Painted and mosaic production in antiquity.

The course is open to both 'ordinari' and 'perfezionandi' students (from any year). The course, which includes an in-depth study of the technical-formal and decorative aspects of two specific classes of materials, is modulated in such a way as to enable students at the beginning of the course and more advanced students to find information that is not usually provided by textbooks.

In antiquity, the coating of a wall, a ceiling/vault and a pavement implied technical and productive skills (of the craftsmen who realised them), as well as economic means and specific communicative intentions (wish of conveying of a message, and self-representation within the framework of trends, tastes, and models of a specific time by patrons acting in public and private capacity). Today, a critical approach to the study of these productions means to know both contributions (and their potential limits) of the traditional and more recent scholarship on these issues.

The module programme includes an in-depth analysis of the following topics.

1.      Introduction to the study of Roman painting and mosaic pavements, including:

-        Materials.

-        Techniques.

-        Craftsmanship and production (painters and wall painting ateliers; mosaicists and mosaic ateliers).

-        Development of decorative schemes and themes.

-        Patrons.

1.      Theories and methods, including changes in critical approaches to the study of Roman painting over time:

-        Are the so-called Pompeian Styles still useful analytical tools?

-        The “architectural” function of wall painting.

-        Roman painting: “an art with no masters”?

-        Painting and mosaics as “support” for the transmission of iconography.

-        New technologies applied to the study of ancient paintings and mosaics.

-        The relationship with “Greek” models.

1.      Treatment, management, analysis and study of ancient plasters and mosaics (from excavation, to study, to reconstruction, to musealisation):

•        How do we read and study paintings?
•        How do we classify painted plaster?
•        How do we read and study mosaics?
•        How should we react to the discovery of plasters and mosaic fragments during an archaeological excavation?

Throughout the course, the lecturer will provide students with scientific support material and suggest bibliographical references for further reading.