POLICHROMOWANA CERAMIKA W GROBOWCACH HELLENISTYCZNEJ APULII

• Authors: Jacek Martusewicz

Title variants

EN

POLYCHROME POTTERY IN THE GRAVES OF HELLENISTIC APULIA

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

South Italian pottery of the Hellenistic period comprises a large group of historical monuments representing diversified forms, decoration and technology. Against this background, the relatively few polychrome vessels discovered in graves from this epoch, especially in the region of the town of Canosa, are particularly noteworthy. They constitute a characteristic and, simultaneously, unique group both as regards their rich iconography and the technology of execution which combines full plastic sculpture, the bas-relief, and painting. The sepulchral character of the pottery determined the origin of its multi-motif decoration. At the same time, the awareness of producing cult objects intended for burial rites and subsequently for placing in graves essentially influenced the production technology. The years-long co-operation of the Chair of the Conservation and Restoration of Stone Sculpture and Architectural Elements at the Department of the Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art (the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw) and the Ancient Arts Gallery at the National Museum in Warsaw led to a decision about embarking on extensive technological research relating to a selected group of ceramic monuments, This venture was linked with conclusions stemming from the conservation of some of those objects, conducted earlier at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Research into the technique and technology of Hellenistic decorated polychrome vessels originating from Apulia was preceded by a selection of five objects from the collections of the National Museum in Warsaw. The investigations made it possible to obtain detailed results enabling the reconstruction of the technique and technology in question, and their confrontation with the available outcome of technological research focused on historical objects and foreign collections. The observations and analyses of data which had been gathered from the viewpoint of conservation, offered additional information indispensable for a more complete reconstruction of the production technique of particular objects. The ensuing research confirmed that the sepulchral purpose of this type of pottery is reflected in the application of the relatively perishable polychrome technology. Despite their different forms, the discussed objects disclosed a similar technological structure: they are made of ceramic clay, containing a mixture of ferric compounds, and their firing temperature did not exceed 950 C. The outer surfaces are covered with white ground composed of white clay and lime binding, the only exception being a figurine of Nike covered with pure lime ground. The polychrome was produced upon the basis of natural pigments – imperial red and iron oxide yellow as well as Egyptian blue, characteristic for antiquity. The black colours differ depending on the object and include soot, charcoal or boneblack. The pigments were placed into the lime binding in the form of limewater or whitewash. The two most essential sources of inspiration for this type of pottery mentioned in historical literature, i. e. Attic white-ground lecythi and murals, have been recognised as interesting from the technological viewpoint. It must be added, that the Attic whiteground lecythi cannot be recognised as an inspiration for the technological solutions accepted in the discussed group of grave pottery from Apulia. On the other hand, the occurrence of admixtures in the form of limewater or whitewash, ascertained in the aforementioned research, as well as the use of lime binding in polychrome indicates a possible technological connection with murals from those centres. A continuation of pertinent studies could yield extremely interesting results.

Keywords

PL

starożytna Grecja; lekyty białogruntowane; Apulia; Canosa; askos; ceramika hellenistyczna; naczynia sepulkralne; oinochoe

• Publisher: Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa
• Journal: Ochrona Zabytków
• Year: 2004
• Issue: 1-2
• Pages: 79-92

Dates

published

2004

Contributors

author

Jacek Martusewicz

• dr, jest pracownikiem naukowo-dydaktycznym na Wydziale Konserwacji i Restauracji Dzieł Sztuki Akademii Sztuk Pięknych w Warszawie.

Identifiers

ISSN

0029-8247