The Polychromy of English Medieval Alabaster Panels Preserved in Aquitaine (France) : From Material Analysis and Experimentation to Physical and Digital Reconstruction

The polychromy of English alabaster panels dating from the late Middle Ages and depicting religious scenes, which were displayed in painted wooden frames, was not a merely decorative feature of these works. Colour was an integral part of these pieces, essential for rendering their three‑dimensional aspect. Some features of the reliefs become either unintelligible or distorted when deprived of their colours. However, given today’s state of conservation, we can no longer form a precise idea of what the panels originally looked like. Therefore, it is necessary to reconstruct their medieval polychromy by gathering all available data in order to obtain as precise a picture as possible of their original appearance and to study them from an aesthetic as well as a symbolic point of view.

The ‹ALBATRES› research programme (LaScArBx 2018–2021) set out to study the polychromy of English alabaster panels in the Aquitaine region of southwestern France. Of the more than 100 panels identified, about 20 still bear significant traces of colour. Researchers from various disciplines came together to address the issue of colour, its physico‑chemical composition, materiality, and application techniques, as well as its artistic significance and symbolism.

Close collaboration between several research laboratories and cultural institutions (namely, Ausonius, IRAMAT‑CRPAA, the Institut Optique d’Aquitaine, Archeovision, and the Musée d’Aquitaine) enabled the study of colour traces through visual examination, macrophotographic documentation, and physicochemical analyses. Then, in accordance with the precepts of experimental archaeology, a set of alabaster samples was painted using materials equivalent to those identified on the original panels. These samples were then used as visual and chromatic references for the digital reconstruction of three panels.

In addition, a physical copy of one panel – the ‹Assumption of the Virgin›, housed at the Musée d’Aquitaine in Bordeaux – was created. It included carving, gilding, and painting. This process enabled a comparison between the physical and digital methods of reconstruction in terms of production processes as well as the results obtained.