But they weren’t always that way, according to a new study, which found the famous 2,500-year-old Parthenon sculptures were colorful, painted with floral patterns and other elaborate designs.
Researchers found microscopic traces of paint by using infrared light that is absorbed by the blue paint and appears on camera as a glowing white (right).
By illuminating the sculptures with the red light, a pigment known as “Egyptian blue” absorbs the light and appears on camera as a glowing white.
“Egyptian blue” was a popular pigment of its time that was made using calcium, copper and silicon, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Verri said he hopes that further imaging will soon be developed to find other colors present on the sculptures.
Persons:
Giovanni Verri, ” Verri, “ It’s, Lord Elgin, Verri, Dione, Aphrodite, Kekrops, Demeter, Persephone, Dione ,, ”, Michael Cosmopoulos, Louis, William Wootton, conservators
Organizations:
CNN, British, —, King’s College London, Art Institute of Chicago, British Museum, Royal Society of Chemistry, University of Missouri, Acropolis Museum
Locations:
Greece, Athens, Ottoman Empire, Verri