Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - DECOR (Decorative Principles in late Republican and early Imperial Italy)

Teaser

DECOR is undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the decorative principles employed in Roman Italy between the late Republic and the end of the early Imperial period (2nd century BC through late 1st century AD). It is the first research programme of its kind to move away from...

Summary

DECOR is undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the decorative principles employed in Roman Italy between the late Republic and the end of the early Imperial period (2nd century BC through late 1st century AD). It is the first research programme of its kind to move away from analyses of single decorative elements in isolation, focusing instead upon their correlation and interaction. This unifying approach is being applied to three discrete urban contexts: houses (WP 1-3), sanctuaries (WP 4) and streets (WP 5), and will permit an examination of the changes decorative principles underwent in these varied spatial and functional settings from a diachronic perspective.
Within this general framework, the project addresses four core research questions:
1. How can the interplay of various decorative elements be analysed for architecturally “closed” and “open” urban spaces? Of particular interest here is the manner in which forms of decor interact with one another on a formal level, as well as with regard to content and meaning, in order to create specific atmospheres.
2. What methods permit a scientific assessment of the interplay between decor and the use of space?
3. Is there a social significance to decorative principles? Do specific social groups or spatial contexts favour or exclusively employ particular forms of decor?
4. How can decorative ensembles be identified as artistic expressions typical for certain periods?
The holistic approach employed in this project will enable analyses of decorative forms and their dependencies in spatial, chronological and social terms across different functional contexts. In doing so, it will provide a fundamental advancement of our understanding of visual culture during a crucial period of Roman history. Finally, DECOR serves as pilot project for advancing new methods in substantial analyses of decorated spaces in the ancient world.

Work performed

a) The material record (the architectural or object design and its decor) which is at the centre of every sub-project, has been analysed thoroughly (WP 1—WP 5). In the case of WP 2, 3, 4 and 5, the respective catalogue is already completed.

b) All sub-projects (WP 1—WP 5) have developed a theoretical and methodological design that will offer answers to general questions concerning the aesthetic, semantic and social relevance of decor, as well as its relation to agency and/or architecture.

c) All subprojects have presented preliminary results at international congresses and workshops; the writing of the monographs is ongoing.

Final results

Progress beyond the state of the art:
a) Holistic analysis of all decorative features with regard to their interdependency;

b) Theoretically- and methodologically-reflected analysis of the relations between decor/architecture/human action, including a critical assessment of widely accepted concepts that describe the relation of decor and room function (e. g. the model established by Andrew Wallace-Hadrill);

c) “Thick description” (a term established by Clifford Geertz) of exemplary contexts that allow a detailed analysis of the aforementioned interdependencies;

Expected results until the end of the project:
a) With regard to the assessment of the material record: new insights into the reconstruction of objects/spatial situations and/or building phases and/or decorative programs

b) Reconstruction of decorative principles for different phases, analysis of potential reasons for decorative changes/transformations;

c) Comparative approach I: Decorative principles in different functional/spatial contexts

d) Comparative approach II: Decorative principles in Italy and beyond

Website & more info

More info: http://www.klassarch.uni-kiel.de/de/decor.