Garden Sculpture and Fountains in Ancient Roman Gardens

Sculpture and fountains were central to the decorative effect of Roman gardens. Carved balustrades, benches, tables, bas-reliefs, and statuary were considered the most important garden elements and were exquisitely designed. Ships loaded with the finest Greek sculptures, statuary, and artistic fountains were imported to adorn Italian pleasure grounds.

Statuary: Honoring the Divine

As in Greece, garden statues honored appropriate deities. Images of the Graces, Seasons, Pan, Sylvanus, Flora, Pomona, and Vertumnus were common. Terminal statues—figures with knobs below the shoulders for hanging votive garlands—were especially suited to outdoor settings.

Water Features: Engineering and Beauty

Water, essential for both human refreshment and vegetation, was abundantly supplied through fountains. In baths, fish ponds, and fountains, the Romans displayed great ingenuity to please the eye while reviving the body. From elaborate châteaux d'eau to slender drinking fountains, nearly every form of ornamental hydraulics known today—and many now lost—was employed.

Pompeii’s Preserved Fountains

At Pompeii, numerous outdoor fountains survive in good condition. Hardly a main area lacks a rectangular basin, one to two feet deep, lined with marble or mosaic. Basins were usually set below pavement level, sometimes edged with a marble statue rising slightly above the surface. Marble tables or statues often accompanied these fountains.

Niches, Masks, and Topiary

Garden courts featured brightly colored mosaic niches sheltering water spouts or miniature châteaux d'eau, flanked by lamp masks. Fantastically trimmed evergreens were the principal “vegetable ornament.” The chief gardener, or topiarius, shaped pyramids, cones, wild animals, hunting scenes, and even entire fleets of ships with skillful shears.