What are the styles of Roman wall painting in Pompeii?

The Pompeian Styles are four distinct periods of ancient Roman mural painting originally categorized by German archaeologist August Mau. These artistic phases span from the late Republican period to the Imperial period, culminating with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Each successive style builds upon or incorporates elements from the preceding ones.

What we know

• The Pompeian Styles comprise four periods of ancient Roman mural painting initially delineated and described by archaeologist August Mau. [2]
• The first two styles, structural or incrustation and architectural, originated during the Republican period and relate to Hellenistic Greek wall painting. [2]
• The third and fourth styles, ornamental and intricate, developed during the Imperial period leading up to the destruction of Pompeii in 79 AD. [2]
• The famous Portrait of a Young Woman with Stylus, often called the Sappho fresco, is ascribed to the Fourth Style of Pompeian painting. [4]

Where to go next

• whoWho was August Mau?
• what caused itHow did the eruption of Mount Vesuvius preserve Pompeii?
• a case in pointWhat does the 'Sappho' fresco depict?
• compared withHow do Roman wall paintings compare to Greek wall painting traditions?
• the bigger pictureWhat other kinds of art were found in Pompeii?
• an unexpected connectionHow did an ancient Roman wall painting inspire modern poetry in China?The Fourth Style 'Sappho' fresco from Pompeii inspired the Chinese poet Shao Xunmei to take up poetry after he saw it during a visit to Naples in the 1920s.

Sources

• [1]Pompeian Styles (Wikidata Q740856) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Pompeian Styles · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Erotic art in Pompeii and Herculaneum · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]"Sappho" fresco (Pompeii) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Pompeii · CC BY-SA 4.0