War der Tempel von Angkor Wat farbig gefasst?

Zusammenfassung erster Untersuchungsergebnisse und Erkenntnisse

Abstract

Was the temple of Angkor Wat polychromed? A summary of the first investigation results and the knowledge gained
The author carried out for the first time an examination of the polychromy found in the galleries of Angkor Wat, the most important temple site of the Khmer dynasty. These investigations prove that the temple with its reliefs was originally partially polychromed and/or was designed to be made in this way, but was not completed. The colour red dominates and is differentiated with white, ochre, and black. The original polychromy is characterised by its subtle slenderness with which small ornaments were finely painted and details of figures were emphasised. Between the sixteenth and nineteenth-century rough repairs were carried out and were newly polychromed. As for the black glossy areas on the bas-reliefs of the twelfth-century, a partial treatment with a natural lacquer was determined. The investigations extended the knowledge of the origin and the degree of completion of the building in the year 1150. Newly determined is that the sixteenth-century bas-reliefs were worked according to an underdrawing of the twelfth-century painted with red and black on the wall.