Domus Aurea, Volta Gialla, grotteschi, details (recto) Unidentified building, thermal window, elevation (verso)
early to mid-16th century
Medium
Dark brown ink, black chalk, and incised lines
Dimensions
sheet: 16 15/16 x 10 3/8 in. (43.1 x 26.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Rogers Fund, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and Mark J. Millard Gift, 1968
Accession Number
68.769.67
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 16th-century drawing created by an anonymous French artist captures intricate details from Rome's Domus AureaEmperor Nero's lavish "Golden House"—on its recto side. The Volta Gialla (Yellow Vault) is adorned with grotteschi, fantastical motifs of garlands, mythical creatures, ornate scrolling that epitomize ancient Roman decorative whimsy. Rediscovered in the late 15th century, these underground frescoes sparked a Renaissance obsession with antiquity, profoundly influencing artists across Europe in their revival of grotesque ornamentation. The verso features an elevation of a t...