VI.8.3 Pompeii. Casa del Poeta Tragico or House of the Tragic Poet.

Excavated 1824 to 1825. Linked to VI.8.5.

Part 3      Part 4      Part 1      Part 2      VI.8.3 and VI.8.5 Room Plan

VI.8.3 Pompeii. October 2024.

Looking east across peristyle towards doorway to room 12.

Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.

VI.8.3 Pompeii. December 2023. Looking east across peristyle, with doorway to room 12, on left. Photo courtesy of Miriam Colomer.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 12, north-west corner of dining room on east side of peristyle garden.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. May 2015. Room 12, north wall. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. December 2006. Room 12, north wall of dining room.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 12, north wall of dining room.

VI.8.3 Pompeii. December 2023.

Room 12, detail of bird from zoccolo on lower north wall.

Photo courtesy of Miriam Colomer.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. December 2023.

Room 12, detail from north wall of dining room. Photo courtesy of Miriam Colomer.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. April 2022.

Room 12, centre and upper north wall of dining room. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. Room 12, north wall of dining room. Painting by Antonio Ala, 1857, showing the complete north wall decorations.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number ADS 293.

Photo © ICCD. https://www.catalogo.beniculturali.it/

Utilizzabili alle condizioni della licenza Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Condividi allo stesso modo 2.5 Italia (CC BY-NC-SA 2.5 IT)

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. Pre-1827. Drawings by Maldarelli of decorations and paintings from in the house.

Upper and centre –

Room 12, the dove near to the glass dish full of fruit (top), and the imaginary animals (middle) are from the decoration on the north wall of the triclinium/exedra.

Lower drawing –

painting seen on the west wall of the atrium, showing a Cupid on a dolphin with the trident of Neptune in his hands, a triton, and the legs of other figures.

See Real Museo Borbonico, Vol. III, 1827, Tav. LII (52).

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. Room 12, north wall of dining room. 1854 painting by Giuseppe Abbate published by Niccolini.

See Niccolini F, 1854. Le case ed i monumenti di Pompei: Volume Primo. Napoli, Tav. VI.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. c.1828. Room 12, north wall of dining room or exedra.

See Raoul Rochette et Bouchet J., 1828. Choix d'Edifices Inédits : Maison du Poète Tragique. Paris, pl 11.

(Note: the figure in the centre of the side panel on the east end of the wall is drawn differently).

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. 1836-7 painting by Friedrich Richter (1808-1868), of a wall in the reception room in House of the Tragic Poet.

© The State Hermitage Museum. Inventory number ОР-12600.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. 1824-5? Room 12, north wall of dining room. Drawing by Zahn published in 1828.

See Zahn, W., 1828. Die schönsten Ornamente und merkwürdigsten Gemälde aus Pompeji, Herkulanum und Stabiae: I. Berlin: Reimer, Taf. 23.

According to Gell:

M. Zahn, an artist of merit, who copied this painting of Leda only a few days after its discovery, states that the drapery of that princess was green lined with blue, and that the robe of Tyndareus was black lined with green. Behind Leda was an attendant in a green garment; the habit of the person with the bow was yellow, and that of the last figure on the right hand green. It is difficult to reconcile this account with its appearance about a month afterwards, when the robe of Leda was red, and that of Tyndareus purple, and both have remained so from that period to the present hour.

The landscape is much faded in the background. The red usually changes to black, and the wall, with the picture of Leda, had, in the course of a year's exposure, assumed a darker hue in consequence.

See Gell, W, 1832. Pompeiana: Vol 1.  London: Jennings and Chaplin, p. 173.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 12, north wall of dining room.

Venus giving some Cupids to Adonis.

     See Pagano, N., 1881. Guida di Pompei Illustrata. Pompei: Scafati. (p.82).

A young couple looking at a nest of Cupids.

     See Mau, A., 1907, translated by Kelsey F. W. Pompeii: Its Life and Art. New York: Macmillan. (p.315).

     See Helbig, W., 1868. Wandgemälde der vom Vesuv verschütteten Städte Campaniens. Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel. (821, p.163).

The sale of cherubs.

     See Nappo, S., 1998. Pompeii: Guide to the lost City. London: Weidenfield and Nicolson. (p.145).

Leda and Tyndareus with their children (Castor, Pollux and Helen) in a nest.

     See Gell, W, 1837. Pompeiana. London: Lewis A. Lewis. (T. XLVIII).

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. May 2015.

Room 12, detail of painting of Venus giving some Cupids to Adonis, from centre of north wall. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. From an album by Roberto Rive dated 1868.

Room 12, detail of painting of Venus giving some Cupids to Adonis, from centre of north wall.

Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. c. 1828. Room 12, detail of painting from centre of north wall, described as Leda and Tyndareus.

See Raoul Rochette et Bouchet J., 1828. Choix d'Edifices Inédits : Maison du Poète Tragique. Paris, pl 15.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. 1832.

Room 12, north wall. Painting described by Gell as Leda presenting her infant progeny to Tyndareus.

