Getty Museum

Wall Fragment with a Peacock

Date

about 1911

Medium

Fresco

Culture

British

Department

Paintings

Institution

Getty Museum

Although acquired for the museum by J. Paul Getty as a work of Roman antiquity, recent scientific and historical investigations suggest this fresco fragment was produced in the early 20th century. Based on a watercolor made by architect R.A. Briggs of a now-lost fresco in the House of Siricus at Pompeii, this fresco appears to have been part of a decorative scheme in a home designed by Briggs in Surrey, England, around 1910. In the House of Siricus, the peacock was a detail from the upper register of a room. The painting style, categorized by scholars as Fourth Style, is the last style of Roman wall painting, and combines the spatial vistas of the Second Style with the fantastic architecture of the Third Style. Briggs's rendering of the original fresco, like this replica, depicts a naturalistically rendered, brightly colored peacock perched on a fence or railing. The bird is blue and black on the breast and neck, with a red body and crest. A pink shield decorated with red ribbons is suspended above. Research into the origin of this work, its composition, and manufacture is on-going.

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