Laurel Wreaths

[magnificentbeast]

In the erotic art from the walls of that brothel in Pompeii it looks like all the men are wearing laurel wreaths. Does anyone know if that is an artistic convention, or something to do with being in a brothel, or did average roman men just wear laurel wreaths a lot more than I realized? I won't put all the art up, but it looks like wreaths on a bunch of them.

[guy]

 

Interesting picture from Pompeii. It looks like the individual on top is a woman with a Roman bra. I’m not certain that these are laurel wreaths they are wearing, however.

My understanding is that laurel wreaths were given to winners of competitions, such as sports events or music and poetry performances. They were also awarded to generals after military victories. They were not worn daily, however.

If these are, in fact, laurel wreaths on the frescos in a brothel in Pompeii, maybe they signify something else. Maybe the male “conquering” the prostitute. These are not, nevertheless, the typical Roman laurel wreaths associated with competitions or military success.
 

These could be merely the wreaths popular among Greeks during celebrations and sometimes associated with Bacchus (Dionysus) and bacchanalias. (See the painting of Bacchus by Caravaggio below or the scene of John Belushi from “Animal House” above.)

 

[caldrail]

The laurel wreath has a cultural significance. The Roman imagery would seem to be associating good sex with victory and success. I get spurious emails from weirdos claiming the same today.