The reconstruction of the appearance of the Acancéh frieze by 2.5D printing

Abstract

The aim of the project is to reconstruct the appearance of the Maya frieze of the Palace of the Stuccoes in Acancéh Yucatán, dating from c. 350 BC to AD 850. The frieze itself is destroyed by now but was documented by Adela Breton in 1907. Her watercolours on drafting linen and few black and white photographs taken by her at the same time are the basis of 2.5D prints which reconstruct the appearance of the frieze. After analyzing the colours recorded in the watercolours and the shadows in her photographs, we employ Woodburytype and the combination of photogravure, relief printing and embossing to generate a print which comes close to the optical and haptic appearance of the original.