The use of colour in Roman marble sarcophagi

The objective of this study is to improve the knowledge of polychrome Roman sarcophagi by showing the first observations achieved by combining archaeological research with scientific results. Specifically, we show the colour palette and the painting techniques used; we can see how the colours preserved were often obtained from a careful mixture of pigments or an overlapping of colours, directly applied to on marble surface or, less frequently, over a whitish ground layer. The Roman painters paid attention to pictorial effects, as the lighting and the rendering of minimal details, to achieve a realistic effect. We also identified some used recurring technical and stylistic elements, regardless of the iconographic themes and the historical period. Therefore, the ancient polychromy of Roman marble sarcophagi, where it still well preserved, appears to be an art of great refinement and technical sophistication on the same level of the marble carving.