Late Roman era German painted shield fragments

[Swampster]

Use of vermilion and Egyptian blue on a c.300AD German shield
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/shield-fragment-from-ad300-is-the-oldest-german-panel-painting

[Imperial Dave]

Thanks Peter, great find

[Duncan Head]

Thanks, Peter, that was interesting.

"Egyptian blue" is apparently calcium copper silicate, used as a substitute for lapis lazuli. Must admit when i first saw the article I assumed it was talking abut actual lapis.

[Swampster]

Doesn't Pliny Vitruvius* give a detailed explanation of how to make Egyptian blue? Quite an industrial process.

I'm sure I read somewhere that it crops up so often on statues etc. in places that you wouldn't expect to be blue that it seems a) to have been relatively cheap and b) worked as a good undercoat, perhaps adding depth to certain colours rather than just as a smooth surface. Trouble is, I can't find the source of this so may have dreamt it.

*I didn't correct this after reading Duncan's wiki link, honest.

[Duncan Head]

There's a suggestion here (p.13)that it was even mixed with madder to obtain purple on a Roman statue.