Tracking trajectories: projecting polychromy onto a Roman relief from a Scottish castle

Campbell, L. (2023) Tracking trajectories: projecting polychromy onto a Roman relief from a Scottish castle. Heritage, 6(4), pp. 3722-3744. (doi: 10.3390/heritage6040197)

Abstract

The Antonine Wall Distance Sculptures are iconic and unique sculptural reliefs that marked Rome’s most north-westerly frontier across central Scotland. Their inscribed texts and iconography depict graphic tales of frontier life, and recent non-invasive analysis has confirmed they were originally brought to life through vibrant polychromy. This paper tracks the trajectory of one Distance Sculpture that was embedded into the dramatic setting of Dunnottar Castle off the north-east coast of Scotland during the 16th century, where it was recorded as having been repainted during that episode of use. A suite of complementary analytical techniques, including pXRF, FTIR, and SEM/EDS, was recently reported on which identified pigments and surface treatments as well as their chronology of application, confirmed through stratigraphic sequencing visible in cross-section. That approach facilitated the investigation of all episodes in the itinerary of this iconic sculpted relief from the second century to the Scottish Renaissance. That vanguard research has provided an unprecedented opportunity to unravel the rich hidden history behind this unique monumental inscription and re-tell a fascinating transformational tale of a pivotal period in its past. The combination of historical, archaeological, and scientific approaches to an understudied, and overlooked, phenomenon of post-antique colouration is revolutionary in polychromy studies. It provides innovative and well-contextualised information that lifts an aesthetically modest Roman monument into a vibrant, colourful, and sumptuous decorative feature fit to grace the walls of a Renaissance castle emulating Roman imperial practices. We can now trace its journey through time by delving into the detail of its Renaissance repainting to present, for the first time, an accurate digital reconstruction as it performed for 16th century audiences.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This research was funded by the Historic Environment Scotland (Grant Number HEAP2470491033), the University of Glasgow’s Lord Kelvin Adam Smith Leadership Fellowship, the Society for Renaissance Studies Museum and Galleries Research Award, the Roman Finds Group, and the Archaeology Incentivisation Fund at the University of Glasgow.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Campbell, Dr Louisa
• Authors: Campbell, L.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Archaeology
• Journal Name: Heritage
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2571-9408
• ISSN (Online): 2571-9408
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Heritage 6(4):3722-3744
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
305660		Paints and Pigments in the Past (PPIP): Postdoctoral Fellowship in Materials Science	Michael Given	Historic Environment Scotland (HISTSCOT)	HEAP2470491033	Arts - Archaeology