Roman Painting

This book provides a general survey of Roman wall-painting from the second century BC through to the fourth century AD.

Roger Ling (Author)

9780521315951, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 7 March 1991

278 pages, 236 b/w illus. 41 colour illus. 2 maps
27.9 x 21 x 1.5 cm, 1.254 kg

This book, first published in 1991, is a general history of Roman painting written specifically for English-language readers. Large numbers of wall-paintings have survived from the Roman world, and particularly from Rome itself and from the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae, buried in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Their influence upon European artists of the Renaissance and Neo-Classical periods has been considerable. Recent research has provided a much clearer idea of the chronology of these paintings, of their sources of inspiration, and of their meaning to the various classes of patrons who commissioned them. All aspects of our knowledge are brought together in this survey. Among other topics the book discusses the so-called Four Pompeian Styles, their spread to the provinces, the broad developments in scheme, style and subject-matter which followed them, the factors which dictated the choice of particular subjects and the way in which they were represented, and what we know about the painters and the organisation of their workshops.

Preface
Glossary
Introduction
1. The antecedents
2. The first style
3. The second style
4. The third style
5. The fourth style
6. Mythological and historical paintings
7. Other paintings
8. The Pompeian styles in the provinces
9. Painting after Pompeii
10. Technique
11. Painters and patrons
Epilogue
Abbreviations
Bibliography
Sources of illustrations
Index.

Subject Areas: History of art: ancient & classical art,BCE to c 500 CE [ACG]