Liebieghaus
Skulpturensammlung
Schaumainkai 71
60596 Frankfurt am Main
Liebieghaus
Skulpturensammlung
Schaumainkai 71
60596 Frankfurt am Main
Liebieghaus
Skulpturensammlung
Schaumainkai 71
60596 Frankfurt am Main
For more than fifteen years, the polychromy of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture has been captivating the public worldwide. Some three million visitors have experienced the GODS IN COLOR firsthand in museums worldwide.
The Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung is now presenting a major expanded exhibition allowing a nuanced look at the disconcerting phenomenon of statuary polychromy. “GODS IN COLOR—GOLDEN EDITION: Polychromy in Antiquity” features more than 100 objects from international museum collections and the holdings of the Liebieghaus, which encompass 60 recent reconstructions but also some dating from the nineteenth century, along with 22 prints.
Since the exhibition GODS IN COLOR was first on view in Frankfurt in 2008, the number of reconstructions carried out by the research team has doubled, and new aspects have come under consideration, for example the polychromy of ancient bronzes.
Please buy a timed ticket before your visit
Originally, the painted decoration of an antique sculpture not only enhanced its appearance from the aesthetic point of view and increased its lifelike impression, but also provided the ancient viewer with important information about the identity of the figure depicted. Over the past decade, research has focused increasingly on this aspect. In the process, new interpretation proposals have been developed not only in the context of large-scale Greek bronzes, but also for numerous marble sculptures. In the ancient world of the eastern Mediterranean region, the use of color was par for the course. For the Greeks and Romans, however, the painting of sculpture was far more than superficial decoration. Rather, polychromy had means of its own for expanding the formal and narrative structure of the artwork. It was only through the dimension of color that artists achieved the desired vibrancy of expression.
Curator: Prof. Dr. Vinzenz Brinkmann (Head of the Department of Antiquity, Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung)
Sponsored by: Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain
With additional support from: Georg und Franziska Speyer’sche Hochschulstiftung, FAZIT-STIFTUNG, German Federal Ministry for Education and Research within the framework of the research project “The University Collection as a Living Archive: Teaching and Research between the Poles of Materiality and Mediality” with the Goethe University Frankfurt
Exhibition view, photo: Norbert Miguletz
Experimental colour reconstruction, Variant B, of the so-called Cuirass Torso from the Athenian Acropolis, 2005
Experimental colour reconstruction, Variant B, of the so-called Cuirass Torso from the Athenian Acropolis, plaster cast, natural pigments in egg tempera, gold leaf, h. ca. 62 cm, 2005, Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung (Liebieghaus Polychromy Research Project), Frankfurt am Main, inv. St.P 686
Photo: Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung – Norbert Miguletz
Original: Athens, Acropolis, ca. 470 BC, Acropolis Museum, Athens, inv. 599
Experimental colour reconstruction, Variant B, of the so-called Peplos Kore from the Athenian Acropolis, 2005
Experimental colour reconstruction, Variant B, of the so-called Peplos Kore from the Athenian Acropolis, stucco marble on plaster cast, natural pigments in egg tempera, crown and weapons made of gilded and silvered wood, h. 136 cm, 2005, reworked in 2019, Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung (Liebieghaus Polychromy Research Project), Frankfurt am Main, inv. St.P 687
Photo: Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung
Original: Athens, ca. 520 BC, marble, Acropolis Museum, Athens, inv. 679
Experimental study of the polychromy of the so-called Treu Head
Experimental study of the polychromy of the so-called Treu Head, Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung (Liebieghaus Polychromy Research Project in cooperation with the British Museum, London), Frankfurt am Main
Photo: Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung – Norbert Miguletz
Original: Italy, Rome, 2nd century AD, marble, The British Museum, London, inv. 1884,0617.1
Statue of the Muse in downscaled form with depiction of vestiges of paint (left) and downscaled Muse, Variant D (right), 2019
Statue of the Muse in downscaled form with depiction of vestiges of paint (left) and downscaled Muse, Variant D (right), stucco marble on PMMA, natural pigments in egg tempera, gold leaf (right), h. 39 cm, 2019, Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung (Liebieghaus Polychromy Research Project), Frankfurt am Main, inv. LG 227 and 226 (on loan from the Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute of Archaeological Sciences, dept. I: Classical Archaeology, cast collection)
Photo: Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung – Norbert Miguletz
Original: Greece, Delos (?), 2nd century BC, marble, Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung, Frankfurt am Main, inv. 160
Experimental colour reconstruction of the funerary figure of Phrasikleia (detail), Gilded volute ornament and inset gemstones, 2010/2019
Experimental colour reconstruction of the funerary figure of Phrasikleia (detail), stucco marble on PMMA, natural pigments in egg tempera, lead tin foil, gold leaf, garnet, tourmaline, labradorite, gum arabic (iris), h. 200 cm, 2010/2019, Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung, Frankfurt am Main (on loan from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Leibniz Prize O. Primavesi 2007), inv. LGLH Z01
Photo: Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung – Norbert Miguletz
Original: Greece, Attica, Merenda, ca. 520 BC, marble, National Archaeological Museum, Athens, inv. 4889
Experimental colour reconstruction, Variant C, of an archer, the so-called Paris, wearing the costume of the horsemen of the neighbouring peoples to the north and east, from the west pediment of Aphaia Temple, 2019
Experimental colour reconstruction, Variant C, of an archer, the so-called Paris, wearing the costume of the horsemen of the neighbouring peoples to the north and east, from the west pediment of Aphaia Temple, artificial marble, natural pigments in egg tempera, lead, wood, h. 96 cm, 2019, Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung (Liebieghaus Polychromy Research Project), Frankfurt am Main, inv. St.P 947
Photo: Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung – Norbert Miguletz
Original: Greece, Aegina, ca. 480 BC, marble, State Collections of Antiquities and Glyptothek, Munich, inv. West XI
Exhibition view, photo: Norbert Miguletz
The audio guide offers an insightful tour of the exhibition. On the way, the image of antiquity as a vibrantly colorful age comes alive in numerous sculptures and reconstructions. The 60-minute app contains audio tracks on some 30 works of art, enhanced with illustrations.
Easy to download onto your smartphone anywhere you have Internet access. Available for iOS and Android operation systems.
Before your visit, the digitorial – the online preparation for the exhibition – will acquaint you with everything worth knowing about the GODS IN COLOR.
