Exterior decoration of the Temple of Venus Genetrix

Two adjoining rooms are home to pieces of the exterior decoration of the temple. These panels, each depict a variation of the same scene: cherub-like figures holding up garlands and sacrificing bulls (tauroctony). 
The Temple of Venus Genetrix was embellished by extremely delicate decorative elements such as the reconstructed lesene displayed in the room, decorated with vine tendrils, and a piece from the corbelled cornice of the external trabeation, in which the original decorations along the sima are still intact. They depict dolphins with their tails entwined around tridents, alternating with images of chalices or cups made from Acanthus bushes emerging from shells. This marine reference is probably connected to the legend of Venus' birth when she emerged from the sea as a fully grown woman.