Author: A. Coralini
Download artcile as .pdf: Su parete e su tavola: materialità della pittura nella Naturalis Historia

The Naturalis Historia is a treasure trove of information for the archaeology of ancient painting. As source it has been exploited primarily for the study of production as manufacturing process, from the choice of raw materials to their transformation into artefacts. The ‘postproduction’ phase, however, has been largely overlooked; this is, in fact, the focus of this paper, within the context of a research project on the materiality of painting in the classical world, where the comparative re-examination of realia and scripta plays a central role. The most striking feature is the interaction between wall painting and panel painting, from their creation to their reuse. This interrelationship is clearly illustrated by the technique of picturae excisae and/or inclusae.