Acquisition number: 1975.02
The fragment has a head looking slightly to the left of frontal. The background is a cream colour, the flesh a pale brown, the details and hair mid-brown. There was perhaps a hair ribbon added in white. The surface is worn.
Title: Fragment of Roman Wall-Painting - 1975.02
Acquisition number: 1975.02
Culture or period: Roman Imperial
Date: Third quarter 1st century AD.
Material: Plaster
Object type: Wall-painting
Dimensions: 80mm (w) × 84mm (h)
Origin region or location: Italy
Display case or on loan: 12
Keywords: Roman, Imperial, Fragment, wall painting
J.R. Green with B. Rawson, Catalogue of Antiquities in the Australian National University, A.N.U. (Canberra, 1981) 110.
1975.02
Fragment of Roman Wall-Painting
Purchased. Max. ht 9.4cm; max. width 8cm.
The fragment has a head looking slightly to the left of frontal. The background is a cream colour, the flesh a pale brown, the details and hair mid-brown. There was perhaps a hair ribbon added in white. The surface is worn.
It is hard to be sure if the mouth is to be thought of as open; if so, this could have been a mask of a youth or young woman of comedy of a type that is quite popular in wall-painting.
Probably third quarter of the first century AD.
The plaster on which the head is painted is in two layers. The first is a coarse mix about 1.7cm thick with black and dark red inclusions. The upper is 5-6mm. thick and has brown and white quartz inclusions; the surface of this was then carefully finished and smoothed.
Purchased on the Sydney market.
J.R. Green with B. Rawson, Catalogue of Antiquities in the Australian National University, A.N.U. (Canberra, 1981) 110.