Vatican Museum: The Round Hall

“The construction of this large hall with a hemispherical vault imitating that of the Pantheon was completed in 1779 according to a project of Michelangelo Simonetti. The walls carry a series of niches for displaying colossal statues, between which are half-columns which support outsize busts. The floor is an amazing 18^th century assemblage of mosaics from the first decades of the 3^rd century A.D. which were found at Otricoli and at Sacrofano. At the centre of the room is a huge red porphyry basin which has a circumference of 13 metres. The basin must once have embellished one of the large public spaces of imperial Rome.” [read more…]

Don’t forget to look up, down and all around. This room is a smaller scale of the Pantheon, including the oculus in the ceiling. The mosaic floors and details are spectacular.

Porphyry Basin