Provincial Roman Art from Virunum in Dresden

The project "Provincial Roman Art from Virunum" is dedicated to the research of wall painting and stucco fragments from the stage theater of the former Roman city Municipium Claudium Virunum.

The find from the 2nd century CE, comprising about 500 individual fragments, was discovered and recovered during several excavations in the 19th century. The fragments depict hunting scenes, candelabra with winged half-figures or painted architectural and ornamental decoration. Due to the high artistic and technical quality as well as the good state of preservation, the collection is one of the most important testimonies of provincial Roman Art in Austria.

The project aims at the conservation research of the collection, the development of a conservation and presentation concept and its implementation. Besides the close examination of the historical technique and the condition survey of the fragments, a focus is set on the excavation, conservation and presentation history as well as the depicted topics of the paintings.

Integrated into the curriculum, added and altered materials are being analysed in close collaboration with HfBK Science and Archaeometric Laboratory. Based on the observation and scientifically analyses the historical technique is reconstructed.

The estimated costs of 95.000.- Euro are covered by the Landesmuseum für Kärnten.