Rooms inspired by paintings: Pollice Verso

Part 4 of building an interior design scheme based around a painting! 

Today's scheme is based on Pollice Verso by Jean-Léon Gérôme.

This powerful and dramatic painting depicts the Vestals (priestesses of Vesta in Ancient Rome) alongside other spectators giving the thumbs-down gesture to a victorious murmillo (a type of gladiator during the Roman Imperial age) while a defeated retiarius (a type of gladiator who fought with equipment styled on that of a fisherman - note the net and three-pointed trident on the ground) holds up two fingers to plead for mercy.

The thumbs-down gesture has been long considered to be a signal that a defeated gladiator should be condemned to death, but there is little evidence to prove this.

Pollice Verso was painted in 1872 by French painter Jean-Léon Gérôme. It was shown at a private Salon in 1873, after which the painting was turned into a series of prints by Adolphe Goupil and later used as a reference for Gérôme's full-scale sculpture, The Gladiators (a sculpture long thought to be lost until Gérôme's son-in-law, artist Aimé Morot, used the sculpture to pay tribute to his father-in-law by adding him into the composition, complete with smock and tools).

Gérôme made a couple of mistakes in his vision of gladiatorial combat as art historian Samuel Belleville-Douelle writes in a May 2025 article. In Latin, the word "verso" simply means "to turn, to turn over", therefore Pollice Verso translates to "thumb turned", but in which direction it is unknown. It is thought that Gérôme may have misinterpreted the word "verso" as meaning "turned down". This depiction became so popular that his error has become widely accepted, and the gesture has featured in numerous movies from the silent era to the Oscar-winning Gladiator (2002).

The Cavillargues Medallion, c. late 2nd-early 3rd century CE. Via Wikipedia.

Classical studies professor Anthony Corbeill in his work Thumbs in Ancient Rome: "Pollex" as Index concludes it was actually a turned-up thumb that signalled death, while a closed fist gesture with the thumb pressed down was used if a gladiator had demonstrated sufficient bravery to merit survival. 

These claims are supported by evidence from Roman poet Juvenal in his Satires (100-127 A.D.), Roman author and scientist Pliny the Elder's Natural History (77-79 A.D.), and the Cavillargues Medallion (Corbeill proposes that the rod in the medallion is being held by the figure in the middle rather than the figure on the right, allowing the fist to make the mercy gesture). Conscious of the lack of clarity, Corbeill mentions that the "turned thumb" may also have referred to extending it toward one's breast or downward.

Latin literature consistently acknowledges the thumb's unique importance, something that is particularly pronounced in Roman texts. They referred to the thumb as its own digit on the hand (pollex) as they believed it to have power and divine qualities. They viewed the thumb as being superior to other fingers. Roman etymologist Lactantius praised the thumb as the "guide and moderator of all the things", suggesting that the thumb's perceived power had both physical and spiritual importance. The Latin word for thumb, pollex, is also said to have derived from the word for power, pollet.

Poster for Quo Vadis (1913). Via Wikimedia.

The film Quo Vadis, based on the novel of the same name and directed by Enrico Guazzoni, was released in 1913. One of the film's posters (above) replicates Gérôme's Pollice Verso. Quo Vadis was a worldwide success and became a benchmark for modern cinema. It is considered one of the first "blockbusters" and set the standard for "superspectacles" for decades to come. 

Americans were particularly impressed by the grandeur of the crowd scenes (the film hired 5,000 extras), its long running time, and special effects. It is considered to have been the catalyst for misconceptions and inaccurate generalisations about gladiators in the American film industry and popular culture on a global scale.

So, here is the room I put together based on the colour scheme of Pollice Verso...

Arte Tamba Wallpaper in Pebble from Jane Clayton, £235.00/roll ・ Finnestone Velvet Saffron Roman Blind by Blinds2Go, from £34.55 ・ Shoreditch 3 Seater Sofa in Cotton-Whippet Linen by Darlings of Chelsea, £2,111.00 ・ Brooklyn Accent Chair in Black Velvet by Olivia's, £375.00 ・ Kelardasht Hand Knotted Rug from Rugvista, £880.00 ・ Artwood Low Cloud Coffee Table from Sweetpea & Willow, £1,588.00 ・ Ziggy Cabinet by Swoon, £749.00 ・ You Only Live Twice James Bond Framed Print by King & McGaw, £280.00 ・ Dimmable Medium Blake Picture Light in Antique Brass by Pooky, £94.00 ・ Lustro Table Lamp in Metallic Gold by Lamp Boy, £79.00 ・ Designers Guild William Yeoman Almacan Peacock Cushion from Sheen Upholstery, £90.00 ・ Verve Painted Wide Ribbed Ceramic Plant Pot in Burnt Russet from B&Q, £12.00.

The colour palette of this painting felt quite modern and masculine to me, so I leaned into it. I chose contemporary furniture with lots of straight lines, but I also wanted to add some roundness in too just to keep it from looking too boxy. Mixing shapes keeps it interesting.

I went for blacks, browns, and beiges as a base, then accessorised with pops of colour. I think the red, turquoise, and mustard go pretty well together. I also opted for red-toned woods to bring in more of that gorgeous chestnut colour.

The James Bond print on the wall was the icing on the cake for me.

See Pollice Verso at the Phoenix Art Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.

Information: Medium, Roman Empire Times, Owlcation, Eagles and Dragons Publishing, Wikipedia #1, Wikipedia #2. Prices and availability correct as of 08/11/2025.