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Ancient Roman wall art
Ancient Roman wall art from 2,000-year-old frescoes: a woman playing a golden kithara on a deep red wall, painted columns and red panels from a bedroom at Boscoreale near Pompeii, a garland hung with a theater mask, a column wreathed in wheat and pomegranates, and the glossy black walls of the imperial villa at Boscotrecase with fine gold columns and a pair of swans. Printed on canvas from The Met's public-domain photographs.
Orientation
Format
9 of 9 pieces
Woman Playing a Kithara
- Square
Garland Wall from Boscoreale
- Landscape
The Black Room: Aedicula with a Small Landscape
- Square
Egyptianizing Scene and Pair of Swans
- Square
Painted Columns from Room F, Boscoreale
- Portrait
Column with Garland, Boscoreale
- Portrait
Painted Wall with Columns, Room F, Boscoreale
- Portrait
Boscotrecase Black Room — 2-Piece Set
- Panoramic
- Set of 2
Boscoreale Columns — 2-Piece Set
- Landscape
- Set of 2
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How to choose ancient Roman wall art
The collection centers on Woman Playing a Kithara, Garland Wall from Boscoreale and The Black Room: Aedicula with a Small Landscape, along with painted columns from Room F at Boscoreale and Egyptianizing Scene and Pair of Swans from Boscotrecase. There are also two 2-piece sets, Boscotrecase Black Room and Boscoreale Columns. Each is a new print of a public-domain photograph of a Roman fresco, prepared for large sizes.
Roman frescoes were made to cover whole walls, so ancient Roman wall art looks natural at scale. The deep reds of Boscoreale suit a dining room, library or living room with dark wood, leather or brass; over a sideboard or sofa, pick a landscape piece at about two-thirds of the furniture width. The tall column pieces fit either side of a doorway, fireplace or bed. The black room pieces look striking against white walls. A gold classic frame suits the classical mood, a float frame keeps the edges clean and acrylic gives the black walls a glossy depth.
Questions about ancient Roman wall art
What is a Roman fresco?
A fresco is paint applied to wet plaster, so the color binds into the wall itself. Roman fresco art decorated houses and villas with painted columns, garlands, landscapes and figures. The pieces here are new prints of photographs of frescoes from two villas near Pompeii, Boscoreale and Boscotrecase, painted in the first century BCE.
Where does ancient Roman wall painting look good in a home?
These pieces suit rooms with a classical or collected feel: a dining room, a study, a library wall, a hallway or a living room with traditional furniture. They also work in Mediterranean-style homes. Hanging the two column prints on either side of a doorway echoes the painted architecture of the villas.
Can ancient wall art work in a modern room?
Yes. The black walls from Boscotrecase, with their fine gold columns and swans, are surprisingly minimal and look sharp against white walls and simple furniture. A single large piece of Roman wall art in a float frame or acrylic finish can be the one warm, textured note in an otherwise modern space.