imperial palace

Far left The Octagonal Hall today. below & left Digital renderings from the exhibition: the Octagonal Hall in the Domus Aurea, with a map of the night sky showing astrological signs, and the second lateral room opening on to the Octagonal Hall.

Domus Aurea: the golden and the grotesque

Nero’s spectacular palace in Rome, the Domus Aurea or ‘Golden House’, was rediscovered in the Renaissance. Dalu Jones describes how the opulent designs of its ancient halls inspired some of the most celebrated artists of the 15th and 16th centuries.