Boy with Thorn Bronze Sculpture

This 1st c. BC bronze sculpture, known as ’Boy with Thorn’ or ’Spinario,’ depicts a nude boy removing a thorn from his foot. It is a Roman copy of a Greek Hellenistic original. The figure has been interpreted as Ascanius, son of Aeneas, or a young grape harvester. Its Renaissance popularity inspired many artists. As a bronze, it is rare compared to the more common marble copies of ancient sculptures.

Apollo and Daphne

Gian Lorenzo Bernini

This electrifying marble group (1622–25) freezes the climax of Ovid’s tale as Daphne begins to turn into a laurel tree to escape Apollo’s grasp. Her fingers sprout leaves, her torso hardens into bark. Bernini renders transformation with astonishing fluidity, embodying Baroque ideals of movement, emotion, and divine drama.

Archangel Michael

Rogier van der Weyden

This panel (1445–50) from the Beaune Altarpiece shows Archangel Michael weighing souls on Judgment Day. His youthful calm contrasts with the gravity of divine judgment. The richly patterned brocade and peacock-feather wings reflect Burgundian court opulence, linking celestial imagery with the devotional grandeur of 15th-c. Flanders.

Grotesque Ceiling Decoration

Bonaccorsi Pietro (Perin del Vaga) and Domenico Rietti

This fresco (16th c.) blends Renaissance whimsy with ancient Roman influence, reviving the grotesque style unearthed in Nero’s Domus Aurea. Figures with human and animal features balance symmetrical vines, mythical beasts, and theatrical masks. The composition celebrates harmony through fantasy, playfully bridging antiquity and imagination.

Thermopolium of Lucius Fullo and Lucius Placidus

This thermopolium (2nd–3rd c.), or a hot food and drink bar, shows a marble-clad counter with built-in jars beside a painted wall panel depicting vessels that advertised the shop’s offerings. Its mosaic floor and brick vaulting accommodated heavy use as such establishments formed a key part of Ostia’s commercial and daily life.