See Gell, W, 1832. Pompeiana: Vol 1. London: Jennings and Chaplin, Tav. XLVIII. 

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. W.104. Room 12, north wall, hunt scene with centaurs and a lion, from red predella below central panel.

See Real Museo Borbonico 3, 1827, Tav LI, 2.

Photo by Tatiana Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. c.1830. Room 12, detail from north wall of dining room.

Drawing by Gell showing west side of central painting, which he described as Leda.

See Gell, W. Sketchbook of Pompeii, c.1830.

See book from Van Der Poel Campanian Collection on Getty website http://hdl.handle.net/10020/2002m16b425

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. April 2022. Room 12, emblema in centre of mosaic floor. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. May 2015. Room 12, centre of mosaic floor. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. December 2006. Room 12, mosaic floor.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. c.1930. Room 12, black and white mosaic flooring with central motif.

See Blake, M., (1930). The pavements of the Roman Buildings of the Republic and Early Empire. Rome, MAAR, 8, (p.117 & Pl.22, tav.4).

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. October 2024.

Room 12, central emblema in floor and detail of zoccolo on east wall of dining room.

Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. October 2024.

Room 12, looking east across central emblema in floor towards east wall of dining room.

Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. April 2022. Room 12, looking towards east wall of dining room. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. May 2015. Room 12, east wall of dining room. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 12, east wall of dining room.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. April 2022.

Room 12, figure in panel at north end of east wall of dining room. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. April 2022.

Room 12, detail of central panel on east wall of dining room. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. April 2022.

Room 12, architectural panel from south side of central painting on east wall.

Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. April 2022.

Room 12, detail from architectural panel on south side of central painting on east wall.

Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. April 2022.

Room 12, detail from lower architectural panel on south side of central painting on east wall. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. October 2024. Room 12, central painting from east wall of dining room. Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. April 2022. Room 12, detail from central painting on east wall. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 12, east wall of dining room.

Mau identifies this as Theseus going on board ship leaving behind the beautiful Ariadne.

See Mau, A., 1907, translated by Kelsey F. W. Pompeii: Its Life and Art. New York: Macmillan. (p.315).

Helbig also identifies Athena, dressed in white, floating above the cliff watching what happens.

See Helbig, W., 1868. Wandgemälde der vom Vesuv verschütteten Städte Campaniens. Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel. (1218, p.255).

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. May 2015.

Room 12, detail from central painting on east wall of Theseus going on board ship. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. May 2015.

Room 12, detail from central painting on east wall, Athena dressed in white. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. Pre-1942. Room 12, detail from central panel of predella on east wall.

See Warscher, T. 1942. Catalogo illustrato degli affreschi del Museo Nazionale di Napoli. Sala LXXX. Vol.2. Rome, Swedish Institute, p.52.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. October 2024.

Room 12, south-east corner and south wall. Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. May 2015. Room 12, looking towards south-east corner, and south wall. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

VI.8.3 Pompeii. March 2014. Room 12, looking towards south-east corner.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 12, south wall of dining room.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. April 2022.

Room 12, central painting on south wall. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 12, south wall of dining room with scene from the myth of Artemis or Diana.

See Mau, A., 1907, translated by Kelsey F. W. Pompeii: Its Life and Art. New York: Macmillan. (p.315).

Helbig identifies this as Artemis previously thought to be Aphrodite and Adonis.

See Helbig, W., 1868. Wandgemälde der vom Vesuv verschütteten Städte Campaniens. Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel. (254, p.72).

Artemis and Callisto – See Nappo, S., 1998. Pompeii: Guide to the lost City. London: Weidenfield and Nicolson. (p.145).

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. c.1828. Room 12, south wall, drawing by Zahn, described as fragment of painting of Venus and Adonis.

See Zahn W. Neu entdeckte Wandgemälde in Pompeji gezeichnet von W. Zahn [ca. 1828], taf. 22.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. Pre-1942. Room 12, detail from zoccolo and predella under central panel on south wall.

See Warscher, T. 1942. Catalogo illustrato degli affreschi del Museo Nazionale di Napoli. Sala LXXX. Vol.2. Rome, Swedish Institute, p52.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. Pre-1942. Room 12, detail from central panel of predella on south wall.

See Warscher, T. 1942. Catalogo illustrato degli affreschi del Museo Nazionale di Napoli. Sala LXXX. Vol.2. Rome, Swedish Institute, p.52.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. W.104. Room 12, south wall, hunt scene with centaurs and a lion, from red predella below central panel.

See Real Museo Borbonico 3, 1827, Tav LI, 1.

Photo by Tatiana Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. April 2022.

Room 12, detail of part of hunt scene with centaurs and a lion, from red predella below central panel on south wall.

Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. April 2022.

Room 12, detail of continuation of part of hunt scene with centaurs and a lion, from red predella below central panel on south wall.

Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 12, south-west corner of dining room.

VI.8.3/5 Pompeii. April 2022.

Looking west across peristyle garden from east portico outside of room 12. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

Part 4      Part 1      Part 2      VI.8.3 and VI.8.5 Room Plan