Fragment of a Roman Fresco Wall Painting

Although there is evidence that the Romans painted on portable panels, the majority of painting from the Roman era that survives today has come down to us in the form of frescos. The interiors of Roman villas were often composed of sparsely furnished, windowless rooms. Wall paintings were used to open up and enliven these dark, dreary spaces with colorful decorative motifs and architectural elements that appeared to look out onto pastoral landscapes. The fresco technique practiced during the Classical era has been described in the histories of Vitruvius and Pliny the Elder. First, the wall was prepared by applying multiple coats of mortar (a mixture of lime and sand) followed by one to three coats of lime mixed with finely powdered marble. The colored pigments were applied directly to the plaster while the wall was still damp, forcing the artist to complete the specific area being painted before the wall dried.

This lively fragment from a fresco would have once decorated a wall in the home of a wealthy citizen or in a public building. Only a tantalizing portion of a larger composition that would have once covered an entire wall, we wonder what the completed fresco might have looked like. In what remains, we find Pan carrying Eros on his back, against a bright ochre-colored background. The dark-skinned Pan holds a sprig of green ivy leaves in his right hand. He features a shaggy beard and the hoofed legs of a goat. Youthful Eros, the god of love, rides on Pan’s back with his wings outstretched, carrying a staff in one hand and supporting himself with the other. He wears a wreath in his long, wavy hair while red and white drapery falls over his thigh.

This gorgeous fragment attests to the remarkable skills of Roman painters, an important facet of Roman art that was relatively unknown until discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum where a plethora of perfectly preserved frescos were uncovered. While the sculptures of the Classical era are among the most recognizable works of art in the world, it is through frescos like this one that we can now say with certainty that the painters of Rome were as accomplished as their sculptor counterparts.