Ancient Roman Paintings

Ancient Roman paintings survive chiefly on decorated walls, alongside portraits and painted panels. Frescoes from Pompeii and nearby villas extend rooms through painted architecture; Boscoreale uses columns and ledges to create depth. Gardens, still lifes, and stories of Greek and Roman gods connect domestic settings with religious and literary traditions. Painters sometimes added color to dry plaster. Fayum portraits from Roman Egypt join individual likeness with funerary remembrance.