In the next post we will look at colours. However, as a way of introduction, we can gain an insight into how colourful Roman life was.
If you’re planning on doing some wall painting, then you know that you can’t simply go to the store and ask for blue; the assistant will give you a withering look and ask you what kind of blue you want, and even if you do say ‘royal blue’ or ‘dark blue’ or ‘navy blue’ you’ll still be presented with a colour chart of every conceivable shade of blue.
While the Romans did not have quite as extensive a palette from which to choose, they painted their walls, and the villas in and near Pompeii are covered in frescoes with a breath-taking array of finely painted works often using expensive pigments. One image shows you actual pigmenta, used by a Roman fresco painter. The others show frescoes from villas in Pompeii, Oplontis and Stabiae.
While the Romans did have frescoes of historical scenes, there are many that tell us a great deal about their everyday lives, the places where they lived and the food they ate. Occasionally we see portraits of themselves. Particulary charming are the depictions of a basket of figs ... and a little sparrow eating them!
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