Fresco Depicting a Woman (Maenad?) Holding a Dish; Peacock and Fruit Below

One of two colorful fresco fragments (see also 83.AG.222.2) that once decorated the same wall. A draped female figure holds a metal dish, standing within an arbor. In keeping with the theme of the two frescoes, she may be identified as a maenad—a follower of the wine god Bacchus. In a separate scene underneath her are pieces of fruit on either side of a peacock, an exotic bird kept in the gardens of wealthy Romans. The fruit includes a bunch of grapes and pomegranates—symbols of fertility and rebirth. The bright red border framing both the figure and the scene below has a rectangular panel with stucco imitation (white silhouettes on a blue background) inserted along the top. Parts of the white background of the wall are visible. This fresco likely decorated a room in a Roman villa.