The period of the Second Style is the first century B.C.

Thanks to the fundamental research by H.G. Beyen, the Second Style can be divided into a number of stilistic phases. Beyen's source is, among others, the most important section about Roman Wall Painting in Vitruvius' De Architectura, VII, 5, 1-3.*

For the dates of the subsequent phases, Beyen starts with construction of the wall, which gives a terminus post quem. Unfortunately, there are not many hard data to start from. The relative chronology is as follows:

Phase Ia: about 90-75 B.C.-> the wall is decorated without any prospection or depth (cf. Casa dei Grifi, Palatine, Rome).

Phase Ib: about 75-60 B.C.-> the prospectlessness of the wall decoration is broken and more and more depth is added (cf. Villa dei Misteri, Pompeii).

Phase Ic: about 60-40 B.C.-> the wall decoration is totally "open"; sometimes the decoration is built up quite symmetrically (cf. Villa of Fannius Synistor, Boscoreale; Villa at Oplontis).

Phase IIa: about 40-25 B.C.-> the decoration goes back to being "closed", sometimes there is a central "aedicula" (lit. "little building"), i.e. a central scene, which does not fit in the perspective of the overall wall decoration (cf. Casa della Nozze d'Argento, Pompeii; Casa del Criptoportico, Pompeii; Casa del Menandro (older part), Pompeii; the so called "Odyssey Landscapes" at the Monte Esquilino, Rome).

Phase IIb: about 25-15 B.C.-> the return to the so called "flat wall painting" has been completed now; in the center of a wall painting, there is a big painted scene and the rest of the decoration is a slight reminiscence to "architecture". There is no perspective (cf. Casa di Livia, Palatine, Rome; Aula Isiaca, Palatine, Rome; Villa della Farnesina, Rome (Tiber); Casa di Obellio Firmo, Pompeii).

Some Second Style pictures:

From left to right: Second Style, phase Ic; Second Style, phase IIb.

To be continued

Tanaquil