The discovery at Vendeuil-Caply in 2013 of Gallo-Roman terracotta figurines showing an unprecedented polychromy has changed our understanding of the decoration of the so-called “white clay”. The aim of this paper is to recontextualize the collection held in the Musée Archéologique de l’Oise by listing the figurines of the Gallo-Roman collection featuring traces of paint mentioned in the extant literature. The typology and the polychromy of the Vendeuil-Caply figurines are then described in detail. Finally, we shall bring up the research prospects these artefacts offer in the medium term concerning the understanding of colour in antiquity.

Traduction : Margaret & Jean-louis CADOUX