15 Most Beautiful Ancient Roman Art Items

 

15 Most Beautiful Ancient Roman Art Items

Surviving pieces of Ancient Roman art date back to as early as the 1^st century BC. The Romans utilized a variety of materials, such as marble and bronze to create beautiful artwork, including  floor mosaics,  narrative reliefs, fresco wall paintings and sculptures. While historians have highlighted that Roman art was heavily influenced by the Greeks, recently discovered pieces of fresco wall paintings in Pompeii show that the Romans also had their unique touch on art, which they developed overtime.  Art served several functions in Rome. To celebrate victory in war, triumphal arches with narrative reliefs were put up. The elite fancied wall art, referred to as frescos, and these have been discovered in the aristocratic homes of the wealthy Romans.  While few of these have survived, there’s no doubt that the Romans made impressive pieces. Here are the 15 most beautiful ancient Roman art items.

Cubiculum from the Villa of P. Fannius at Boscoreale

This is one of the many ancient Roman villas at Boscoreale, and in it was discovered the marvelous piece of wall art in the cubiculum (bedroom), marked as room M. It is dated between 40 to 30 BC. The symmetrical side walls are subdivided into four sections each, with paintings of beautiful courtyards and alternating townscapes, terraces, and buildings in the precincts. The rear wall has art depicting a rocky terrain, and a small cave sheltering a fountain. At the center is a yellow monochrome landscape, with a parapet holding a bowl of fruit. The paintings have since been moved to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Practical information

located in: Metropolitan museum of art, new york

address: 1000 5th avenue, new york, ny 10028, United States

Call: + 1 212 535 7710

Open: monday-sunday 10 am to 5 pm

closed: wednesday

WEBSITE

Fresco wall from the House of Livia

The House of Livia is a villa from ancient Rome that is situated at Prima Porta, north of Rome. It is believed to have either been part of Livia Drusilla’s dowry or a gift given to her by her husband. Livia was the wife of Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of Rome. The villa is known for its breathtaking wall art in its inner rooms. It has beautiful frescoes of gardens, exotic birds, and forests, among other depictions of nature. Although the house is almost 2,000 years old, it still holds some of the most beautiful wall art that portrays nature.

practical information

located in: museo nationale romano di palazzo massimo

address: largo di villa peretti, 2 00185 rome, italy

open: tuesday-sunday 11 am to 6 pm

ticket office closes at 5 pm

WEBSITE

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Column of Trajan

This is one of the best-preserved monuments from ancient Rome, standing proudly at 98 feet. It is a freestanding triumphal column, built in honor of Rome’s victory in the Dacian Wars (101-102, and 105-106) under the leadership of Emperor Trajan. It is believed to have been completed in AD 113, under the supervision of architect Apollodorus of Damascus. While magnificent in its stature, its most popular feature is the bas-relief, whose art showcases the wars between the Romans and the Dacians. Each intricately curved image serves to tell a story of war, sacrifice, and triumph. You can see the Roman armies marching into the battlefield, battle scenes with Dacia and Trajan giving speeches, and even the parties negotiating. Indeed, it is an example of the use of art by Romans to narrate and preserve events. This splendid work of art attracts many visitors all year.

Practical information

located in: trajan forum

address: via dei fori imperiali, 00187 roma, rm, italy

call: + 39 06 0608

open: daily 9 am to 7.15 pm

hours on thursday may differ

The Arch of Titus

This is an honorific arch built in 81 AD by Emperor Domitian to commemorate his brother Titus’ joint victory with their father Vespasian over the Jewish rebellion in the First Jewish-Roman War (66-72 CE). It is located on the Via Sacra in Rome. The decorations on the panels depict the triumphal procession, featuring trumpets and fire pans, after the Roman victory. They also offer one of the very few depictions of artifacts from Herold’s Temple. It has spandrels on the upper left and right, with winged women symbolizing victory. There is a golden candelabrum carved in deep relief, and this is one of the most outstanding pieces of art on the arch. The Arc de Triomphe in Paris is inspired by this arch’s design.

