Painted birds at Pompeii

The wall-paintings in the houses at Pompeii and in other Campanian towns can provide evidence for the birds that were known in Italy in the first centuries BC and AD , because they are painted with remarkable accuracy. However, the paintings as total works of art must not be interpreted in too realistic a manner because the flora and fauna are often combined in an ideal setting. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.