Classical Roman Wall Decorations
CLASSICAL ROMAN STYLE
During Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 A.D., Pompeii and Herculaneum in today’s Italy were preserved as they were on the day of their destruction. Particularly at Herculaneum, furnishings were carbonized beneath volcanic ash. This was pivotal to understanding how Classical Roman furniture was designed. Archaeological investigations and printed reproductions of discoveries would influence styles evoking this ancient civilization, from the Renaissance to neoclassicism.
While knowledge of Classical Roman furniture comes from rare surviving pieces, it is also derived from frescoes and sculptures portraying Roman life. Much of Roman art, architecture and design was informed by Greece — Roman architect, military engineer and writer Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, whose timeless De architectura is taught in contemporary architecture classes and pays tribute to classical architecture, visited Greece while working under Julius Caesar and admired the country’s architectural developments. The Roman solium references the Greek thronos, a stately chair of honor with an upright form and footstool. As the Roman Empire spread across Europe and into North Africa and Western Asia, the expansion of trade for silver, silk, marble and wood allowed for more luxurious designs.
Classical Roman furniture was made from bronze, wood and stone — in particular, marble — with ornate touches like tortoiseshell veneers, bone and glass inlays and claw feet. Ornaments depicting lion heads and mythological figures were sculpted from silver, bronze and ivory. Compared to the decorative attention given to the mosaic floors and wall paintings, however, furniture for even a wealthy house was minimal. It focused on the necessities for guests arriving for both socializing and business and the rooms housing family, relatives and enslaved people.
The triclinium dining room had banquet couches, items so prized they were sometimes interred with the deceased. Tall bronze or terracotta candelabras held oil lamps for lighting. Carved marble tables reflected status, while the lararium home shrine demonstrated faith.
Find a collection of Classical Roman decorative objects, tables, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
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Style: Classical Roman
Altorilievo (frammento), di battaglia romana su marmo bianco di Carrara
Located in Tarquinia, IT
Scultura, altorilievo, bassorilievo, busto romano antico, arte romana, altorilievo battaglia, arte classica, arte greca, busto, marmo bianco Carrara, scultura classica, altorilievo s...
Category
Early 2000s Italian Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Carrara Marble
Thomas H. Dyer, Fresco of Bacchus and Faun, 1867
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
A real photograph from Thomas H. Dyer's Ruins of Pompeii collection, 1867.
Albumen print, tipped in. Mounted on card.
The actual photograph measures: 6.5 x 5 inches (17 x 12 cm).
Category
1860s English Antique Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
Italian Mosaic Tile Wall Plaque or Table Top of a Centurion in Wood Carved Frame
Located in Plainview, NY
A Mid Century Italian Mosaic Tile Wall Plaque or Table Top of a Centurion in Wood Carved Frame. The palatial micro mosaic tile wall art shows a centurion standing tall and holding h...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood
Marble high-relief -Rape of Proserpine -made in Italy
Located in Tarquinia, IT
Sculpture, high relief, bas-relief, ancient Roman bust, Roman art, high relief battle, classical art, Greek art, bust, white Carrara marble, classical sculpture, carved high relief, ...
Category
1990s European Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Carrara Marble
Micro Mosaic Tile Wall Plaque or Table Top of a Seated Woman in Wood Frame
Located in Plainview, NY
A palatial micro mosaic tile wall plaque of a seated woman holding a goblet in an antiquated wood frame. The wood frame is beautifully carved and the tile alignments of the tiles are...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood
19th Century Antique Drawing
Located in Ceglie Messapica, IT
19th Century Antique Religious Painting
Antique, neoclassical paintin from the 19th century. It retakes Bernardo Strozzi work "Annunziazione fata dal...
Category
1850s Italian Antique Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood, Paper
Anton Pieck 'Roman' Pencil Drawing
Located in Tilburg, NL
Pencil drawing of a Roman man by Anton Pieck (1895-1987).
When viewed up close the craftsmanship of Anton Pieck is obvious. He was a highly skilled arti...
Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Glass, Walnut, Paper
Italian Putti Oil Painting, circa 1940
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Charming oil on canvas depicting a scene with puttis frolicking in a garden setting. The painting needs slight restoration as depicted in photos. The painting has a beautiful giltwoo...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Giltwood, Paint
Large Roman Style Bronze Figural Architectural Element
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Large Roman style bronze figural architectural element, depicting a goddess holding on her head an acanthus column with a bronze urn cascading with ...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Bronze
Ettore Forti (xix-xx) chariot Race In The Circus Maximus", pastel and gouache
Located in Bilzen, BE
Ettore FORTI (XIX-XX) "Chariot race in the Circus Maximus" mixed technique on paper, signed lower right
Ettore or Eduardo Ettore Forti was an Italian painter, who was prolific in de...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
19th Century Framed Italian Prints of Pisa by Engraver Antonio Verico
By Raffaello Morghen
Located in Savannah, GA
Three detailed colored prints by Antonio Verico. Born in 1775, he was a master of chalcography, the art of engraving on copper plates. He worked in Rome and Florence, carving on drawings by various authors, with a technique close to that of Raffaello Morghen...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Glass, Walnut, Paper
Cristina Vergano Painting "The Best of All Possible Worlds" Oil on Wood, 1990
By Cristina Vergano
Located in New York, NY
Cristina Vergano painting "The Best of All Possible Worlds" oil on wood, 1990.
Dimensions: Diam: 42"
Cristina Vergano is known for her paintings that blend a classical style with...
