Whenever we think of the Ancient World, we see gleaming white buildings and colossal, white sculptures. But this could not be further from the truth. You may be confused, and possibly even bewildered. However, Roman sculpture (not just statues, but also reliefs, like the one above) was indeed painted.

So, here are 7 of my favourite Roman Sculptures, and their hypothetical colored reconstructions.

1. The Small Herculaneum Woman

The so-called "Small Herculaneum woman" is a sculpture renowned in antiquity that originated from Greece. While the (presumably bronze) original is lost, several marble copies survive, including the one seen above (left). The one on the right is one of several colored reconstructions by Vinzenz Brinkmann and his wife, Ulrike Koch-Brinkmann.

Left: Original "Small Herculaneum Woman", Greece, Delos, 2nd century B.C., National Archaeological Museum, Athens. Image: Art Resource © Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports / Hellenic Organization of Cultural Resources Development,
Right: Colored reconstruction, 2019, made by Vinzenz Brinkmann and Ulrike Koch-Brinkmann

The flashy sculpture has Egyptian blue and decorative elements that are present on the clothes of the sculpture. Such decorative elements are seen on dresses from all across the globe. It was displayed at the "Chroma: Ancient Sculpture in Color" exhibition at the MET (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) in New York.

The Brinkmanns used a wide array of techniques, such as using ultraviolet light and the examination of pigments to find the original colors, which were then painted on a 3D replica of the now-white antique original.

Gladiators were super muscular, and, in polychrome (the term used to refer to ancient color on sculpture), this becomes even more apparent!

Here is an experimental color reconstruction of the murmillo (a type of gladiator) Quintus Sossius Albus' funerary stele, made by Stephen Chappell.

The original funerary stele (left) located in the National Archaeological Museum of Aquileia, and the reconstruction (right)
Made by Stephen Chappell (@chapps / x.com)

Unlike the Small Herculaneum woman, this, and many other reconstructions made by Chappell, are experimental and are made by using references from Roman literature, historical consensus, and examples of similar features (in this case, armor) from hundreds of preserved Roman frescoes.

Chappell, in this restoration (and many more in this article), has highlighted this fresco from Pompeii as a reference for the armor of the gladiator and the feathered plume on top.

3. So Commodus was... blonde?

This bust of Commodus, which already looks miraculously well preserved and glossy, just looks even better in polychrome. This was once again, made by Stephen Chappell.

Bust of the Emperor Commodus (left) and restoration (right) made by Stephen Chappell (@chapps / x.com)

The Emperor is seen wearing a red dress, and with blonde hair, as described by the Historia Augusta:

"His hair was always dyed and made lustrous by the use of gold dust."

4. Marble Archer (Temple of Aphaia)

It isn't just busts, statues, and reliefs that were colored, but also temples. Here is a figure of an archer from the west pediment of the Temple of Aphaia in Greece.

Perisan archer from the Temple's West pediment (left) and Vinzenz and Ulrike Koch-Brinkmann's reconstruction (right) which was displayed at the MET

Brinkmann and his wife once again did the polychrome reconstruction. They used ultraviolet light to find the otherwise hidden patterns on the archer's uniform and clothing

The pigments and design on this archer make it identifiable as a 'Persian' archer. It is strange that the archer does not have facial hair, specifically a beard, which is something that is almost always seen in Persians in ancient Iranian art.

Here is another version of the archer, this time with brown hair and displayed as it was on the pediment of the temple.

5. Painted Bronzes

This last one is a bit unique compared to all the other reconstructions here; it has bronzes. Bronzes seem like the least likely medium to be painted, and even now, I still think this. But what if I told you that bronzes were, in fact, painted?

The Terme Ruler, otherwise known as the Hellenistic Prince (left), and one of the Riace bronzes (right). Reconstructions made by Vinzenz and Ulrike Koch-Brinkmann, displayed at the MET.
Respective photo credits: Steven Zucker and HEN-Magonza (Flickr)

These two bronzes are some of the most well-preserved and famous to come out of the Roman world. The Riace bronzes today are totally devoid of color, while the Terme bronzes do have traces of pigment, especially the Boxer at Rest.

All these sculptures show the beauty of the ancient world, and how it was more than a white landscape, but rather, a vibrant canvas. Hey, maybe I'll even make another blog on the Roman temples and the paint on them!

Thanks for reading, see you in my next blog.