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Minoan Ladies in Blue

Oldest surviving Minoan fresco depicting the female figure, became a model for many other frescoes in the Late Bronze Age. Dating and function is debated from the time of excavation at the beginning of the twentieth century to present day.

Stories

  • The Controversies & the Influence of the Ladies in Blue

    story by Elselijn Baan, Samantha Sink.

    When visiting the Heraklion Archaeological Museum in Crete, you can see this beautiful ‘Ladies in Blue’ fresco. Fragments were found by Sir Arthur Evans at the beginning of the twentieth century during excavations of the palace of Knossos. Emile Gillieron restored the fragments with beautiful blue and yellow colors. Besides the fact that it has been wonderfully restored with all its colors and textures, this fresco also demonstrates how beautiful the Minoan palace must have been, especially if you add the other frescoes that were found around the same time to the picture. However beautiful these frescoes may seem, they are not entirely historically correct, as we will discuss in our story.

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