Romanesque polychrome simulation

3D Model

In Europe, during the Romanesque and Gothic periods (spanning from the 12th to the 15th century) the majority of sculptures and stone works were totally or partially painted using bright colors. Climate and exposure progressively eroded the layers of paint during the long years after the 15th century, when this technique was progressively abandoned by the influence from the Italian renaissance which favoured naked stone. So evidence of painted sculpture from those eras is scarce. So nowadays it is difficult to imagine how medieval stone gates really looked like our present culture is used to the now pervasive stone texture. This model is a fragment of the Santa Maria de Vilagrassa stone portic (13th cent) and I have done the exercise of virtually polychrome a model created using photogrammetry. This is not scientific as I have not studies any microsocopic pigments remaining on the stone. It is instead an artistic endeavour illustrating how stone gates were actually enjoyed by people living in Medieval times.