A Carousel of Color: Polychromy and Jewish Visual culture in Roman Antiquity.

Abstract

Fine's workshop at the Albright will focus on the Arch of Titus Project: "In recent years, polychromy has developed as a fruitful area of research in the study of classical art. This seminar explores the significance of color research for the interpretation of Jewish visual culture during Roman antiquity, through the focal lens of the Arch of Titus Project. In July 2012 our team discovered the original yellow ochre paint of the Arch menorah, and in 2017 we suggested a tentative color reconstruction of the entire spoils of Jerusalem relief panel. I will begin by discussing our coloration process and decisions, before widening the discussion to historiographic issues specific to the Jewish case. I will then turn to the next phase of this project, in which I focus on polychromy in late antique Jewish literature and art. I tentatively call this phase 'Colorful Rabbis: Polychromy and Judaism in Roman Antiquity.'"