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History of Trompe L'oeil

Although the term was first applied to extremely realistic still lifes in the 18th Century , it is now applied to almost any kind of art that uses painting techniques, perspective, and the ability to reproduce realistic images in such as way as to fool viewers' eyes into perceiving an image as three-dimensional. Based on this definition, artists and artisans have been creating Trompe l'oeil art since the discovery of perspective techniques. We know the style dates as far back as 400 B. C. and was part of the rich culture of the Greek and Roman Empires. The earliest examples remaining are the tile floors and Roman frescoes at Pompeii and Herculaneum, preserved by the ash that filled the rooms when Vesuvius erupted.

These murals used painting techniques that created the look of three-dimensional details such as texture and dimension. In addition, painters created pretend views from nonexistent windows as well as architectural details such as moldings and carvings. Trompe l'oeil tile floors ranged from ones that used blocks of different shades to give the effect of different levels to an elaborate tile floor with very real-looking bits of refuse left there by the occupants. Called "Unswept Floor," the remaining mosaic is known to be a copy of an earlier Greek version.