DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16632#0125
The Roman Empire 97
Many such scenes have already occurred in Hellenistic carvings, and the whole art was
no doubt much affected by Hellenistic influence. We see it, for example, in the treat-
ment of the symbolic tree in frescoes at Pompeii (Fig. 61). To be sure, the veneration for
trees is very old among the Romans, and in Caligula's time there stood on the Palatine the
sacred cherry-tree out of which sprouted the spear of Romulus. Lucan has a nice sketch
of a dead oak, whose bare trunk casts a shade, and holds the place of honour in the midst
of green woodland.
The landscapes were mostly painted as views seen between the buildings, or as a back-
ground to a small garden; in both cases the idea was to make the room look larger. It was
not enough to have a view right through, but the actual walls must look like a garden, and
in every case the illusion was encouraged of being on the green hill-top. Similar attempts
FIG. 62. GARDEN-ROOM AT THE VILLA OF LIVIA—A WALL-PAINTING
were made in ancient Egypt, and the overseer of the gardens of Amon had desired to
rest in death under his arbour of vines, and had made his tomb accordingly. There are
not enough monuments to demonstrate the direct influence of Egypt on Roman taste,
but it is very probable that what had been granted to the dead would in later days be
granted also to the living.
We have already looked at one of these garden-rooms in the so-called Auditorium of
Maecenas, but the best of all is found in the Villa of Livia by Porta Prima in Rome
(Fig. 62): here there is a subterranean room almost three metres below the old ground
floor. Romans were glad to escape from the hot sun into a cellar like this, and they
decorated it, so that any pampered soul might be able to find enjoyment there. The room
was probably lighted from the roof, but in the Villa of Hadrian at Tivoli there are dark
subterranean rooms quite as grandly set out as if they were living-rooms with artificial
lighting. The confessed aim of the Empress Livia living at the gates of Rome was to
transfer her garden into this cool room out of the summer heat. All four walls, not inter-
rupted by windows, are painted as a green garden full of flowers, and anyone who comes
Many such scenes have already occurred in Hellenistic carvings, and the whole art was
no doubt much affected by Hellenistic influence. We see it, for example, in the treat-
ment of the symbolic tree in frescoes at Pompeii (Fig. 61). To be sure, the veneration for
trees is very old among the Romans, and in Caligula's time there stood on the Palatine the
sacred cherry-tree out of which sprouted the spear of Romulus. Lucan has a nice sketch
of a dead oak, whose bare trunk casts a shade, and holds the place of honour in the midst
of green woodland.
The landscapes were mostly painted as views seen between the buildings, or as a back-
ground to a small garden; in both cases the idea was to make the room look larger. It was
not enough to have a view right through, but the actual walls must look like a garden, and
in every case the illusion was encouraged of being on the green hill-top. Similar attempts
FIG. 62. GARDEN-ROOM AT THE VILLA OF LIVIA—A WALL-PAINTING
were made in ancient Egypt, and the overseer of the gardens of Amon had desired to
rest in death under his arbour of vines, and had made his tomb accordingly. There are
not enough monuments to demonstrate the direct influence of Egypt on Roman taste,
but it is very probable that what had been granted to the dead would in later days be
granted also to the living.
We have already looked at one of these garden-rooms in the so-called Auditorium of
Maecenas, but the best of all is found in the Villa of Livia by Porta Prima in Rome
(Fig. 62): here there is a subterranean room almost three metres below the old ground
floor. Romans were glad to escape from the hot sun into a cellar like this, and they
decorated it, so that any pampered soul might be able to find enjoyment there. The room
was probably lighted from the roof, but in the Villa of Hadrian at Tivoli there are dark
subterranean rooms quite as grandly set out as if they were living-rooms with artificial
lighting. The confessed aim of the Empress Livia living at the gates of Rome was to
transfer her garden into this cool room out of the summer heat. All four walls, not inter-
rupted by windows, are painted as a green garden full of flowers, and anyone who comes