V.7.1 Pompeii. Casa dei Girali. Casa degli Amorini.

House of Girali. House of the cupids.

Previously an unexcavated doorway or House of the Ironmonger?

Only the southern street fronts of the insula were excavated in 1907-8.

In 2018, excavations took place here as part of a scheme to improve drainage.

We have constructed the new rooms on this page from press material and photos produced by the Parco Archeologico di Pompei.

Our grateful thanks to the Parco Archeologico di Pompei for giving us permission to use their press releases and photos.

Abbiamo costruito le nuove ambiente in questa pagina da materiale stampa e foto prodotte dal Parco Archeologico di Pompei.

Ringraziamo il Parco Archeologico di Pompei per averci dato il permesso di utilizzare i loro comunicati stampa e le loro foto.

According to CTP, there is a discrepancy in the number of doorways, not made any easier to correct by the new modern brick walling.

CTP said that according to the plan by Eschebach in 1969, there were six entrances marked, but his number 2 doorway was now missing behind the restored brick wall.  This should now leave five entrances.

There is however written documentation that Mau and Spano described seven entrances on this south front. Then Spano mentioned eight entrances.

If V.7.6 is known as the House of Paris because of the graffiti on its façade, and we can see another doorway on the east side of it, that doorway should be V.7.7. 

If V.7.6 and V.7.7 are accounted for, there must be two doorways V.7.2 and V.7.3, perhaps also even V.7.4, behind the modern brick wall.

See Van der Poel, H. B., 1986. Corpus Topographicum Pompeianum, Part IIIA. Austin: University of Texas. (p.82).

The doorways will remain a mystery until the rest of the insula is brought to light again.

V.7.1 Pompeii. October 2023.

Looking east past the unexcavated roadway, towards north side of Vicolo delle Nozze d’Argento.

Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii, on left. September 2021.

Looking east towards north side of Vicolo delle Nozze d’Argento. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

On the left is the still partly unexcavated roadway, on the east side of which is a window into a room of the House of Girali or the House of the Cupids.

Vicolo di Cecilio Giocondo. Newly partly excavated northern part of roadway. April 2018.

West side window of V.7.1, looking into room at west end. On the outer wall of V.7.1 a white tabula ansata was painted, but no wording had been added.

Photograph © Parco Archeologico di Pompei.

V.7.1 Pompeii, centre left, under roof, on north side of Vicolo delle Nozze d’Argento. September 2021.

Looking west along front of insula, towards junction with partly unexcavated roadway, on left. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii. December 2023. Looking north. Photo courtesy of Miriam Colomer.

V.7.1 Pompeii, September 2021.

Looking towards room with west wall with window and girali decorations and at the east end a room with cupid decorations on north wall.

Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii, September 2021.

Painted girali decoration on west wall on south side of window overlooking roadway on west side. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii. April 2018.

Window in west wall of western room, looking out onto the newly excavated continuation of the Vicolo di Cecilio Giocondo.

Photograph © Parco Archeologico di Pompei.

V.7.1 Pompeii. April 2018. Western room, detail of west wall, decorated with spiral girali designs.

Photograph © Parco Archeologico di Pompei.

V.7.1 Pompeii. October 2023. Looking north-west. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii, September 2021. Looking towards north wall. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii, September 2021.

Looking towards north wall at west end, detail of painted decoration with girali design. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii, September 2021.

Detail of painted figure from north wall at west end. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii. October 2023. Looking towards north wall. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii. October 2023. Looking north-east. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii, September 2021. Looking towards north wall at east end, with painted decoration. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii. April 2018.

Room with cupid decorations, north wall under excavation, with possible opening at left end of wall in north-west corner.

Photograph © Parco Archeologico di Pompei.

V.7.1 Pompeii. April 2018. Painted plaster on west wall in north-west corner of room with cupids.

Looking west to other room decorated with spiral designs and with a window onto the newly partly excavated north part of the Vicolo di Cecilio Giocondo.

Photograph © Parco Archeologico di Pompei.

V.7.1 Pompeii. April 2018. Room with cupids, north wall under excavation.

Photograph © Parco Archeologico di Pompei.

V.7.1 Pompeii. April 2018. Upper part of north wall with cupids newly excavated.

Photograph © Parco Archeologico di Pompei.

V.7.1 Pompeii, September 2021.

Detail of painted decoration on north wall towards east end. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii, September 2021. Detail of painted decoration on north wall at east end. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii, on left, September 2021.