Practical information

located in: roman forum

Address: via sacra, 00186 roma, rm, italy

call: + 39 06 6998 4443

open: daily 9 am to 4.30 pm (hours on thursday may differ)

WEBSITE

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Ara Pacis Augustae

Also known as the Altar of the Augustan Peace, this is a monumental altar in Rome, completed in 13 BC and commissioned by the Roman Senate in honor of Caesar Augustus. Augustus is revered as the emperor who strengthened an era of peace in Rome during his reign. The altar was dedicated to Pax, the Roman goddess of peace. The Ara Pacis is an open-air structure, surrounded by precinct walls sculpted in marble. It is considered one of the finest examples of Roman art, with almost all of its inner walls decorated with beautiful sculptures and friezes. The exterior wall is carved with images of sacrificial processions, with animals being led to sacrifice. The art on the east and west walls depicts themes of peace and civic rituals. There are carvings of ox skulls, and garlands bearing fruits. It’s remarkable how intricate and finely carved the images are, and the narrative they offer centuries later.

practical information

located in: museum of the ara pacis

Address: lungotevere in augusta, 00186 roma rm, italy

call: + 39 06 0608

open: daily 9.30 am to 7.30 pm 

WEBSITE

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Statue of Livia

This is a beautiful female bronze statue depicting Livia Drusilla, wife of the first Roman emperor Augustus. It is dated between 14 and 19 AD, and many replicas have been made. The serene features and her calm, feminine countenance make it one of the loveliest, best-preserved Roman statues of royal figures. She adorns a double tunic, and a cloak, draping over her form. Livia was one of the most popular and influential figures of her time, and some statues portray her as a deified empress.

practical information

located in: louvre museum

address: rue de rivoli, 75001 paris, france

call: + 33 140 20 50 50

open: monday-sunday 9 am to 6 pm

closed on tuesday

WEBSITE

Arch of Constantine

It was almost customary for the Romans to build triumphal arches to boast of their victories at war, and the arch of Constantine is one of the largest and most beautiful structures they put up. Standing at 21 meters in height, and 25.9 meters in width, it has a three-bay design with detached columns made of concrete and covered in marble. It was dedicated to the Roman emperor, Constantine the Great for his victory in the Battle of Milvian Bridge in AD 312. The arch was founded in AD 315, and to date, it still stands! It has impressive sculptural decorations, including reliefs and statues.  The lower part of the arch has art depicting, as you’d have probably guessed, the Battle at Milvian Bridge.

practical information

address: via di s.gregorio, 00186 roma, rm, italy

call: + 39 06 6998 443

open 24 hours

Column of Marcus Aurelius

Located in Piazza Colonna, Rome, this Doric column is an impressive work of ancient Roman art built in honor of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. It features a breathtaking spiral relief, showcasing Marcus’ Danubian and Marcomannic wars lasting from about 166 to 180 AD. The Marcomanni were a Germanic people that had established a strong kingdom north of the River Danube. Marcus fought the two for most of his reign, and it was also during this that he began his book, Meditations. Each of the 21 spirals outlines his campaigns in the wars.

The spiral relief has images of the Roman army crossing the river Danube, Marcus addressing his troops, the war getting heated up and villages being burnt down, men killing each other, and incredible expressions of despair and suffering. Although the chronology of the events is disputed, the artistic work on stone remains to be one of the most remarkable surviving examples of Roman art.

practical information

address: piazza colonna, 00186 roma, rm, italy

call: + 39 06 0608

open 24 hours

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Sleeping Hermaphroditus

This is an ancient marble statue that depicts a life-size Hermaphroditus, the two-sexed child of the Greek deities, Aphrodite and Hermes. It is believed that Hermaphroditus was born an incredibly handsome boy, and a female river spirit attempted to rape him. They then prayed to be united with him forever, and a god merged their two forms.  The statue is indeed as breathtaking, and although the subject is Greek mythology, it has been described as an incredible early Roman copy of a bronze original by Polycles, an ancient Greek sculptor. The Romans copied Greek art often, especially sculptors, so it’s no big surprise. The statue lies on a sculpted mattress made by Italian artist Lorenzo Bernini in 1620.

practical information

located in: louvre museum

address: rue de rivoli, 75001 paris, france

call: + 33 140 20 50 50

open: monday-sunday 9 am to 6 pm

closed on tuesdays

WEBSITE

Arch of Septimius Severus

Located in the popular ancient Roman Forum, the arch of Septimius is an astounding show of Roman glory. Septimius Severus was a Roman emperor from 193 to 211 AD. During his reign, the Roman-Parthian wars (54 BC-217 AD) were ongoing and he successfully invaded Mesopotamia and occupied Babylon. The white marble triumphal arch was built to commemorate his victories. It is raised on a travertine base and rises 23 meters high, with a width of 25 meters. It was two sets of reliefs, with beautiful sculptures depicting Septimius’ military campaigns. The top of its attic used to have a chariot and two riders made of gilded bronze. The reliefs spread throughout the arch, each telling a story of Roman valor in war.

practical information

located in: roman forum

address: via dell’ arco di settimio, 00186 roma, rm, italy

open 24 hours

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Friezes at the Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii

