The Return of the Gods is a dramatic hybrid fresco in Rome by artist Simon Miller. It employs Trompe L’oeil techniques—not through traditional perspective, but by creating the illusion of a Renaissance work in progress, revealing the discovery of preparatory studies for a decoration.

Commissioned by Architect Claudio Nardi for La Menagere Restaurant in Rome, this 120-square-meter piece uniquely combines various technologies to achieve the high-resolution realism essential for the project. The studies were meticulously drawn by hand, digitized, integrated into the antique surface design, and printed on wallpaper. All the hand-crafted and digital elements were created exclusively by the artist.

Reflecting Miller’s distinctive classical narrative style seen in his Mythologies series—works in ceramics and painting—the fresco captures lively personalities in vital moments, transforming them into a timeless, living tableau.