Nymphaeum of the Peristyle Garden

This monumental 4th-c. nymphaeum—a fountain shrine to water nymphs—served as the centerpiece of the peristyle garden, a courtyard enclosed with columns, in the House of Cupid and Psyche. Marble revetment and arcaded niches integrated water, architecture, and light into a single visual program. By turning a domestic courtyard into a staged environment of refinement, the space expressed the luxurious aesthetic cultivated by Ostia’s elite.