Four Cupids hanging garlands
Fresco fragment of the Fourth style.50—79 CE.
38 × 46 × 4.4 cm. Inv. No. 72.AG.82.Los Angeles, John Paul Getty Museum, Getty Villa in Malibu
Four Cupids hanging garlands.
Fresco fragment of the Fourth style.
50—79 CE.
38 × 46 × 4.4 cm.
50—79 CE.
38 × 46 × 4.4 cm.
Inv. No. 72.AG.82.
Los Angeles, John Paul Getty Museum, Getty Villa in Malibu.
Origin:
Until 1972 — Elie Borowski, Polish, 1913—2003 (Basel, Switzerland), sold to the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1972.
Description:
One of a pair of Roman fresco panels (see also 72.AG.81) that were originally part of the same wall. Both frescoes depict scenes of Cupids and Psyche (Cupid’s beloved) engaging in everyday activities — a popular humorous subject in Roman art, especially wall painting. In this panel, three Cupids sit on benches and string flowers together, while Psyche examines a garland hanging from an architectural structure with four columns.
This fresco fragment was part of a larger scheme of painted decoration for a wall in a wealthy home. The painting style, categorized by scholars as Fourth Style, is the last style of Roman wall painting, and combines the spatial vistas of the Second Style with the fantastic architecture of the Third Style. It was popular from approximately 63 B.C. until A.D. 79, when Pompeii and Herculaneum were destroyed. The houses excavated at those sites show that a panel like this one would have been a minor element of the wall’s decoration, subsidiary to a large panel with a mythological or architectural motif.
Credits:
(cc) 2020. Photo, text: The J. Paul Getty Museum (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Digital image courtesy of the Getty’s Open Content Program.
Digital image courtesy of the Getty’s Open Content Program.
Keywords: ζωγραφικήί pictura ars picturae painting pittura malerei peinture φρεσκογραφία τοιχογραφία νωπογραφία wall fresco frescos frescoes opera parietale murale opere parietali murali affresco affreschi freskomalerei frischmalerei wandmalerei fresko fresken fresque fresques pintura mural ρωμαϊκές roman romana romano romani römisch römische römisches römischen römischer romain romaine romains romaines τέταρτο στυλ fourth style iv quarto stile pompeiano vierte vierter stil quatrième ελληνική μυθολογία mythologia graeca greek mythology mitologia greca griechische mythologie grecque ψυχή psyche psiche psyché ἔρως έρως eros éros ρωμαϊκή amor cupid amore cupido amour serta garland garlands ghirlanda ghirlandi girlande guirlande γιρλάντα corona wreath kranz couronne patera alatus alata winged alato geflügelt ailé φτερωτό architecture architectural composition motive motives motif motifs architettura composizione architettonica motivo architettonico motivi architettonici architektur architektonische komposition architektonisches motiv architecturale architecturaux αρχιτεκτονική σύνθεση geflügelte ailée φτερωτή on black background su fondo nero auf schwarzem hintergrund sur fond noir chair seat stool sedia sgabello hocker schemel tabouret escabeau schola bench panchina banco bank banc seated sitting siede seduta seduto sitzt sitzende sitzender assis assise working making during at work fare lavoro machen arbeit faire travail coronarius coronarii makers of crowns string four cupids hanging inv no 72 ag 82
