Roman Empire
Gryphon
early 1st century AD
fresco
Fullonica of Stephanus, Pompei
Roman Empire
Geometric Ornament
AD 350-400
mosaic
Musée du Louvre
Roman Empire
Gryphon standing on Cornice
1st century AD
fresco
Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio
Roman Empire
Cupid as Gladiator
4th-5th century AD
mosaic
Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden
Roman Empire
Winged Sphinxes
before AD 79
fresco
Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples
Roman Empire
Hylas and the Nymphs
3rd century AD
mosaic
Musée Gallo-Romain de Saint-Romain-en-Gal, Vienne
Roman Empire
Nereid on a Seahorse
before AD 79
fresco
Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples
Roman Empire
Love Scene
1st-2nd century AD
mosaic
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Roman Empire
Apollo Citharoedus
1st century AD
fresco
Antiquarium del Palatino, Rome
"Roman villas were often immense architectural complexes consisting of several structures covering many acres, with each unit having a decorative program to enliven the setting and so promote the owner's image among his peers. As a private suburban residence where wealthy owners could retreat from the pressures of city life and devote themselves to the pursuit of otium, or cultivated leisure, the Roman villa was an elite social institution. For the enhancement of these lavish domestic settings, diverse subjects were combined in sculpture and painting to create a variety of narratives within the prescribed limits of decorum. Sculptural variations on both Greek and Roman themes were part of complex villa programs, which also included paintings and mosaics."
– Linda Jones Roccos, from The Citharode Apollo in Villa Contexts: a Roman Theme with Variations, published in Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome (supplementary volume 1, 2002)
Roman Empire
Doves
2nd century AD
mosaic
Musei Capitolini, Rome
Roman Empire
Seated Youth
before AD 79
fresco
Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples
Roman Empire
Theatrical Masks
2nd century AD
mosaic
Musei Capitolini, Rome
Roman Empire
Hermaphrodite
2nd century AD
fresco
Museo Barracco di Scultura Antica, Rome
Roman Empire
Theatrical Mask
AD 10-50
mosaic
Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, Rome
Roman Empire
Perseus and Andromeda
before AD 79
fresco
Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples