Perseus and Andromeda Fresco

Perseus and Andromeda Fresco 

Roman wall-painting from the House of the Dioscuri in Pompeii , showing Perseus freeing Andromeda, dated: 1st century AD. / MANN

The wall painting of Perseus and Andromeda was found in the House of the Dioscouri, and was painted around 50-79AD. The painting was probably copied from a painting done by Nicias, a fourth century Greek artist. The myth tells that Andromeda, daughter of the King of Ethiopia, was described by her mother as the most beautiful. The sea nymphs, the Nerieds took offense at this and complained to the sea God Posiedon. Posiedon threatened to send a flood and sea monster to destroy Ethiopia. The king was advised to sacrifice his daughter Andromeda so she was tied to a cliff near the sea to be  killed by the sea monster. 

However at this time Perseus sailed past, and seeing Andromeda he immediately fell in love with her. He promised to rescue her if her parents allowed them to be married. Perseus killed the sea monster and released Andromeda, the moment depicted in the wall painting. 

The fresco is the largest discovered depicting these characters, it is 93cm x 106cm. 

In the painting,  Andromeda has just been freed by Perseus. Her left arm is still in chains and she stands calmly in the rock holding her dress up with her right hand, stepping down with the gentle help from Perseus. The hero, Perseus is naked except for his cloak and he has wings on his feet. The decapitated head of Medusa hangs from his side, shielded from Andromeda's sight, next to his sword. The background is very indistinct, this draws attention to the scene with Perseus as the hero. The fresco shows many influences of the original artist, Nicias. Shading and highlighting is used in Andromeda's dress' drapery and Perseus' muscles, giving them a three dimensional sculpture-like effect. The non-existent background draws attention the two figures. This focus on humans instead of landscape is a Greek technique. 

The contrast of the male with darker skin and female with paler skin is also a Greek feature.

This wall painting of Perseus and Andromeda shows the strong Greek influences in everyday Roman life. The artwork captures a myth, which gives insight into the belief system of the ancient Romans, and also what they found to be attractive to have in their homes. 

The piece of art is a statement of wealth as it includes multiple colours and has very effective shading and highlighting. From this we know how Romans decorated their houses, what they liked, and what they saw as impressive, which adds detail to the bigger picture of everyday life in ancient Rome that we have been able to piece together from objects such as this. 

The preservation of this wall painting through the Mount Vesuvius eruption is valuable as it shows the tastes and views of the people who owned it, and we can see how these differ from today. 

(The Perseides are almost finished their spectacle on the sky this August... )