The Villa of Mysteries is an ancient Roman villa near Pompeii in south Italy, dating back to the 2^nd century BC. It was excavated in 1909 after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD left it severely damaged and buried. Its most remarkable feature is the wall art in its interior rooms, The series of frescos, engraved into the walls is one of the best preserved ancient Roman paintings. While the owner is uncertain, the villa makes up several of the surviving Roman homes believed to have been owned by the elite. The theme of the paintings is disputed, but one of the most common suggestions is that they depict the initiation of a woman into a mystery cult devoted to a god that Romans refer to as ‘Bacchus’. There are images of female devotees dancing with swirling drapery, for example. This is one of the rites performed in the cult, hence the interpretation.

practical information

located in: villa dei misteri

Address: via villa dei misteri, 2, 80045, pompeii na, italy

call: + 39 081 857 5347

open: daily 9 am to 5 pm

WEBSITE

Book with us: ROME; POMPEII AND MOUNT VESUVIUS FULL DAY TOUR

Alexander Mosaic from the House of the Faun

Mosaics were a significant part of ancient Roman art, and most wealthy homes had floor mosaics for decoration. The Alexander Mosaic also referred to as the Battle of Issus Mosaic, is a classic example of incredible Roman mosaic art. It dates between 120 and 100 BC. It depicts a battle between Alexander the Great, a famous king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, and Darius III of Persia. Alexander can be seen charging toward Darius, on his horse, and he is wearing a breastplate with the head of Medusa. The background contains over 50 men. It has been considered Roman based on time context and location, in addition to the general Italic, Hellenistic, and Roman art combinations it portrays. It measures about 2.72 by 5.13 meters.

practical information

located in: naples national archeological museum

address: piazza museo, 19, 80135 napoli, na italy

call: + 39 081 442 2149

open: monday-sunday 9 am to 7.30 pm

closed on tuesdays

WEBSITE

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Portland Vase

This is a beautiful, violet-blue, Roman cameo glass vase dated between AD 1 and AD 25. It measures about 25 centimeters high and 17.7 centimeters in diameter. It is the best-known piece of Roman cameo glass, and it has inspired later designs in porcelain and glass making. The vase was made by blowing the dark blue covered layer of glass over the white cased glass, then removing the larger pieces of the remaining white part. Few areas of white were left and these were covered in relief to depict scenes.  Two distinct scenes are seen, with seven human figures, a large snake, and two horned heads below the vase handle to break the two scenes. The interpretation is contested, but the most enduring mythological interpretation is that the relief depicts a wedding to the sea- gods, Peleus and Thetis. The vase has been reworked and restructured severally, preserving its delicate existence to date. It is now housed in the British Museum.

practical information

located in: british museum

address: great russell st, london wcib 3dg united kingdom

call: + 44 20 7323 8299

open:  daily 10 am to 5 pm

WEBSITE

Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius

This is an ancient Roman bronze statue situated on the Capitoline Hill in Rome, believed to have been erected around 175 AD. It stands at an impressive 4.24 meters in height, and the emperor Marcus Aurelius is mounted on a horse. The apparent theme of the statue is that of power and splendor, with Marcus extending his hand in a manner that was used by emperors while addressing their troops. Interestingly, he does not have any weapons, and this has been construed to mean that Marcus saw himself as a peacemaker, rather than a war hero. There is a replica in the Piazza del Campidoglio, which was made in 1981.

practical information

address: piazza del campidoglio, 1, 00186 roma, rm italy

call: + 39 06 0608

open: daily 24 hours

Perseus and Andromeda 

This Roman fresco dated to the 1^st century BC is a mythological love story of Perseus, the Greek hero and slayer of monsters, and Andromeda, the beautiful daughter of King Cepheus. It was found in the imperial villa of Agrippa Potumus at Boscotrecase. After the sea god Poseidon sends the sea monster Cetus to punish the coast of Cepheus’ kingdom for bragging that his daughter Andromeda is more beautiful than the female water spirits, chaos ensues. Andromeda is chained to a rock as a sacrifice, but Perseus saves her from death and marries her. The painting depicts this scene and a later scene where Perseus meets Andromeda’s grandfather. It is housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

practical information

located in: metropolitan museum of art

address: 1000 5th avenue, new york, ny 10028, united states

call: + 1 212 535 7710

open: monday-sunday 10 am to 5 pm

closed on wednesday

WEBSITE

Ancient Rome is undoubtedly one of the most richly endowed civilizations of all time, not only in art and architecture but also in other aspects of human development. Evidence of this is still on site in Rome, and there’s just so much to see! Check out these tours to experience that and more!