Dome

Detail, fragment with delicate candelabrum and foliate swags against white ground; Roman wall painting was generally buon fresco, i.e. painting on damp plaster. Only occasionally did painters supplement this with tempera painting on a dry ground (a secco), for example for vignettes. One of the most sumptuous villas along the Bay of Naples was at Boscotrecase, built by Agrippa, friend of Emperor Augustus and husband of his daughter Julia. In 11 BCE the year after Agrippa's death, the villa passed into the hands of his posthumously born infant son, Agrippa Postumus. As the child was only a few months old, Julia would have overseen the completion of the villa. The frescoes, which are among the finest existing examples of Roman wall painting, must have been painted during renovations begun at that time. They are masterpieces of the Third Style of Roman wall painting, which flourished during the reign of Augustus. Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art [website]; http://www.metmuseum.org (accessed 5/6/2014)