A lecture by Sarah Gilboa-Karni, Dep. of Archeology – University of Haifa Event organized in collaboration with the NB Haifa School of Design HAIFA
"In the shade of gardens, in Italy and abroad"
"In the shade of gardens, in Italy and abroad"ANCIENT ROMAN GARDENS AND THEIR STATUARYA lecture by Sarah Gilboa-Karni, Dep. of Archeology – University of HaifaEvent organized in collaboration with the NB Haifa School of Design – WIZO School of DesignThe Palazzo Massimo in Rome houses an ancient dining room constructed by Livia, wife of Emperor Augustus in the 1st century BCE. All four walls of this dining room were covered with frescoes of a lush garden, complete with trees, bushes, flowers, birds and wicker fences. Why create an illusion of a garden of all things? Why not a landscape painting, or a mythological one? One is bound to ask. The answer could be provided by the 625 gardens that were excavated in the ancient towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and in the villas of the Bay of Naples – all destroyed in the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the summer of 79 CE. The ancient gardens of the Bay of Naples were entombed with their entire decoration often intact. They reveal that gardens were the pride of the ancient Romans households. Often positioned on the axis of the house entrance – they paraded the owners' wealth and fine taste to the passerby, while affording an exquisite environment for dining and relaxation for the family and friends. As in Livia's dining room, the walls surrounding these gardens were covered with paintings of gardens. Thus they embody the Roman ideal of Art imitating Nature, and Nature enhanced by Art. Sarah Gilboa-Karni: A museum professional with work experience at both historical and art museums, Sarah Gilboa-Karni has worked at the Museum of the Jewish Diaspora in Tel Aviv, at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.In recent years her interest has turned to the history, architecture and decoration of gardens throughout history. She is completing now a PhD dissertation at the Dept. of Archaeology of the University of Haifa. Her research focuses on the decoration of the ancient Roman gardens of Pompeii and Herculaneum.Event held in Hebrew.Tuesday, November 11th, at 19:30The NB Haifa School of Design – WIZO School of Design, room 10421 HaGanim Street, Haifa