Greek Sculpture. Edmund von Mach

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      Experiments on antique statue colouring casts have proven important, establishing one point beyond all question.[14] According to Robinson and those having viewed such statues – “and one” says Robinson,[15] “which will come as a surprise to many who have examined the subject only theoretically. Colour, even when applied as a coating, instead of diminishing the effect of modelling, considerably heightens it. Far from hiding the sculptor’s work, it enhances its beauty. The more delicately he models, the “more the colour emphasises its delicacy; should his own work be poor, the colour will accentuate the defects, possibly perhaps because of the close comparison with nature. To a remarkable degree his can be observed in the heads of two statues, the Venus (Genetrix) and the Hermes of Praxiteles. The Venus (Genetrix), usually passes for a good head, and is sometimes spoken of with enthusiasm for its delicate contour and subtle smile. Coloured, it becomes hard and dry; the modelling of the cheeks, and especially about the nose, is meagre, betraying the hand of the copyist more than any other part of the statue; and defects in the modelling of the mouth and chin, hardly perceptible in white, become unpleasantly apparent. In no part of either statue did Mr. Smith have to work so hard, try as many experiments to produce a result on a par with the rest. The head of the Hermes, on the contrary, shows the marvellous beauty of modelling much more effectively under colour than in white cast. The exquisite modulations are more apparent when painted; in contrast the white cast has a curious, empty look. And what is true of the heads is equally true of other portions of the statues. The body and drapery of the Venus are modelled much more finely than the head, and the colours emphasise this.

      “If these experiments teach nothing else, they will at least demonstrate that the addition of colour, instead of enabling the sculptor to slur his work, subjects him to new and severe exactions; and hence they offer a suggestion as to one of the most important factors in the rapid rise to perfection of Greek Sculpture.”

      Such experiments, though they cannot be said to have proved the application of colour on the nude parts of Greek statues, have nevertheless shifted the responsibility of proof to the other side. Colour was used on ancient marble; the addition of colour on all parts, even the nude, is possible. In the absence of definitive data it appears to have been the natural thing and in keeping with coloured terra cottas, many of which are believed to have been made in imitation of statues, in full accord with the paintings of coloured statues in Pompeii. With the question of colour application settled, other, more difficult questions arise: What colours were selected and how were they applied? Were the statues painted to represent reality? No information can be gleaned from ancient literature, and the few dots of paint found on marble are of little consequence. In the first place they may represent only the body colour, while the actual shade which was seen may, and probably has, disappeared; and in the second place even these samples have surely faded and changed under the influence of air or minerals in the soil when the statues were rediscovered. The Greek statues did not exhibit actual garments, but rather, in keeping with the mental images represented by the statues, conceptions of garments. They were not real; the application of the real colour is inappropriate. The effect of Mr. Smith’s coloured casts, therefore, proved unpleasant, and not regretted. A complete change, if it occurred, must have happened subsequently; when is beyond our knowledge to ascertain.

      Such and similar considerations arguing against the universal use of colour on Greek marble statues should not be taken too seriously. They demonstrate the impossibility of making a solid case of events two millennia ago; if compared with the sound arguments in favour of the practically universal custom in Greece of painting marble statues, they are too slight and uncertain to have great weight. One point has been proved conclusively: ancient marble did not routinely exhibit the “colourless purity of form.” The final proof that they never exhibited it is still unsettled. All recent discoveries and investigations argue in its favour. It is therefore not unreasonable to expect that in time the current colouring theory of ancient statuary will become a universally accepted fact.

      Kore 682 (detail), Acropolis, Athens, c. 520–510 B. C. Marble, h: 182 cm. Acropolis Museum, Athens.

      Art Conditions Before the 7th Century B. C. and Early Ignorance

      Lion’s Gate, Mycenae, 14th century B. C. In situ.

      The middle of the seventh century before Christ, now generally taken as the beginning of historic Greek sculpture, is not marked by any outstanding historical event. Gradually the mist obscuring the preceding СКАЧАТЬ