Category
1990s Italian Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood, Paint
Two Roman ‘Twelve Caesars’ paintings of Vespasian and Titus
Located in UTRECHT, UT
Italian school, after Peter Paul Rubens
Two portraits from the range of the ‘Twelve Caesars’. Three-quarter laureate portraits in oval. The name of the emperor below with Roman num...
Category
17th Century European Antique Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood
Antique Italian Oil on Canvas Portrait Painting of a Boy, Early 20th Century
Located in Elkhart, IN
A stunning antique portrait painting of a young boy
Signed Mary E. Southard
Italy, Early 20th Century
Oil paint on canvas, presented in a giltwood frame
Measures: 18"W x 2.5"D x ...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Canvas, Giltwood, Paint
Pier Gustafson Original Art, Fountain Pen Series for Boston Pen Show
Located in North Miami, FL
This amazing whimsical painting of a discus thrower is a coin filler. The artist, Pier Gustafson, thought it would be fun to replace Fountain Pens in pl...
Category
1990s American Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic, Teak
Sanguine on Paper by Jean Robert Ango (1710-1773), XVIIIth Century.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Sanguine on Paper by Jean Robert Ango (1710-1773), XVIIIth Century.
Sanguine, drawing of a woman with a bouquet of flowers, on framed paper from the 18th century by Jean Robert Ango...
Category
18th Century French Antique Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood, Paper
Pair of Watercolor Paintings in the style of Pompeian Wall or Ceiling Decoration
Located in Morristown, NJ
20th c., an unusual pair of watercolors in the style of Pompeian wall of ceiling decor. Both are on paper mounted on board in plexiglass shadow box frame...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Plexiglass, Wood, Paint, Paper
Pen Drawing on Paper, "The Birth of Venus" Vincenzo Camuccini.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Pen Drawing on Paper, "The Birth of Venus" Vincenzo Camuccini.
Pen drawing on paper, mounted on an album leaf, "The Birth of Venus" by Vincenzo Camuccini, late 18th century, early 1...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
Large Victorian Framed Colour Print of the Daphnephoria
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Large Victorian framed colour print of The Daphnephoria.
Large Victorian framed colour print of The Daphnephoria by Frederic Leighton (1830–1896), 1876, from Lady Lever Art Galler...
Category
19th Century Antique Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
Pair of Fine Engravings of City of Rome, Italy, Matted, Printed in 1816
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A pair of rare and quite beautiful pair of engravings of the city of Rome, printed in 1816. Both are printed from original copper plate.
Custom handmade French mat in the 18th centu...
Category
1810s Italian Antique Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
Carlo Uboldi, Marble Relief of Boys Playing with a Donkey, 19th Century
Located in London, by appointment only
A very fine mid 19th-century Italian carved Carrera statuary marble relief plaque of four boys playing with a donkey. Mounted on a bronze stand.
...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Marble
A Pair of German K.P.M Porcelain Plaques Depicting "Aligira and Tirian"
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Pair of antique German KPM porcelain plaques depicting "Aligira and Tirian"
Marked with 'K.P.M' Sceptre Mark with the letters 'SZ', with size marks 915-255, marked with Royal Vien...
Category
19th Century German Antique Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Porcelain
Pier Gustafson Fountain Pen Series for Boston Pen Fair Wall Art
Located in North Miami, FL
This amazing whimsical painting of a Roman Soldier with a Fountain Pen head. The artist, Pier Gustafson, thought it would be fun to replace Fountain Pen...
Category
1990s American Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic, Teak
Decorative Art Tile, Roger Capron for Marazzi, Italy c. 1980
By Roger Capron
Located in St Ouen, FR
Unique decoration on earthenware made to order by the Artist for the famous Italian decorative ceramics firm Marazzi.
We offer a total of 3 tiles from this series of extremely rare u...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Earthenware
Pier Gustafson Original Pen Series for Boston Pen Fair Wall Art
Located in North Miami, FL
This amazing whimsical painting of The Tomb represents the 3 Major Pen manufacturers. The artist, Pier Gustafson, thought it would be fun to replace fou...
Category
1990s American Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Teak, Acrylic, Canvas
Ebba Von Wachenfeldt Charcoal Drawing of Woman Statue, 1883
Located in Rīga, LV
Antique academic charcoal drawing on paper by Ebba Von Wachenfeldt, signed and dated - 1883. Ebba von Wachenfeldt (1845-1929) is a Swedish female artist from the 19th century, and sh...
Category
1880s Swedish Antique Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
Sepia on Board by Tomas Rut after Michelangelo
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Hand-painted studies by Tomasz Rut (Polish, 1961- ) based on Michelangelo's Ignudi, 20 nude males as seen on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, mixed-media; sepia crayon and...
Category
Late 20th Century American Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood
Handmade Artistic Marble Mosaic Rug Dimension and Colors Customizable
By sicis
Located in London, GB
Making Artistic Mosaic, design of unparalleled beauty, inventing ' tromp l'oeil' thanks to the endless colors of the glass mosaic collections, all th...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Marble
Antique English Oil/Canvas of a Young Girl Holding a Rose After William Hammer
By Hammer
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Antique English Oil/Canvas of a Young Girl holding a Rose after William Hammer, within a gilt frame, ready to be hung.
Category
19th Century English Antique Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Canvas
18th Century Italian Painting of a Soldier, Fragement from a Larger Painting
Located in Buchanan, MI
Very handsome Italian portrait of a soldier, in ebonized frame with silver detail. Measurements include frame.
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Wall Decorations
Materials
Canvas
Classical Roman wall decorations for sale on 1stDibs.
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