The Gardens of Maecenas, or Horti Maecenatis, constituted the luxurious ancient Roman estate of Gaius Maecenas, an Augustan-era imperial advisor and patron of the arts. The property was among the first in Italy to emulate the style of Persian gardens. The walled villa, buildings, and gardens were located on the Esquiline Hill, atop the agger of the Servian Wall and its adjoining necropolis, as well as near the Horti Lamiani.
Interior of auditorium
Detail of apse
Charioteer of the Esquiline, Roman copy of Greek 5th c. BC (Capitoline)
Rhyton by Pontios (Capitoline museum)
Gaius Cilnius Maecenas was a friend and political advisor to Octavian. He was also an important patron for the new generation of Augustan poets, including both Horace and Virgil. During the reign of Augustus, Maecenas served as a quasi-culture minister to the Roman emperor but in spite of his wealth and power he chose not to enter the Senate, remaining of equestrian rank.
Imaginary portrait engraving (18th century)
Bust of Maecenas' wife Terentia (1st century BC)
Stefan Bakałowicz: At Maecenas' Reception Room, 1890
Frog on an engraved gem: the seal-device of Mecaenas.