Sinopia Underdrawings and Pigment Mixtures as Evidence of Complex Wall Painting Practices at Colonia Dacica Sarmizegetusa
Sinopia Underdrawings and Pigment Mixtures as Evidence of Complex Wall Painting Practices at Colonia Dacica Sarmizegetusa

Summary/Abstract: To date, evidence of decorative wall painting from the former Roman province of Dacia remains scarce, and the fragmentary condition of the surviving examples has long hampered efforts to reconstruct local decorative practices. This paper re-examines a group of wall painting fragments recovered from the Domus Procuratoris area at Colonia Dacica Sarmizegetusa, building on recent physico-chemical analyses. The evidence reveals a structured and technically sophisticated painting process, including sinopia preparatory sketches, optical underlayers, and complex pigment mixtures that combine common earth pigments (colores austeri) with costly imported materials such as indigo or lead-based pigments. These technical features attest to a multi-stage and highly organized approach to wall painting, carried out by skilled artisans familiar with advanced techniques used in central imperial workshops. Although modest in scale and preservation, the technical details identified in these fragments illuminate workshop practices, and the social role of mural decoration in elite provincial settings.

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