The report of the Pontifical Ministry of Public Works (Rome was still, just, under papal control) recorded that a room The hen, it is said, held a branch of laurel in its beak which was planted and grew with such vigour that it would provide the wreaths for the triumphs of generations to come. They tell us that its name came from a white hen which fell, alive, from the clutches of an eagle into Livia’s lap. The existence and location of the villa is well-documented, amongst others by Pliny and Cassius Dio. The room was discovered at the Villa of Livia ad gallinas albas (by the white hen) in the area now known as Prima Porta on 30th April of 1863, just ten days after the celebrated statue of Augustus had also been found close by. In the meadow under the trees bloom roses, poppies, chrysanthemums and chamomile, while along the footpaths in the foreground, ferns alternate with violets and irises.Triclinium paintings from the villa of Livia at Prima Porta, Museo Nazionale Romano, Palazzo Massimo alle Terme Many are the botanical species identified: in the foreground, the umbrella pine, the oak, the red fir beyond a marble enclosure grow apple quinces, pomegranates, myrtles, oleanders, date palms, strawberry trees, laurels, viburnums, holm oaks, box trees, cypresses, ivy and acanthus. ![]() This Second style fresco, the most ancient example of continuous garden painting (30 – 20 BCE), presents a variety of plants and birds rendered in a naturalistic way. ![]() This lush painted garden covered the walls of a semi-subterranean chamber, probably a cool triclinium (dining room) for summer banquets, in the suburban Villa of Livia Drusilla, the wife of Augustus. Giacobbe Giusti, The Painted Garden of the Villa of Livia
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