This Akrotiri papyrus fresco is De Ferranti’s recreation of the Wall Paintings of Thera from the House of the Ladies at Akrotiri, Santorini, in the Cyclades. The original De Ferranti archive describes the source as Early Bronze Age, while current archaeological dating places the mature Akrotiri wall-painting programme later in the Bronze Age, around the seventeenth century BCE.

Akrotiri Papyrus Fresco and the House of the Ladies

Blue-grey stems rise into fan-shaped papyrus flowers against a pale, deliberately fragmentary ground, with red and black bands above and warm ochre and rose passages below. The stylised plants are part of the remarkable decorative programme preserved beneath volcanic deposits at Akrotiri. De Ferranti’s original description emphasises the flexibility of this craft: it can be used for individual wall panels or extended across complete feature walls, including room-scale schemes inspired by ancient frescoed interiors such as Pompeian houses. The surface is intended to read as an archaeological fragment rather than a newly painted botanical mural, with areas of apparent loss and irregular ground retained as part of the visual language.

For projects interested in a related dry, mural-like surface, Fresco Tiles – Matt & Plaster Glazes provides a ceramic route into chalky colour and plaster effects. De Ferranti’s Fresco glossary entry gives useful material context, while the Fayum Portraits Painted on Wood & Stone offer a different historical approach to recreated ancient painting and portrait surfaces.

Using an Aegean Fresco as a Focal Panel

The composition can introduce ancient colour without the formality of figurative religious iconography. Its vertical stems suit niches, framed wall sections and larger compositions, but scale and cropping should be reviewed carefully because they change the relationship between plants and horizontal bands. Surrounding finishes should be tested against the cool blue-grey foliage and warm lower strata. Final support, fixing and installation details remain subject to specification.

Project Guidance and Enquiries

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