The colours of the pilasters, clipei and masks of the Chiragan villa. a work in progress

The aim of the presentation is to discuss the ongoing study of the polychromy on marble sculptures from the villa of Chiragan (Martres-Tolosane, France), exposed at the Saint-Raymond Museum in Toulouse. This exceptional collection, dating from the long period of occupation of the villa (1st - 4th century), is composed by sixty portraits, mainly in oriental marble, as well as by a group of mythological sculptures and architectural decorations in local marble (Saint-Béat), including ornamental elements and masks. Pilasters, clipei and masks – some bacchic, others from theatrical repertoire – will be, here, examined. Following an analytical protocol, coupling
visual observation through white light, UVL and IR, optical videomicroscopy
and MA-XRF analysis, we confirm the presence of the pictorial finishing and the compositional nature of the preserved colours. In order to better understand and interpret the results of the physico-chemical analyses, and to sketch some elements of restitution, the analysed objects are systematically compared to the same objects represented in other coloured supports (wall paintings, mosaics or even the real materials in which the represented elements were made). The results of this work in
progress may provide a better understanding of the initial appearance of certain works and, from a museographic point of view, a renewed reflection on the presentation of these works in the Musée Saint-Raymond in Toulouse and their visual impact.