Colour Fragility

Abstract This chapter explores the fragility of colour across five scenarios, focusing on the loss of polychromy in ancient sculptures and architecture, colour variations in paintings, textiles, historical photographs, and digital art. It also emphasizes the need for standardized methodologies to reconstruct, simulate, and restore original colours. For each scenario, the state of the art on colour studies is presented, together with the challenges about colour reconstruction and enviCase studies are discussed, highlighting colour features and characteristics. Modern analytical and diagnostic techniques are finally also discussed.