FRESCO FRIEZE OF THE CEILING VAULT, DETAIL, C. 30 BCE. "STUDY", HOUSE "OF AUGUSTUS" We could explore the decoration of this sole surviving room of the upper floor of the late Republican domus almost certainly wrongly called the House of Augustus for any trace of a reference to the Sicilian city of Syracusa, but in vain. Why would we do this? Because Suetonius tells us that Augustus had a "high-up" room he called his "Syracusa", which was a private space he used as a study or workshop. Why he called it Syracusa is an open question. This room is small and windowless like a bedroom. Restoration lasting 20 years pieced together fragments of the vaulted ceiling, and here we see the splendid painted frieze that lines both sides of the vault. Between two elegant frames is a wide band with lilies alternating with wild female faces displaying pointed ears, wide staring eyes, and a smiling open mouth with pearly teeth.
#FrescoFriday finds us upstairs in what is often called the #HouseofAugustus on the #Palatine in #Rome, in a little room over the #cubiculum on the ground floor. This detail of the #fresco work, painstakingly remade, is on the vaulted ceiling. A smile from around 30 BCE. #AncientBluesky 🏺
