An Archer from the Palace of Nestor: A New Wall-Painting Fragment in the Chora Museum

Abstract:The authors interpret two joining pieces of a brightly colored wall painting found at the Palace of Nestor in 1939. The fragment, removed from the walls of the palace prior to its final destruction, represents part of an archer, probably female. Alternative reconstructions are offered. Artistic methods and constituents of the plaster and paint are studied by XRD, PIXE-alpha analysis, XRF, SEM-EDS, PY/GC-MS, and GC-MS. Egyptian blue pigment was extensively employed. Egg was used as a binder for the pigments in a tempera, rather than a fresco, technique. The identification of individualized painting styles may make it possible to assign groups of wall paintings to particular artists or workshops.

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