# Ultraviolet Light Reveals How Ancient Greek Statues Really Looked

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultraviolet-light-reveals-how-ancient-greek-statues-really-looked/551506>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [August 26, 2010, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultraviolet-light-reveals-how-ancient-greek-statues-really-looked/551506 "2010-08-26T05:41:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultraviolet-light-reveals-how-ancient-greek-statues-really-looked/551506/21 "2010-08-27T12:16:11Z")

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> [@](#):
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> I would give a great deal to have seen the Statue of Liberty before she turned green

Your wish is easily granted. Inside the pedestal of the Statue they have full-size replicas of her face and foot made of unpatinaed (unpatinated?) copper. Here’s a pic of the foot:  
[http://www.howtallisthestatueofliberty.org/why-is-the-statue-of-liberty-green/](http://www.howtallisthestatueofliberty.org/why-is-the-statue-of-liberty-green/)  
I believe there are also copies without the patina. I thought the Paris one was this sort, but googling it shows that it is colored. Some of the replicas you can buy are without the green finish

[http://cgi.ebay.com/9-1-2-CAST-METAL-STATUE-LIBERTY-COPPER-FINISH-1990s-/290400217976?pt=LH\_DefaultDomain\_0&hash=item439d33ab78](http://cgi.ebay.com/9-1-2-CAST-METAL-STATUE-LIBERTY-COPPER-FINISH-1990s-/290400217976?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item439d33ab78)

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**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultraviolet-light-reveals-how-ancient-greek-statues-really-looked/551506/22 "2010-08-27T16:18:53Z")

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I can’t believe they didn’t Photoshop the images a bit, the colors seem too perfect.

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**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultraviolet-light-reveals-how-ancient-greek-statues-really-looked/551506/23 "2010-08-27T16:44:39Z")

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Patina on copper is not only considered desirable and attractive, but it also has a protective effect. It’s essentially copper “rust” (oxidized metal); but unlike iron rust, which flakes off, thereby exposing more unrusted surface, eventually destroying the object, copper patina binds tightly to the copper surface, protecting it from further oxidative damage.

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