trompe l'oeil

During the Renaissance, painting ceilings was common place. Many ceilings were transformed into trompe l'oeil murals. A famous example is the Sistine Chapel painted by Michaelangelo between 1508 and 1512. The term trompe l'oeil refers to perspective illusionism, the ability to trick the eye into thinking that a two-dimensional painting has depth.

The sitting room of the Villa Poggiale uses trompe l'oeil in its arched 18 foot ceilings. The manner is more in the style of French Renaissance with the use of architectural features rather than with the use of natural scenes.