Colouring the classical past: Mark Bradley and the rediscovery of painted sculpture

May 4, 2026 · 16m

Conventional perceptions of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture tend to emphasise the purity of white marble surfaces. However, as classicist Mark Bradley argues, this view is fundamentally misleading. In antiquity, statues were not conceived as monochrome objects but were instead richly painted in a wide range of vivid colours. Guest: Mark Bradley, Professor of Classics at the University of Nottingham Producer: Ali Benton

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