VI.4.1 Pompeii. Workshop or thermopolium. Farmacia, officina farmaceutica.
Taberna of a seplasarius or farmacista. House of the chemist.
Caupona of Olius Vulcentanus. Excavated 1804, 1809.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. December 2018.
Looking south to entrance doorway from junction of Via Consolare, on left, with Vicolo del Farmacista, on right. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. October 2017. Looking
south to entrance doorway.
Foto Taylor Lauritsen, ERC
Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. May 2006. Looking south from junction of Via Consolare with Vicolo del Farmacista (on right).
VI.4.1 Pompeii. 1824 painting showing façade, street shrine and snake painting.
Foto Taylor Lauritsen, ERC
Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
See Mazois, F.,
1824. Les Ruines de Pompei : Second
Partie. Paris : Firmin Didot. (Pla. 6, fig. 2).
![VI.4.1 Pompeii. c.1819. Lower left, drawing by William Gell of street shrine, described by him as from “House called of the Apothecary Conso”.
The sketch of the Gladiators, he said was from “Near the Gate of Nola”
See Gell W & Gandy, J.P: Pompeii published 1819 [Dessins publiés dans l'ouvrage de Sir William Gell et John P. Gandy, Pompeiana: the topography, edifices and ornaments of Pompei, 1817-1819], pl. 77.
See book in Bibliothèque de l'Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art [France], collections Jacques Doucet Gell Dessins 1817-1819
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VI.4.1 Pompeii. c.1819. Lower left, drawing by William Gell
of street shrine, described by him as from “House called of the Apothecary”.
The sketch of the Gladiators, he said was from “Near the Gate of
Nola”
See Gell W & Gandy, J.P: Pompeii published 1819 [Dessins publiés dans l'ouvrage de Sir William Gell et John P. Gandy, Pompeiana: the topography, edifices and ornaments of Pompei, 1817-1819], pl. 77.
See book in Bibliothèque de l'Institut National
d'Histoire de l'Art [France], collections Jacques Doucet Gell
Dessins 1817-1819
Use Etalab Open Licence ou
Etalab Licence Ouverte
VI.4.1 Pompeii. 1822-4 painting by Paolo Fumagalli showing façade, street shrine and snake painting.
The snake painting is reversed from that of Mazois and Gell.
The painting has
the title “Vue
de l'Auberge dit d'Albino à Pompeia”.
The narrative in his book though describes clearly the hospitium of Albinus at VI.17.1.
See Fumagalli P. Pompeia, trattato pittorico, storico, e
geometrico, opera disegnata negli anni 1824 al 1830, Firenze: Fumagalli, p.
37 and unnumbered picture.
Photo courtesy Thorvaldsensmuseum Copenhagen. Inventory number E550,50.
See photo on museum web site CC0 dedicated to Public Domain
![VI.4.1 Pompeii. May 2006. Entrance doorway with counter.
According to Curti, in 1818, in the face of the Via Domiziana [todays Via Consolare], on the corner of a triangular insula, was found a taberna of a seplasarius [a trader in perfumes and unguents] or a pharmacist. For exhibition, he had painted a large snake that bites a pine cone. The serpent was the attribute of Hygeia, the goddess of health, and of Aesculapius: it is still the emblem of today's [1873] pharmacies. In Pompeii, as we have noted elsewhere, it was valid for other purposes, and therefore would not have been enough to fix the designation of this taberna as a pharmaceutical workshop, had it not been found inside various other medicines, chemical preparations, pots with dried medicines and pills, spatulas, and a bronze box with compartments containing drugs, and a porphyry blade to spread and smooth the poultices.
See Curti P. A., 1873. Pompei e le sue rovine: Part 2. Napoli e Milano, p. 268.
According to Della Corte, this thermopolium or workshop was always described in the old bibliographies as an “officina farmaceutica”
Why? Many chemical preparations and many jars with dried medicines and pills were found here.
As medical substances, they are unknown, however as the results have never been analysed.
The notion that it was an “officina farmaceutica”, however was, and stays, simply circumstantial.
See Della Corte, M., 1965. Case ed Abitanti di Pompei. Napoli: Fausto Fiorentino. (p.42)](6%2004%2001_files/image010.jpg)
VI.4.1 Pompeii. May 2006. Entrance doorway with counter.
According to Curti, in 1818, in the face of the Via Domiziana [todays Via Consolare], on the corner of a triangular insula, was found a taberna of a seplasarius [a trader in perfumes and unguents] or a pharmacist. For exhibition, he had painted a large snake that bites a pine cone. The serpent was the attribute of Hygeia, the goddess of health, and of Aesculapius: it is still the emblem of today's [1873] pharmacies. In Pompeii, as we have noted elsewhere, it was valid for other purposes, and therefore would not have been enough to fix the designation of this taberna as a pharmaceutical workshop, had it not been that found inside were various other medicines, chemical preparations, pots with dried medicines and pills, spatulas, and a bronze box with compartments containing drugs, and a porphyry blade to spread and smooth the poultices.
See Curti P. A., 1873. Pompei e le sue rovine: Part 2. Napoli e Milano, p. 268.
According to Della Corte, this thermopolium or workshop was always described in the old bibliographies as an “officina farmaceutica”
Why? Many chemical preparations and many jars with dried medicines and pills were found here.
As medical substances, they are unknown, however as the results have never been analysed.
The notion that it was an “officina farmaceutica”, however was, and stays, simply circumstantial.
See Della Corte, M., 1965. Case ed Abitanti di Pompei. Napoli: Fausto Fiorentino. (p.42).
VI.4.1 Pompeii. September 2021.
Looking east to side of pilaster on left
side of doorway with counter. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. December 2018.
Looking south to
pilaster on east side of entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. December 2018. Detail from east pilaster.
Looking south to pilaster on east side of
entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. October 2017.
Looking south to pilaster on east side of
entrance doorway.
Foto
Taylor Lauritsen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. September 2021. Looking south-west across two-sided counter. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. October 2017. Looking
south-west across two-sided counter.
Foto Taylor Lauritsen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. May 2006. Two-sided marble counter without urns, but with hearth or oven.
According to Eschebach, this had a three-sided counter.
See Eschebach, L., 1993. Gebäudeverzeichnis und Stadtplan der antiken Stadt Pompeji. Köln: Böhlau. (p.166)
VI.4.1 Pompeii. May 2006. Looking south across counter towards rear room, and small room, on the right, possibly a latrine.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. May 2006.
Looking south-east from entrance, towards podium, linked to VI.4.2, and doorway to room in south-east corner, possibly a cubiculum.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. December 2018.
Looking towards doorway of a rear room in south-east corner,
possibly a cubiculum. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. May 2005. Looking south from entrance at VI.4.2, towards rear room, possibly a cubiculum of VI.4.1.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. December 2018.
Looking towards south wall of cubiculum. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. December 2018.
Looking towards niche in south wall of cubiculum. Photo courtesy
of Aude Durand.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. December 2018.
Detail
of niche in south wall of cubiculum. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. September 2021.
Looking north from cubiculum across shop-room towards entrance on Via Consolare. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VI.3 Pompeii, on left. September 2004. Looking south along Via Consolare with VI.4.1, on right.
VI.4.1 Pompeii. May 2006. Thermopolium and Vicolo del Farmacista from Via Consolare, looking south.
VI.17 Pompeii, on left. December 2006.
Vicolo del Farmacista looking north to VI.3 on east side of Via Consolare. On the right is the side wall of VI.4.1.
VI.17 Pompeii, on left. September 2021.
Looking
north along Via Consolare from near west side of VI.4.1. Photo courtesy of
Klaus Heese.