The Great Gallery
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14–180

Imperial Rome & Pompeii

At its height the Roman Empire stretched from Britain to Egypt, with roads, aqueducts, theaters and the giant Colosseum, where gladiators fought in front of tens of thousands. In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius buried the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, freezing everyday Roman life in ash for almost 1,700 years.

Why artists painted it

The 1800s were mad about Rome. Painters like Lawrence Alma-Tadema made super-detailed pictures of Roman daily life, using what archaeologists were digging up at Pompeii.

The Last Day of Pompeii The Last Day of Pompeii · Karl Bryullov, 1833

15 artworks about this moment

The Last Day of Pompeii The Last Day of Pompeii Karl Bryullov · 1833 🕰️ Painted about 1,650 years later Mount Vesuvius erupts in 79 AD as the people of Pompeii run for their lives beneath a rain of ash. Pollice Verso Pollice Verso Jean-Léon Gérôme · 1872 🕰️ Painted about 1,690 years later A victorious gladiator waits for the crowd's verdict on his fallen rival. The painting made Gérôme famous. The Roses of Heliogabalus The Roses of Heliogabalus Lawrence Alma-Tadema · 1888 🕰️ Painted about 1,710 years later A teenage emperor smothers his dinner guests under falling rose petals, a picture of Roman excess. The Death of Seneca The Death of Seneca Jacques-Louis David · 1773 🕰️ Painted about 1,590 years later The philosopher Seneca, forced by Nero to take his own life, calmly says goodbye to his friends. A View through Three of the North-Western Arches of the Third Storey of the Coliseum A View through Three of the North-Western Arches of the Third Storey of the Coliseum Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg · 1815 🕰️ Painted about 1,640 years later Eckersberg paints the broken Colosseum, once the stage of gladiator games, glowing in Roman sunlight. A Roman Emperor, AD 41 A Roman Emperor, AD 41 Lawrence Alma-Tadema · 1871 🕰️ Painted about 1,690 years later After the emperor Caligula was killed in AD 41, soldiers found his uncle Claudius hiding behind a curtain and made him emperor. The Triumph of Titus The Triumph of Titus Lawrence Alma-Tadema · 1885 🕰️ Painted about 1,700 years later Titus's soldiers parade through Rome in AD 71 with treasure from the conquest of Jerusalem. The Last Words of Marcus Aurelius The Last Words of Marcus Aurelius Eugène Delacroix · 1844 🕰️ Painted about 1,660 years later The Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius, dying, presents his young son Commodus to his friends and asks them to guide him, though Commodus turned out to be a bad emperor. Ave Caesar! Morituri te salutant Ave Caesar! Morituri te salutant Jean-Léon Gérôme · 1859 🕰️ Painted about 1,680 years later Gladiators salute the emperor with the words 'we who are about to die salute you' before a fight in the Roman arena. Interior of the Colosseum, Rome Interior of the Colosseum, Rome Thomas Cole · 1832 🕰️ Painted about 1,650 years later Thomas Cole paints the half-ruined Colosseum glowing in the Roman sun in 1832, the great arena of the emperors now open to the sky. The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum John Martin · 1822 🕰️ Painted about 1,640 years later John Martin's glowing sky and lightning show the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 that buried Pompeii and Herculaneum. Self-portrait with the Colosseum Self-portrait with the Colosseum Maarten van Heemskerck · 1553 🕰️ Painted about 1,370 years later The Dutch painter Maarten van Heemskerck shows himself in front of the Colosseum in 1553, when the great arena was already a crumbling ruin. The Fire of Rome The Fire of Rome Hubert Robert · 1785 🕰️ Painted about 1,600 years later Hubert Robert paints the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64 with a river-bridge silhouetted against the flames. The Remorse of the Emperor Nero after the Murder of his Mother The Remorse of the Emperor Nero after the Murder of his Mother John William Waterhouse · 1878 🕰️ Painted about 1,700 years later The emperor Nero, who has just had his own mother Agrippina killed, lies on a couch filled with guilt while his attendants look away. Forum Romanum, for Mr Soane's Museum Forum Romanum, for Mr Soane's Museum J. M. W. Turner · 1826 🕰️ Painted about 1,650 years later J.