• January 9, 2026 | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
• Continental 5, Ballroom Level

5J: New Insight in the Life of Roman Wall Painting: Material and Human Agency (Colloquium)

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Sponsored by:
AIA Ancient Painting and Decorative Media Interest Group

Organizers:
Angela Bosco, Università di Bologna, and Hilary Becker, Binghamton University, and Antonella Coralini, Università di Bologna

Overview Statement:
Initially founded on the study of iconography and iconology, as well as on the study of classical sources—such as Vitruvius and Pliny the Elder—the study of Roman wall paintings in the Mediterranean area has made significant progress today. Wall paintings are no longer studied as simple decorative elements on the walls of public and private buildings, but are now analyzed in close connection with the building that hosts them, following its architectural and social transformations. The study of wall paintings is now strongly linked to material archaeology: The techniques of its execution, especially the work of the painter, the organization of the workshop, the production and use of pigments all provide insights to better understand both the social and economic aspect of the Roman world.

This approach to the study of Roman wall painting is now based on meticulous archaeometric investigations: methods such as pXRF, VIL, IR-FC, and other noninvasive and nondestructive methods are able to return a large amount of data. However, such research continues to avail itself of the support of ancient sources: the recipe for many of the pigments indicated by Pliny and Vitruvius has been confirmed by archaeometric investigations, just as many colors never mentioned in the sources have been added to the palette of the Roman painter. These techniques also allow us to investigate restoration interventions, both ancient and modern, allowing us to understand what care was given to the wall-paintings in the Roman world and how the theory of conservation has evolved over the centuries.

The contributions that we intend to present within this panel show the quantity and the quality of new data that the Mediterranean area can return: from the study of ancient restorations and pigments used in Herculaneum, to a completely new context, such as the Roman villa of Positano, whose exceptional conservation allows for investigations with quite a degree of reliability. We will also explore the application of new investigative methodologies in Spanish contexts: Ecijia, Carthago Nova, Colonia Patricia Corduba, Augusta Emerita, and Colonia Augusta Firma Astigi.