Pompeii’s director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, has been overseeing a project reviving ancient crafts and production techniques within the archaeological park.
ADVERTISEMENTInside the Pompeii archaeological site, a new project is reviving ancient textile dyeing techniques to show another side of daily life before the city was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79.
The inspiration for this endeavour stems from frescoes discovered within the archaeological site depicting winged cupids dyeing cloth, harvesting grapes for wine, and crafting perfumes.
Describing the connection between the frescoes and reality, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the archaeological site, remarked, "It is very close to the actual reality."
For Zuchtriegel, textile dyeing is another way to bring Pompeii back to life for modern visitors.
“It is part of a scientific and cultural project to create awareness that history is not only the big monuments and beautiful paintings,” he said. “There’s also another history, of the economy, the daily life, the lives of the majority which often are not represented in the great narratives.”
Ancient dyeing techniques
To bring this project to fruition, Zuchtriegel enlisted the expertise of Claudio Cutuli, one of the world's few remaining master dyer.
Cutuli utilises dyes derived from plants in his own Pompeii-inspired clothing line.
For instance, he employs the root of "rubia tinctorum," or rose madder, to achieve the renowned Pompeiian red. Additionally, walnut husks contribute to brown, elderberries to black and gray, and cardamom to amber, yellow, and various shades of green.
Using this Pompeiian colour palette, Cutuli dyes scarves adorned with motifs inspired by the frescoes found in the House of Vetti, including those featuring cupids. The opulent residence, much like the entirety of Pompeii, was entombed under volcanic ash.
Half of the profits from the scarves' sale will help fund further restoration efforts at the once-sprawling city, where gardeners recently recreated a nursery that includes plants that were used for dyeing before Pompeii's destruction.
Vivid frescoes and harsh realities
Garden historian Maurizio Bartolini said that roots, bark and flowers were often used in dyeing.
Rosehip, for example, made a soft pink “that was one of the most used colours,’’ he said.
Frescoes in the archaeological site show wealthy Pompeiians dressed brightly in purple, green, pinks, blues and yellows. The hues were achieved by boiling the dyed textiles in metal-lined vats at workshops run by slaves who, by contrast, wore plain, brown tunics.
“It’s quite unpleasant conditions for the slaves who worked here,” archaeologist Sophie Hay said. “You have got the furnaces going, and it would be hot, crowded and noisy, because people would be shouting when they come in to see if their stuff is ready yet.”
