VI.9.6 Pompeii. Casa dei Dioscuri
or House of Castor & Pollux.
Rear entrance at VI.9.9. Excavated 1826, 1828 and 1837.
Linked to VI.9.7 and VI.9.8.
Pseudoperistyle and east side
VI.9.6 Pompeii. W.882. Looking towards south-west corner of pseudo-peristyle 17.
The doorway into room 22 is on the left.
On the left of this doorway would have been the wall painting of Phaedra, the nurse and Hippolytus.
The doorway into the peristyle 6, is on the right.
Photo by Tatiana
Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. 1828 copy of wall painting of Phaedra, the nurse (Averne/Averna?) and Hippolytus by G. Marsigli.
From south wall of pseudo-peristyle near to doorway to room 22.
Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number ADS 353.
Photo © ICCD. https://www.catalogo.beniculturali.it
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- Non commerciale - Condividi allo stesso modo 2.5 Italia (CC BY-NC-SA 2.5 IT)
VI.9.6 Pompeii. W.203.
Wall painting of Phaedra, Averne & Hippolyte, (from Zahn III Taf. 95), from south wall of pseudo-peristyle near to doorway to room 22.
Photo by Tatiana
Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
Zahn says “They are Hippolyte and Phaedra. Phaedra, through the intervention of her nurse, makes a declaration of love to her stepson Hippolyte, which he rejects. The nurse, of which only the lower half remains, wears a green tunic and a yellow pallium. I tried to restore the upper part of this figure with paler lines”.
See Zahn, W.,
1852-59. Die schönsten Ornamente und merkwürdigsten Gemälde aus Pompeji,
Herkulanum und Stabiae: III. Berlin: Reimer, Taf. 95.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. 1840 drawing of a wall painting from south wall of pseudo-peristyle near to doorway to room 22.
According to Roux and Barre,
this shows the departure of Jason, who, after spending two years at Lemnos with Hypsipyle, queen of the Lemnians, left her pregnant to continue the quest for the Golden Fleece.
The heroic costume and the sceptre befit the chief of the Argonauts; the diadem, the purple and the throne indicate a queen who rules by herself, and not only as the wife or the daughter of a king. Finally, and this is quite decisive, what divinity can represent this statuette which poses on one of the legs of the armchair, or rather on a small colonette decorated with foliage, erected next to the throne, and which has the figure of a man dressed in a long robe and carrying like a sceptre a lotus branch with its blooming flower? This divinity can only be a Bacchus-Osiris. Hypsipyle, as she claims herself, is the granddaughter of Bacchus and Ariadne: it is natural that one finds near her throne the image of her glorious ancestor.
See Roux, H., 1840. Herculanem et Pompei recueil général des Peintures, Bronzes, Mosaïques : Tome 3. Paris : Didot, pl. 100.
According to PPM this shows Phaedra, Hippolyte and the nurse.
See Carratelli,
G. P., 1990-2003. Pompei: Pitture e
Mosaici: Vol. IV. Roma: Istituto della enciclopedia italiana, p. 942-3.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. W..880.
Room 17, south wall of the pseudo-peristyle, below large window into room 22.
Photo by Tatiana
Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
VI.9.6 Pompeii.
W.881. Room 17, the pseudo-peristyle.
Looking south at east end towards south wall and doorway and window to corridor 26, on left.
On the right, the large window from room 22, the large exedra, can be seen.
Photo by Tatiana
Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. W.202. Room 17, copy of wall painting of sacred landscape from south wall.
Photo by Tatiana
Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. Room 17, watercolour copy of wall painting of sacred landscape from south wall.
DAIR 83.93. Photo
© Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
See Helbig, W., 1868. Wandgemälde der vom Vesuv verschütteten Städte Campaniens. Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel, 1556.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. Pre-October 1852.
Room 17, south wall, drawing by Zahn showing a Priestess in front of a temple with a fisherman, on right.
See Zahn, W.,
1852. Die schönsten Ornamente und merkwürdigsten Gemälde aus Pompeji,
Herkulanum und Stabiae: III. Berlin: Reimer, (Pl.48).
