An international research project on polychromy in ancient stone monuments in Austria

Even if an image of bright white stone perhaps immediately comes to mind when we think about the architecture and sculptures of the Greeks and Romans, antiquity, however, was once much more colourful than it appears to us today. In fact, most of the statues and monuments were at that time brightly painted. While the polychromy of stone monuments in the Mediterranean region has increasingly been studied, there is very little data at hand about the situation in the Roman provinces. For a number of years now, the interdisciplinary project POLYCHROMON has been focussing on the study of sculptures and architectural elements of the Norican–Pannonian region, that is, of Roman Austria.

With the aid of scientific methods such as multispectral analysis, colour pigments that were once applied to the stones and are now scarcely, or not at all, visible to the naked eye are identifiable. These traces can then be drawn on to digital models, which serve as a basis for comparative studies.

In addition to the aspect of polychromy as a design medium on individual objects, the ancient colour symbolism – how were specific things on different monuments identified by colour? – and the application of a variety of painting techniques are also examined. In this regard, special attention is paid to objects from the Mithras cult from Carnuntum and the Vienna basin area: on these artefacts, the significance of colour in a religious and ritual context is explored. The relief displayed here of Mithras killing the bull, from Stixneusiedl (Lower Austria), represents a particularly impressive example in this context.

This platform aims to provide an excerpt of the collected data and results, thereby giving the interested public deeper insights into the restoration and conservation praxis and the associated research.

History of restoration, and investigation

In the course of the POLYCHROMON investigation, the Mithras relief inv. I 254 particularly stood out due to its multiple areas of traces of pigment. Consequently, it underwent additional examination and conservation. The goal was to obtain a complete picture of the inventory and the history of the object. A cleaning of the surface of the relief should provide more information about the ancient coloration, and should make it more visible. The border areas of the nineteenth-century additions have been removed on a sample basis, and in certain areas ancient remains of pigment have been exposed. Additional samples were taken, and all of the results were recorded in writing and photographically documented. 

Video on the day of restoration

#ArtEspresso about "R wie Restaurierung"

Top Secret!

Mithras – god of light with a mystery cult

Mithras was one of the most venerated gods in the Roman empire. He comes originally from the Indo–Iranian area and found his way, like so many of the so-called Oriental divinities, into the Roman pantheon. Due to his shining light he was closely associated with the Roman sun god Sol. His cult was newly interpreted and spread throughout the entire empire after the end of the first century CE. In this manner he also arrived in the region of what is today Austria.

We know Mithras first and foremost from more than 600 representations in relief. These were once richly painted and depict the god killing a mighty bull: in a cave, Mithras forces the animal to the floor and delivers the fatal blow with a short sword or dagger. He wears a sleeved tunic, trousers, and a characteristic head covering (the so-called Phrygian cap) – all elements used to express an eastern origin in ancient art. The god of light turns his gaze away from the sacrificial animal, mostly towards a raven that, as a messenger of Sol, has given him the sign to execute the victim. The bust of the sun god Sol is generally depicted above at the left, and as a pendant the bust of the moon god Luna is found above at the right. At both sides of the scene – equally in oriental costume –  stand the two companions of Mithras: at the left, Cautopates with downturned torch, and at the right Cautes with upraised torch.

A new world order is introduced with the killing of the bull. At the same time, the scene alludes to the cycle of death and rebirth, and the connected issue of fertility. For with the death of the bull, new life arises: ears of grain spring from his tail, a dog and a snake drink his blood, and a scorpion grips the genitalia of the bull. All of the animals represented were also known as constellations, and sometimes the seven planets known at the time were painted on the inside of the mantle blowing behind the back of the god – in this manner, a cosmic element also resonates. The reliefs were set up at the front side of the elongated cult room, which was usually underground or hewn out of the rock. Following ancient sources, these spaces must have been very dark, but certainly the cult image would have revealed its effect in the flickering lamplight. On both sides of the room there was a long row of benches for the cult participants; women were not admitted. We unfortunately only have information regarding the cultic practices from the archaeological finds: the knowledge of the cult was reserved for the initiated, who were forbidden to share it. Therefore it is lost for us today.

The Mithras Relief – from 1816 until today

The relief with the representation of the bull-killing god Mithras came to light in 1816 in the vineyards near Stixneusiedl (in the region of Bruck/Leitha, Lower Austria). Already at this time, the top part of the relief with the upper body of Mithras and the head of the figure at the left was missing. According to the inscription on the separately-worked socle, the relief was donated by two officials (seviri) from the nearby town of Carnuntum. Based on its size, it is clearly a cult relief, in front of which one worshipped the divinity. From this it can be assumed that when it was discovered, there was a sanctuary of Mithras at the site. Additional finds with Mithras dedications also confirm this, although at the location itself only a few architectural elements can be recognised.

All of the finds made their way immediately into the Imperial Collections in Vienna. The Imperial and Royal Coin– and Antiquities Cabinet (Münz- und Antikenkabinett), the predecessor of today’s Collection of  Greek and Roman Antiquities at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, was at that time housed in the so-called Augustinergang. The relief was at first provisionally set up in front of the entrance of this (today no longer existing) tract of the Vienna Hofburg. It shared its further fate, constantly characterised by lack of space, with other sculptures: in 1923, the stone monuments were transferred into the vault beneath the Theseus Temple, completed in 1823, in the Vienna Volksgarten. Since this location was too damp, they were later brought to the Lower Belvedere, where parts of the Imperial Collections were already exhibited. It was at that time that the plaster addition to the upper part was presumably carried out. In 1891, the building of the Kunsthistorisches Museum on the Vienna Ringstraße was finally opened. An area accessible via the inner courtyard of the Museum was envisaged for the placement of the “Mithras Monument” (this inscription is still found today above the entrance door).

Today the relief is housed in a depot outside Vienna. We have brought it out again for scientific investigation, restoration, and presentation in the exhibit.

Project team and cooperation partners

Colours revealed – polychromy of Roman-period moments from the Danubian provinces (PolychroMon)

Gabrielle Kremer, Robert Krickl, Nirvana Silnović (Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences)

Georg Plattner, Stephanie Stoss, Malgorzata Mozdyniewicz, Václav Pitthard (Kunsthistorisches Museum)

Eduard Pollhammer (Museum Carnuntinum, Lower Austria State Collections)

Robert Linke (Federal Monuments Office)

Duration: 2021–2025; Financing: Heritage Science Austria, Austrian Academy of Sciences