Sinopia Underdrawings and Pigment Mixtures as Evidence of Complex Wall Painting Practices at Colonia Dacica Sarmizegetusa

Cercetări Arheologice 32.2, 2025, 561-568
https://doi.org/10.46535/ca.32.2.10



Sinopia Underdrawings and Pigment Mixtures as Evidence of Complex Wall Painting Practices at Colonia Dacica Sarmizegetusa

Sinopia Desene suprapuse și amestecuri de pigmenți ca dovezi ale practicilor complexe de pictură murală la Colonia Dacica Sarmizegetusa

Authors: Ioana Maria Cortea Ovidiu Țentea

Keywords:

Roman wall paintings, painting technique, sinopia, undercoating, pigment mixture

pictură murală romană; tehnică picturală; sinopia; strat preparator; amestecuri de pigmenți

Abstract:

To date, evidence of decorative wall painting from the former Roman province of Dacia remains scarce, and the fragmentary condition of the surviving examples has long hampered efforts to reconstruct local decorative practices. This paper re-examines a group of wall painting fragments recovered from the Domus Procuratoris area at Colonia Dacica Sarmizegetusa, building on recent physico-chemical analyses. The evidence reveals a structured and technically sophisticated painting process, including sinopia preparatory sketches, optical underlayers, and complex pigment mixtures that combine common earth pigments (colores austeri) with costly imported materials such as indigo or lead-based pigments. These technical features attest to a multi-stage and highly organized approach to wall painting, carried out by skilled artisans familiar with advanced techniques used in central imperial workshops. Although modest in scale and preservation, the technical details identified in these fragments illuminate workshop practices, and the social role of mural decoration in elite provincial settings.

Până în prezent, dovezile privind pictura decorativă murală din fosta provincie romană Dacia sunt extrem de puține, iar conservarea fragmentară a acestora a îngreunat semnificativ studiul practicilor decorative în regiune. Acest articol reexaminează un grup de fragmente de pictură murală recuperate din zona Domus Procuratoris, Colonia Dacica Sarmizegetusa, valorificând rezultatele unor analize fizico-chimice recente. Datele obținute evidențiază un proces pictural structurat și tehnic sofisticat, care include schițe pregătitoare de tip sinopia, straturi optice intermediare și amestecuri pigmentare complexe ce combină pigmenți obișnuiți de pământ (colores austeri) cu materiale costisitoare de import, precum indigo sau pigmenți pe bază de plumb. Aceste caracteristici tehnice atestă o abordare multi-etapizată și riguros organizată a picturii murale, realizată de meșteri pricepuți, familiarizați cu tehnici avansate utilizate în atelierele centrale din imperiu. Deși modeste ca dimensiune și stare de conservare, detaliile tehnice identificate în aceste fragmente oferă informații valoroase despre practicile atelierelor și despre rolul social al picturii murale decorative în mediile provinciale de elită.

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How to cite: Ioana-Maria Cortea, Ovidiu Țentea, Sinopia Underdrawings and Pigment Mixtures as Evidence of Complex Wall Painting Practices at Colonia Dacica Sarmizegetusa, Cercetări Arheologice, Vol. 32.2, pag. 561-568, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.46535/ca.32.2.10

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