VI.9.6 Pompeii. November
2023. Room 17, garden area, looking north from south end. Photo
courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 17, garden area, looking east at south end.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. W.878. Room 17, pseudo-peristyle, looking east at south end.
Photo by Tatiana
Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
According to Jashemski, on the edge of the garden at the south side there was also a fence.
The posts would have been anchored in small square sockets of tufa.
The slot in the east wall in a line with the sockets (above centre) was where the fence would have fixed to the wall.
This shows that the fence would have been 0.68m high.
See Jashemski, W. F., 1993. The Gardens of Pompeii, Volume II: Appendices. New York: Caratzas. (p.138-9)
VI.9.6 Pompeii. W.879. Room 17, south-east corner of pseudo-peristyle, with doorway to corridor 26.
Photo by Tatiana
Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. W.876. Room 17, east wall and south-east corner of pseudo-peristyle.
Photo by Tatiana
Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. W.906. Room 17, east wall of pseudo-peristyle.
Photo by Tatiana
Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. c.1830. Drawing by Gell of birds on garden wall.
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.9.6 Pompeii. W.921. Room 17, remains of painted garden trellis from east wall.
Photo by Tatiana
Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. c.1830. Room 17, east wall of pseudo-peristyle.
Drawing by Gell with description below –
“Doric wall terminating the garden of House of Castor & Pollux.
The painted Cypress grove only on one side, portico’s on the 3 others.
Lower podium under garden portico black with lilies and birds.
7 columns half-red – columns of wall white.”
Then he adds –
Portico of court black at bottom lilies and birds. Dioscuri garden much red – pillars half red, upper white. 7 cols.”
VI.9.6 Pompeii. c.1830. Room 17, east wall of pseudo-peristyle.
Then he also describes –
“Here is a door into the 4th court or garden, broad portico, in between pillars………… a doric wall against the vicolo behind. Wall painted as garden with arches, trees, fountains, grass plots and piscina. An aedicula against the wall, a passage to vicolo from this garden or portico? ……… here, scenes from plays painted.”
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.9.6 Pompeii. January 2023. Room 17, lararium against east wall of pseudo-peristyle. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. January 2023.
Room 17, aedicula lararium against east wall of garden area with altar. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. Pre-1937-39. Room 17, lararium against east wall of pseudo-peristyle.
Photo courtesy of American Academy in Rome, Photographic Archive. Warsher collection no. 564 (or 568).
VI.9.6 Pompeii. W.909. Room 17, lararium against east wall of pseudo-peristyle.
Photo by Tatiana
Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. W.911.
Room 17, east wall of pseudo-peristyle, showing remains of painted wall trellis on south side of aedicula lararium.
Photo by Tatiana
Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. W.910. Room 17, altar of lararium.
Photo by Tatiana Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 17, aedicula lararium against east wall of garden area.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. October 2022.
Room 17, aedicula lararium against east wall of garden area. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 17, aedicula lararium against east wall of garden area.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. 18th July 1902. Watercolour by Luigi Bazzani.
Room 17, aedicula lararium against east wall of garden area, showing original painted decoration, now lost.
Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 139417.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. C.1830. Drawing by Gell with description of garden wall, near aedicula.
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.9.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 17, remains of painted base of aedicula lararium against east wall of garden area.
According to Boyce, this was a painting of a panther, raising its head towards a garland of grapes which continued onto the two adjacent sides of the base.
See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.50, 176A)
VI.9.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 17, aedicula lararium against east wall of garden area.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 17, aedicula lararium against east wall of garden area.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 17, aedicula lararium against east wall of garden area.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. March 2009.
Room 17, south side of aedicula lararium against east wall of garden area.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. March 2009.
Room 17, south side of aedicula lararium against east wall of garden area.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. March 2009.
Room 17, north side of aedicula lararium against east wall of garden area.
VI.9.6 Pompeii. January 2023.
Room 17, looking towards north end of aedicula lararium against east wall of garden area.
Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.