darker red tone, like the hair. Bright yellow is seen on the helmet visor medallion; here the eagle is highlighted in pink overlaid with blue

Chemical analysis

Analysis of four zones using MA-XRF, from which 15 points were selected, reveals the nature of the pigments.
The peak of iron and lead in the red of the hair could indicate the use of minium, mixed with earth pigments, or directly from sandyx. The brownish-yellow of the helmet's crown is achieved solely with earth pigments, unlike the iron signal, which is not associated with other elements relevant to pigments. On the eagle of the visor medallion, where pink and blue are observed, the association of Pb, Fe, As, Cu, Si, Ca, and traces of V, Al, K, Ti, Mn, Ni, and Zn is confirmed. This suggests the use of mimetite, probably mixed with vanadinite and Egyptian blue. The superimposition of red/pink and blue is used to create the purple, as we found, for example, in the reliefs of the Palace of Nicomedia. The yellow background of the medallion is rendered with orpiment since the signal of arsenic is observed.

Under painting traces

no

Pigments

Yellow (mimetite), orange (vanadinite), red (minium) Egyptian blue.

Binder

n.d.

Stratigraphy

Directly on the marble

Shading

Red shades on the temples

Metallic traces

no

Tools marks

no

Background colour

no

Apparent marble parts

no

Restorations

no

Polychromy technique

The upper part of the helmet retains two superimposed layers of translucent colors: brown overlaid on yellow. The pigments were probably applied very diluted, compared to the denser, thicker pigments seen on the eyes, hair, and forehead

Polychromy type

The polychromy of the helmet, achieved with synthetic pigments, the layering, and the mixing of colors, could evoke a polychrome bronze with a gilded visor and an enhanced eagle.
As for the hair, the dark circles around the eyes, and the red shadows cast on the face, we cannot know whether these represent the final state of the polychromy or are simply a quirk of preservation.
We can observe that different shades of red lead were used for the shadows on the face, reminding us that this head was intended to be viewed from a low angle and from a distance. The coloring seems to draw attention to the details of the helmet, the eyes, the hair, and the lips of the goddess.
It can be argued that red is the predominant colour.