Boshell Foundation Lecture: Pliny, Pigments, and Painters in the Ancient World

Join Hilary Becker, a renowned authority on ancient pigments, as she discusses her research on Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis Historia or Natural History (77 CE). Becker studied the ancient Roman text seeking insight into artisanal materials commonly used by artists of the time, like gold foil, Egyptian blue, and shellfish purple.
In her discussion of this research, Becker shares what Pliny can tell us about the marketing and use of pigments during this period of Roman history before sitting down with Art Institute conservation scientist Giovanni Verri and curator Katharine Raff to search the museum’s collection for traces of ancient color.
This examination is particularly opportune, as we celebrate the 2000th anniversary of Pliny’s birth, and as the Art Institute, like many institutions, engages in ongoing research on ancient painting techniques.
This program is generously sponsored by the Boshell Family Foundation.