Anonymous - The Three Graces Fresco

• Title: The Three Graces Fresco
• Artist: Anonymous (-)
• Date: c.50
• Made in: Pompei, Italy
• Medium: Fresco
• Dimensions: 53 x 47 cm
• Location: Museo archeologico nazionale, Naples, Italy

The "Three Graces Fresco" is a compact Roman wall painting from the 1st century CE, originally decorating a room in a house at Pompeii, now detached and displayed in the Archaeological Museum in Naples. The Graces, also called the Charites, are goddesses of charm, beauty, and joy in Greek and Roman mythology.

In the fresco, the three Graces are standing nude forming an elegant group. They are crowned with delicate wreaths and standing very close together in a loose, circular pose. One Graces faces us, the other two turn partly away, so that from left to right you see profile, back, and frontal views of the female body. Their arms rest lightly on one another’s shoulders, creating a sense of intimacy and balance, as if they’re caught mid-dance or mid-whisper. The three figures look very much alike and are idealized, not made to be realistic. The painter’s lines are simple: just clear contours and a few shadows to model the bodies.

This fresco shows how Romans brought myth into their everyday spaces. These goddesses aren’t distant or intimidating; they feel almost like graceful houseguests, presiding over the refined pleasures of domestic life—music, conversation, hospitality. The image is both decorative and symbolic: a daily reminder, on someone’s wall, of harmony, beauty, and the civilized joy of being together.

-- On Wikipedia: A collection of the Three Graces in art (en français)