The “lost art” of Archaic Greek painting: revealing new evidence on the Pitsa pinakes through MA-XRF and imaging techniques

In the present work, four wooden panels dated to the second half of the 6th century B.C., discovered in 1934 inside a cave located in Corinthia near the ancient city of Sicyon, are examined. The “Pitsa pinakes” are the oldest known examples of panel painting in ancient Greece. The application of non-invasive and non-contact imaging and analytical techniques (imaging techniques, including infrared-reflected and visible-induced luminescence, microscopy and mapping XRF) has brought to light significant evidence on the materials and the technology of the paintings. Multiple figurative elements that had remained previously “unseen”, due to the losses and degradation of the original paint layers, were recovered, allowing for a better understanding of the original iconography. Furthermore, imaging techniques have largely contributed to an enhanced reading and understanding of the inscriptions preserved on the panels, including the personal name “Kalypso” on the panel depicting a ritual dance (inv. 16467); this name had hitherto been known only through literary sources.