Images and colors from the tombs of Paestum: a multidisciplinary study of the pigments in the flora and fauna iconography

Abstract

This work presents the results of a multidisciplinary study on iconographic elements and painting technique of painted tombstones from Paestum (Italy), dated from the end of the V century to the end of the IV century BC. The focus was a botanical and zoological analysis of the flora and fauna present in 33 tombs, from both the iconographic and chemical point of view. Pigments (red, yellow, orange, pink, blue, green, black, grey and brown) have been studied by XRF and Raman techniques. The animal and vegetal elements (the formers generally represented with more accuracy and details) in Paestum funerary art are not simply decorations, but they have numerous meanings, in both decorative systems and figured scenes, related to the ideal image of the dead (the social status of the dead, victory, heroic transfigurations, the voyage to the afterlife, etc.). Their high frequency confirms their important symbolism in funeral rituals. The artists' palette is quite limited and coherent with the contemporary funerary art in the Mediterranean basin. The use of Egyptian blue and of a red ochre enriched in manganese is interesting and deeper studies on these materials could help to better clarify the commercial background of Paestum during the 4th century BC.