Harvard Art Museums > 1943.1062.X: Color Reconstruction: Ahuramazda in the Winged Disk Sculpture Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Color Reconstruction: Ahuramazda in the Winged Disk , 1943.1062.X,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 29, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/321166. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Gallery Text Carved from brownish limestone, the Persepolis sculptures were painted and sometimes further enhanced with gold overlays as well as blue inlays imitating the semiprecious stone lapis lazuli. The color reconstruction you see here, made of plaster with acrylic paint, is based on close examination and scientific analysis of the original relief fragment (1943.1062) displayed immediately outside this gallery [in gallery 3460]. The incised star patterns are revealed by “raking” light, which illuminates the surface from a low angle. Traces of bright red cinnabar (mercury sulfide), green malachite a copper carbonate), and Egyptian Blue (the oldest synthetic pigment) are visible with the naked eye. Similar depictions, notably on glazed brick reliefs, provide further clues, but the reconstruction remains partial and speculative. As proposed, the coloration of the winged disk recalls inlaid gold jewelry. This may well have been the intended effect, heightening the splendor of what is most likely a representation of the god Ahuramazda. Identification and Creation Object Number 1943.1062.X Title Color Reconstruction: Ahuramazda in the Winged Disk Classification Sculpture Work Type sculpture Date 21st century reconstruction of 5th century BCE original Culture Achaemenid Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/321166 Location Location Level 3, Room 3440, Ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Art, Ancient Middle Eastern Art in the Service of Kings View this object's location on our interactive map Physical Descriptions Medium Acrylic on plaster cast Dimensions 73 x 44.3 cm (28 3/4 x 17 7/16 in.) Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Museum Collection Accession Year 1943 Object Number 1943.1062.X Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Exhibition History Gods in Color: Painted Sculpture of Classical Antiquity, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/22/2007 - 01/20/2008 32Q: 3440 Middle East, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/04/2021 - 12/01/2024 Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
