"A recent cleaning operation by laser revealed traces of haematite (red), Egyptian blue and malachite-azurite (green-blue) on the sculptures of the western frieze," senior archaeologist Evi Papakonstantinou-Zioti told AFP.We knew about coloured statues (see photos on this blog), but coloured columns are startling to me.
While archaeologists had found traces of the first two colours elsewhere on the temple years ago, the malachite-azurite colouring was only revealed in the latest restoration process, Papakonstantinou-Zioti said.
Given the testimony of ancient writers, it is not unlikely that the Parthenon's trademark columns were also coloured, she added.
The subject reminds me of my first visit to Greece, when my friend Mark and I were being shown round the Agora museum by an Athenian with whom Mark had some sort of link, I can't remember what. In those days, the late fifties, a sculpture with remains of red paint was on open display under the museum portico. Mark's Athnian acquaintance read the notice about the paint, calmly chipped a flake off with his thumbnail, and said "Oh yes, so there is."
