This month's masterpiece from Hadrian's Villa is a series of heavily restored mosaic panels depicting bucolic scenes with animals. The first panel depicts a rocky landscape with a flock of goats peacefully grazing by a stream. A bronze statue dressed in a long tunic is standing on a rock. It holds a bunch of grapes… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Three mosaic panels with bucolic scenes
This month's sculpture from Hadrian's Villa is a dark grey limestone relief decorated with mythological scenes. The relief was unearthed in 1769 during excavations undertaken by the art dealer and archaeologist Gavin Hamilton who sold it to Lord Lansdowne. The latter was an avid collector of antiquities who owned a fine collection of classical sculptures… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: The Lansdowne Relief
This month’s sculpture from Hadrian’s Villa is a red-marble statue of a satyr, the so-called "Fauno rosso" (red faun). The Fauno rosso depicts a satyr follower of Dionysus, the god of wine. He is depicted entirely nude, apart from a nebris (faun skin) knotted on the right shoulder and hanging down over his left shoulder.… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Statue of a satyr in red marble
I recently wrote about the series of special events that took place in Rome last year in celebration of the 2000th anniversary of Emperor Augustus' death. My previous post focussed on the 'House of Augustus' (see here), and today I will concentrate on the 'House of Livia' in this follow-up piece. First excavated in 1839, the… Continue reading When in Rome… visiting the House of Livia on the Palatine Hill
Last year, Rome celebrated the 2000th anniversary of Emperor Augustus’ death. To commemorate the date, a series of special events and openings were launched in the Italian capital, including the opening of new parts of the ‘House of Augustus’ and ‘House of Livia’ on the Palatine Hill. After years of restoration works, new lavishly frescoed… Continue reading When in Rome… visiting the House of Augustus on the Palatine Hill
This month's sculpture from Hadrian's Villa is a marble head of Hypnos, the Greek god of Sleep. Hypnos is represented as a young man with wings attached to his temples (now lost). The head must have been part of a full-length statue showing Hypnos running forwards, holding poppies and a vessel from which he presumably… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Marble head of Hypnos
In honour of Museum Week, the worldwide festival for cultural institutions on social media (#MuseumWeek), I invite you today to discover some of my favourite sculptures from the collections of the Musée Saint-Raymond in Toulouse (France). The museum is among the best and richest archaeological museums in France where visitors can discover the Roman town… Continue reading The Labours of Hercules reliefs from the Villa Chiragan, Musée Saint-Raymond Toulouse (France)
This month's masterpieces from Hadrian's Villa are the black-and-white mosaics with geometric and floral motifs from the Hospitalia (guesthouse). The Hospitalia (guesthouse) was a two-storey building. It contained ten T-shaped bedrooms (cubiculae) on the first floor, on each side of a long and wide central hallway, at the southern end of which was a hall.… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Black-and-white mosaics with geometric and floral motifs
This month's masterpiece from Hadrian's Villa is a mosaic depicting a group of doves drinking from an ornate bowl, known as the Capitoline Doves. The mosaic is made of thousands of tiny tesserae in a dazzling range of colours called opus vermiculatum, by far the most sophisticated mosaic technique. It depicts four doves on the… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Mosaic of the Doves
The Tower of Centum Cellas (also known as the "Tower of St. Cornelius"), located in the municipality of Colmeal da Torre in Portugal, is one of the most enigmatic monuments from the Roman period to be found in the country. These majestic ruins were part of a large Roman villa from the first century AD, situated on… Continue reading The Roman Tower of Centum Cellas, Portugal
