Italy (Pompeii)

Reconstructed Vaulted Ceiling Fresco of Dionysus and Ariadne (Pompeii)

2425

Created during the Roman Imperial period, dating back approximately 2,000 years to the 1st century CE (shattered and buried during the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE).

This object consists of hundreds of fragile painted plaster fragments recovered from a collapsed, curved vaulted ceiling. The technique employs traditional Roman wall and ceiling painting methods (buon fresco and al secco highlights) executed on layered lime plaster reinforced with structural backing, utilizing vivid mineral pigments (such as cinnabar, ochres, and specialized lime whites) alongside detailed geometric framing lines.