Editing Statue (section)

==Colors==
Ancient statues often show the bare surface of the material of which they are made. For example, many people associate Greek classical art with [[white marble]] sculpture, but there is evidence that many statues were painted in bright colors.<ref name=colorgods>{{cite web|url=http://www.archaeology.org/0801/trenches/colorgods.html |title=Archaeological Institute of America: Carved in Living Color |publisher=Archaeology.org |date=23 June 2008 |access-date=30 December 2012}}</ref> Most of the color has weathered off over time; small remnants were removed during cleaning; in some cases small traces remained that could be identified.<ref name=colorgods/> A travelling exhibition of 20 coloured replicas of Greek and Roman works, alongside 35 original statues and reliefs, was held in Europe and the United States in 2008: Gods in Color: Painted Sculpture of Classical Antiquity.<ref name="artmuseums.harvard.edu">{{cite web|url=http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu/exhibitions/sackler/godsInColor.html |title=Gods in Color: Painted Sculpture of Classical Antiquity September 22, 2007 Through January 20, 2008, The Arthur M. Sackler Museum |date=4 January 2009 |access-date=30 December 2012 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104060402/http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu/exhibitions/sackler/godsInColor.html |archive-date=4 January 2009 }}</ref> 

Details such as whether the paint was applied in one or two coats, how finely the pigments were ground or exactly which binding medium would have been used in each case—all elements that would affect the appearance of a finished piece—are not known.<ref name="colorgods" /> [[Gisela Richter]] goes so far as to say of classical Greek sculpture, "All stone sculpture, whether limestone or marble, was painted, either wholly or in part."<ref>[[Gisela Richter|Richter, Gisela M. A.]], ''The Handbook of Greek Art: Architecture, Sculpture, Gems, Coins, Jewellery, Metalwork, Pottery and Vase Painting, Glass, Furniture, Textiles, Paintings and Mosaics'',  Phaidon Publishers Inc., New York, 1960 p. 46</ref>

Medieval statues were also usually painted, with some still retaining their original pigments. The coloring of statues ceased during the Renaissance, since excavated classical sculptures, which had lost their coloring, became regarded as the best models.