Recently (2000-2004) a First Style wall painting (end
of 2nd century BC) was found in the Etruscan-Roman
town of Populonia (LI – Italy). The richness and variety
of marbling in the multicoloured courses of ashlar
block-work are extremely interesting if compared to
other contemporary examples, up till now known, in
Italy. The marbling, especially for some types, resembles
the real stones surprisingly, not only for the realistic pattern
but also for the accurate modelling, the colours
tones and the smoothing and shimmering gloss of the
surface. The plasterers and painters had a great technical
skill that allowed to make a surface appearance very
similar to real marbles. The minero-petrographic analysis
of the tectorium and pigments, carried out in order to
identify the raw materials and the different painting
techniques used, have emphasized the great accuracy of
the wall painting
