People tend to think of ancient sculpture as colorless, as it appears today. But the carved surfaces were often vibrantly painted. Scientific analysis can help us envision the Persian capital city Persepolis in its original splendor. Join curator and archaeologist Susanne Ebbinghaus, along with conservation scientist Katherine Eremin, as they discuss the color reconstruction of the 486–-460 BCE Persian limestone sculpture Ahuramazda in the winged disk, for installation in the Harvard Art Museums galleries. TAKE A CLOSER LOOK: + Ahuramazda in the winged disk, from Persepolis (Iran), Achaemenid Persian, 486–-460 BCE. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop, 1943.1062. https://hvrd.art/o/291721 SPEAKERS: + Katherine Eremin, Patricia Cornwell Senior Conservation Scientist, Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard Art Museums; + Susanne Ebbinghaus, George M.A. Hanfmann Curator of Ancient Art and Head, Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art, Harvard Art Museums. + Moderated by Soyoung Lee, Landon and Lavinia Clay Chief Curator of the Harvard Art Museums. This talk is part of a series inspired by ReFrame, a museum-wide initiative to reimagine the function, role, and future of the university art museum. These talks examine difficult histories, foreground untold stories, and experiment with new approaches to the collections of the Harvard Art Museums, reflecting the concerns of our world today. --- Copyright Disclaimer: Any use of copyrighted content on this channel constitutes “fair use” pursuant to 17 U.S. Code § 107 as it is utilized for the purpose of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Video Thumbnail Image: Visitors in gallery with color reconstruction of "Ahuramazda in the winged disk," from Persepolis (Iran), Achaemenid Persian, 486–-460 BCE. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop, 1943.1062. Photo: Caitlin Cunningham Photography. Recorded September 21, 2021. © President and Fellows of Harvard College. For questions related to permission for commercial use of this video, please contact the Department of Digital Imaging and Visual Resources at am_divr@harvard.edu.