Rome, Domus Aurea: MRA-ITA-Rom195
Type Sample Item
Sample ID
- MRA-ITA-Rom195
Sample Material Type
- Mural painting
Sample Sub-type
- fragment
Dimensions (cm)
- Length
- 3
- Width
- 2.3
- Height
- 2.2
Weight
- weight value (g)
- 18.7
Geographic Location
- Country
- Italy
- Place
- Rome
Site/monument
- Italy (ITA)
Rome
Domus Aurea
Historical note about the site/monument
- The Domus Aurea refers to a residence constructed by Emperor Nero following the fire of 64 CE. It was built following designs by Severus and Celer and decorated with paintings by Fabullus. The sprawling complex was situated on parts of the Palatine, Esquiline, Oppian, and Caelian hills, and only selected sections have been excavated so far. The Domus Aurea was an exercise in excess; its name (the Golden House) is a testament to the emperor’s profligacy. Following Nero’s death, the palace was stripped of its valuables and repurposed, only to be rediscovered by chance in the 15th century by young Roman who fell into the Domus through a crevice in the Esquiline hill. The Domus quickly became a must-see for Renaissance artists and antiquarians, and its Fourth Style decorative motifs were studied and admired by Raphael and Michelangelo. Ongoing conservation efforts at the Domus Aurea have frequently led to new findings, including the 2019 uncovering of a previously unknown cycle of frescoes in a chamber nicknamed the Sphinx Room.
Further reading:
Ball, L. (2003). The Domus Aurea and the Roman Architectural Revolution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN-10: 0521822513.
Wikipedia contributors. (2021, April 30). Domus Aurea. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 14, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Domus_Aurea&oldid=1020753947.
Chronological period (sample)
- Roman period
Sample taken by
- Ann Stoves?
Date of sampling
- Date
- 1967
Other related archival documents
- Handwritten list containing sample descriptions and provenance information: “Fragments of mural paintings – removed from the Restauro by Ann Stoves to be analysed at the Courtauld Institute of Art, April 1967” (‘Restauro’ refers to the Istituto Centrale del Restauro). [Photo 20180803_113409]. ICCROM Archives: EB-86 [Folder 07_Italy 1967].The list includes a reference to a single fragment from the Domus Aurea (R.10), which may correspond to either sample MRA-ITA-Rom195 or MRA-ITA-Rom196.
Related samples
- MRA-ITA-Rom196
State of Conservation of the Support
- Good (sample can be handled)
State of Conservation of the Finishing Layers
- Good (sample can be handled)