goat frolics. Shadowy shepherds and goats appear in the distance. The scene is based
on observation of the natural world, here interpreted as both tranquil and grand.
Roman decorative motifs drew on nature as well. Plate 1.3, a fresco from a
house at Boscoreale, just north of Pompeii, depicts a city filled with houses (one of
which has a projecting balcony) mounting a terraced landscape. Marking off the
scene at the right is a column wound round with golden tendrils and faux gemstones
—a decorative flourish modeled on natural vegetation.
