111. Female Theatre Mask,

Casa del Bracciale d’Oro, Pompeii,

Roman, Third Pompeian style,

before 60 C.E. Fresco. In situ.

 

 

The murals discovered in the ancient cities around the Bay of Naples, notably Pompeii and Herculaneum, were found after extensive excavations in the eighteenth century by the architect Domenico Fontana. Among the artefacts found were the many surviving frescoes that are extremely fine examples of the late Second Style, the most renowned style in Roman wall painting. Many of these murals often included different visual ambiguities to tease the viewer, vivid expressions and depth conveyed by shadows. There are architectural details as well that are painted to resemble real ones such as rusticated masonry, pillars and columns that cast shadows into the viewer’s space.