Looking east along north side of Vicolo delle Nozze d’Argento.

In the centre of the photo, the painted decoration of an east wall can be seen.

It may be part of V.7.1, or perhaps even V.7.2.  Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii, September 2021. Painted decoration on east wall of a room at east end. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii. October 2023. Detail of painted decoration on east wall of a room at east end. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii, September 2021. Detail of painted decoration on east wall of a room at east end. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.7.1 Pompeii. May 2006. Front façade at east end, with part of painted decoration, on right.

V.7.1 or 2 Pompeii. May 2006. Front façade at east end, with part of painted decoration, on left.

V.7.1 or 2 Pompeii. October 2023. Detail of front façade on east side of V.7.1. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.6 Pompeii. May 2006.                   Blocked vicolo between two unexcavated insulae.                                  V.7, on right.

Note: This roadway will now be known as a continuation of Vicolo di Cecilio Giocondo.

V.6 Pompeii. December 2005.            Blocked vicolo between two unexcavated insulae.                             V.7, on right.

Note: This roadway will now be known as a continuation of Vicolo di Cecilio Giocondo.

V.7.1 Pompeii. May 2006. Corner of insula on east side of roadway.

V.7.1 Pompeii. May 2006. Corner of insula on east side of roadway.

V.7.1 Pompeii. May 2006. Front façade on west of entrance doorway.

V.7.1 Pompeii. May 2006. Front façade.

V.7.1 Pompeii. May 2006. Front façade and perhaps an entrance doorway, blocked, on the right of photo.

According to NdS –

“The facing wall, the north wall (of the vicolo), offers in various ways a better decoration.

In the first section to the left, a high zoccolo covered with signinum and the usual white plaster at the top, with in the middle, a doorway which looks like the entrance to a house, followed, on the right, by a window.

Then comes a second doorway, entrance of a dwelling, tapered at the top, and with high zoccolo of signinum, partitioned in alternating squarings with yellow horizontal and vertical bands and white edgings. To the left of the doorway, a window and another smaller one on the right.

It is followed by a third tapered doorway, which is also the same entrance to a house, with the left side wall unadorned and the right one covered in rough white plaster, in which a window opened preserving the iron grating and the imprint of the outside wooden appearance.

After this window, the wall forms a slight projection, and, covered with raw plaster, was interrupted by a large workshop doorway, followed by another tapered narrower one, and so too a third.

After the latter, a fourth doorway is seen, which forms the entrance doorway of a house, which was first-rate.

It is tapered and had a high black zoccolo at its sides, divided into squarings with red bands and white lines.

On the left a square window, above the zoccolo, and the hint of a smaller second window to the right, in the zoccolo.

Encrusted in the pavement, at the described facade, were pieces of marble set into the mortar.”

(La parete opposta, settentrionale, offre in vari tratti una decorazione migliore.

Nel primo tratto a sinistra, un alto zoccolo rivestito di signino e il solito intonaco bianchiccio in alto con in mezzo un vano che pare l’ingresso di un casa, al quale segue, a destra, un finestrino.

Viene poi un secondo vano, ingresso d’abitazione, rastremato in alto, e con alto zoccolo di signino, scompartito in riquadrature alternate con fascie orizzontali e verticali gialle e filettature bianche.

A sinistra del vano un finestrino e un altro piu piccolino a destra.

Segue un terzo vano, rastremato anche esso e del pari ingresso di una casa, con la parete laterale di sinistra disadorna e quella di destra rivestita d’intonaco bianco grezzo, nella quale si apre una finestra conservante la grata di ferro e l’impronta della mostra di legno all’esterno.

Dopo questa finestra la parete forma una lieve avancorpo, e, rivestita d’intonaco grezzo, era interrotta da un largo vano di bottega, al quale ne segue un altro piu stretto, rastremato, e cosi pure un terzo.

Vien dopo quest’ultimo un quarto vano, che forma l’ingresso di una casa, che par di prim’ordine. Esso era rastremato ed ha ai lati un alto zoccolo nero, diviso in riquadrature mediante fascette rosse e linee bianche.

A sinistra un finestrino quadrato, al di sopra dello zoccolo, e l’accenno di un secondo a destra, piu piccolo, nello zoccolo. Nel marciapiede, in corrispondenza della descritta facciata, dei pezzetti  di marmo incrostati nella malta.)

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1910, (p.378)

V.7.1 Pompeii. May 2006. Front façade on east of entrance doorway.