The Maritime Theatre at Hadrian's Villa and Its Decoration

Abstract

Maritime Theatre is one of the most iconic buildings of Hadrian's Villa (UNESCO site since 1999). This circular-shaped “domus” is characterized by one of the most obvious aspects of Hadrianic architectural production, namely the alternation of curved and straight lines applied to designing both plans and elevations. Mixtilinear features caught the interest of architects from the Renaissance to present day, becoming inspiration as well as a sort of “quarry” for noble families and antiquarians. Complex entablatures designed by Hadrian's architects have been systematically removed and reused starting from Middle Ages with the consequence of having several fragments scattered in private and public collections all over Europe. Through a systematic digital survey of remaining structures as well as of removed elements, a 3D analytical model was exploited in order to include all the “digitally gathered” elements and for deepening the knowledge of this emblematic mixtilinear architecture.