AssetID: 54857618
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: Stunning Example Of Decorative Roman Plaster Work Found On London Building Site
Caption: Stunning Example Of Decorative Roman Plaster Work Found On London Building Site. Archaeologists have discovered one of Britain's most stunning examples of decorative Roman plaster work on a building site near London's Borough Market. These beautiful frescoes once decorated around twenty internal walls of an early Roman (AD 43-150) building. They were discovered at 'The Liberty' development site in Southwark, where excavations were led by MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) on behalf of Landsec. The decorated plaster was found dumped in a large pit, shattered in thousands of fragments – the result of Roman demolition works which took place at some point before AD 200. Now, for the first time in over 1800 years, these vibrant artworks can be reconstructed to reveal their full glory. These paintings were designed to show off both the wealth and excellent taste of the building's owner or owners. They include bright yellow panel designs with black intervals beautifully decorated with images of birds, fruit, flowers, and lyres. Yellow panels have been identified at only the few sites across the country, that are Britain's most luxurious Roman residences. Excitingly, among more than 120 boxes of painted plaster is a tangible link to the artist: the remains of their signature – the first known example in Britain. Tragically, the fragment is broken where the painter's name would have appeared, meaning their identity will likely never be known.
Keywords: Offbeat,Stunning,decorative,Roman,plaster,work,London,building,site,Archaeologists,Britain,Borough Market,frescoes,internal,walls,The Liberty,development,MOLA,Museum of London Archaeology,Landsec,fragments,artworks,panel,designs,sites,residences,remains,painter
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