The eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, despite its tragedy, represented a stroke of luck for archaeological research. The ash rain that fell on the cities on the Gulf of Naples preserved the everyday life of a medium-sized Roman city in all its facets .
The wall paintings located there were buried under the ashes, whereby this genus, which otherwise has a rather problematic tradition, was protected until it was exposed in modern times. The paintings from Pompeii or Herculaneum are comparatively well preserved. Since then, they have served as the starting point for most research on Roman wall painting. Stylistically and chronologically, the Roman wall painting is divided into four styles according to the structure created by August Mau in 1882. This fragment is assigned to the youngest, the so-called 4th style or fantasy style (50 to 79 AD). It probably comes from a villa in the Sperlonga area.
The murals of two houses in Pompeii provide good points of reference for this piece. The Medusa mask is similar to those in the atrium of the Vettier House, the hanging volutes can be found in the house of insula IX, 5, 12. (AVS)
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