Applied and Decorative Arts of Ancient Rome.

The development of culture on the West of Italy was promoted by Greek colonies which brought the knowledge of many crafts and more developed culture. Due to the Greeks’ arrival all the population of Southern Italy and Sicily borrowed Greek language and accepted Greek customs. Thus the aboriginal Italian tribes only remained in Northern-East and Middle Italy. Gradually Rome became a republic.

As soon as Rome became the major city of Italy aspiration for grand capital life with all its conveniences arouse in its citizens. The Romans only borrowed the things they considered useful or tempting for themselves. Ancient Romans were farmers, soldiers and had no natural artistic vein. At first they continued the traditions of their Etruscan precursors. Roman art came into being after the gain of Gallia, nearby 100 B.C., and only flourished during the Empire. Art was appreciated by the Greeks due to their natural love to the fine, by the Romans – to their love to luxury. In architecture the Romans also imitated the Greeks. They borrowed Orders elaborated by the Hellenes. They created two new orders: the Tuscan and the Composite. The latter represented the combination of the Ionic and the Corinthian orders, differing with some excess of ornamentation.

The technique of stone sculpting was also brought to Italy by Greek artists. Before it Etruscan sculptors had worked with soft sandstone, piperin and alabaster. Besides they had seldom cut a figure entirely, compounding it of separate pieces. Owing to the Greek technique all types of stone became accessible to Roman sculptors: marble, porphyry, granite, etc. It is demonstrated with the multiple statues and various stone utensils: tables, seats, candelabra and others.

The richness of decoration grew together with political predominance growth. Art turned into a part of political influence. The ornament of some artworks executed in marble was characterized with richness. Among the most prevalent decorative motives of the Roman art there were splendid garlands, winged cupids and griffins. During the epoch of the Empire vases of semiprecious stones, such as agate, sardonic and porphyry became fashionable. Some of those vases were decorated with relieves in the form of people’s figures; probably it was the work of Greek masters. Mosaic was a great success in Ancient Rome. The Romans liked mosaic for its indissoluble connection with architecture.

Art glass production reached its peak in Ancient Rome. The Romans developed and disseminated this art. It is assumed that a glass-blowing tube was invented in the 1st century B.C. by the Syrians. Rome and Alexandria were the centers of luxurious glass goods production. The Romans invented the techniques of glass-blasting. Thanks to blasting invention glass products entered into a daily life.

By the beginning of the Imperial epoch the Romans had been able not only to color glass in every possible colors so that it was difficult to distinguish it from coloured rocks, but also to mix multi-colored glass alloys (like the color of opal or agate). In Ancient Rome there were also the techniques of glass engraving and painting. The new techniques found application not only in Italy, but also in Spain, Gallia, Germany.