DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.796#0202
168 THE ACROPOLIS OF ATHENS
person had to put on those parts of his dress which happened
to present themselves at the moment. But it is from this
seeming confusion, this variety of attitudes, of dress and
preparation, of precipitancy and care, of busy movement and
more relaxed effort, that the composition derives so much
of its effect. An animated reality is thus diffused throughout
the subject, adding interest to every figure and epic grandeur
to the whole."
Gloriously beautiful as the Parthenon must have been
with all this wealth of sculptural ornamentation, there was
still one more means of decoration which added to its brilli-
ancy and splendor, and that is polychromy (100). We have
before this referred incidentally to the tinting and gilding
of mouldings and various ornamental features of the Par-
thenon, but this subject merits a little closer attention,
Within the last two decades fresh evidence has come to us
on this question from the excavations at Olympia and on
the Acropolis at Athens, and from the discoveries at Delphi.
This evidence points clearly to an extensive application of
color to architecture and to sculpture. The museum on the
Acropolis contains a large number of architectural fragments
from buildings on the Acropolis that retain distinct traces
of the original color, besides the series of female statues
showing colored decoration, which have been described in
the preceding chapter. Faint traces of color may still be
seen on the inner side of the entablature of the west
portico of the Parthenon. The most important point still
in doubt is the application of color or tinting to the plain
marble surfaces, such as those of the cornice, of the archi-
trave, and of the columns. The question is whether the
golden brownish tints now to be seen on these surfaces
is the patina of the Pentelic marble, wholly due to the
oxidation of the iron in the marble, or rather the discolora-
tion of the original yellowish tint which was applied in a
sizing upon the marble surface. Penrose and others believe
that the plain marble surfaces were originally painted in flat
color or tinted to tone down the glare of the new marble.
This opinion is held by some American scholars who have
recently experimented on the patina in various ways. By
writing on it with a lead pencil, the surface is made to
person had to put on those parts of his dress which happened
to present themselves at the moment. But it is from this
seeming confusion, this variety of attitudes, of dress and
preparation, of precipitancy and care, of busy movement and
more relaxed effort, that the composition derives so much
of its effect. An animated reality is thus diffused throughout
the subject, adding interest to every figure and epic grandeur
to the whole."
Gloriously beautiful as the Parthenon must have been
with all this wealth of sculptural ornamentation, there was
still one more means of decoration which added to its brilli-
ancy and splendor, and that is polychromy (100). We have
before this referred incidentally to the tinting and gilding
of mouldings and various ornamental features of the Par-
thenon, but this subject merits a little closer attention,
Within the last two decades fresh evidence has come to us
on this question from the excavations at Olympia and on
the Acropolis at Athens, and from the discoveries at Delphi.
This evidence points clearly to an extensive application of
color to architecture and to sculpture. The museum on the
Acropolis contains a large number of architectural fragments
from buildings on the Acropolis that retain distinct traces
of the original color, besides the series of female statues
showing colored decoration, which have been described in
the preceding chapter. Faint traces of color may still be
seen on the inner side of the entablature of the west
portico of the Parthenon. The most important point still
in doubt is the application of color or tinting to the plain
marble surfaces, such as those of the cornice, of the archi-
trave, and of the columns. The question is whether the
golden brownish tints now to be seen on these surfaces
is the patina of the Pentelic marble, wholly due to the
oxidation of the iron in the marble, or rather the discolora-
tion of the original yellowish tint which was applied in a
sizing upon the marble surface. Penrose and others believe
that the plain marble surfaces were originally painted in flat
color or tinted to tone down the glare of the new marble.
This opinion is held by some American scholars who have
recently experimented on the patina in various ways. By
writing on it with a lead pencil, the surface is made to