Technological study of Middle Bronze Age painted plaster fragments from the Canaanite Palace of Tel Kabri, Israel - materials and painting techniques

Abstract

This study investigated technological aspects of newly discovered painted plaster fragments from the 2008–2011 excavation seasons at Tel Kabri, Israel. Kabri is one of only four Eastern Mediterranean sites with such Aegean-style paintings.The purpose of this technical study was to characterize the painting, discuss the technique, and identify the pigments present. Advanced imaging techniques were combined with optical microscopy and instrumental analysis for the examination of the painted fragments.The findings of the study align very well with other studies of Aegean-style paintings from the same era, insofar as the painting techniques, the materials used, and the color palette. This includes a limited number of just five pigments that were used in order to obtain a total of eight different colors or tones: blue, yellow, orange, red, pink, black, brown and white.The pigments identified in this study were of mineral origin except the synthetic blue pigment. This is similar to pigments found in other studies of Aegean-style paintings of that period. Blue was the most common color found. Based on the plaster characteristics, the plaster paint interface, and the quality of the surfaces, the fragments could be separated into three groups.