VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. Casa dei Capitelli colorati or Casa di Arianna

or House of Ariadne or House of the Coloured Capitals.

Linked to VII.4.32, VII.4.33 and VII.4.51. Excavated 1822, 1832 and 1846.

Part:    1        2        3        4        5        6        7        8        9       10      11      12      13      14      15      Plan

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 22, exedra.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 22, north wall, with yellow central panel and white side panels.

In the tall panel on the left (west) side of the red zoccolo, a painted bird/parrot can be seen.

On its left, a crab would have been seen.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. 1879. Room 22, zoccolo of north wall, painting by Sydney Vacher of a crab and parrot.

Photo © Victoria and Albert Museum, inventory number E.4420-1910.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 22, west wall.

The central wall painting was a mythological landscape showing Polyphemus, looking out to sea at his beloved Galatea. 

Painting now in Naples Museum. Inventory number 8886.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. Room 22, west wall.

The central wall painting was a mythological landscape showing Polyphemus, looking out to sea at his beloved Galatea. 

Now in Naples Museum. Inventory number 8886.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. 1842.

Room 22, west wall. Drawing of the central wall painting of Polyphemus, looking out to sea at his beloved Galatea. 

Now in Naples Museum. Inventory number 8886.

See Zahn, W., 1842. Die schönsten Ornamente und merkwürdigsten Gemälde aus Pompeji, Herkulanum und Stabiae: II. Berlin: Reimer, Tav. 30.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 22, east wall.

The central wall painting was a mythological landscape showing Hercules rescuing Prometheus. 

Now in Naples Museum. Inventory number 8849.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. Room 22, east wall.

The central wall painting was a mythological landscape showing Hercules rescuing Prometheus. 

Now in Naples Museum. Inventory number 8849.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. 1842. Room 22, east wall.

Drawing of the central wall painting of Hercules rescuing Prometheus. 

Now in Naples Museum. Inventory number 8849.

See Zahn, W., 1842. Die schönsten Ornamente und merkwürdigsten Gemälde aus Pompeji, Herkulanum und Stabiae: II. Berlin: Reimer, Tav. 30.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. September 2019.

Looking north across room 23 towards north peristyle, and doorway onto Via della Fortuna at VII.4.51.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 23, exedra/tablinum, east wall.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. September 2019. Looking north across room 23.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 23, exedra/tablinum, looking towards north peristyle.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 23, mosaic floor in exedra/tablinum.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. c.1930. Room 23, mosaic floor in exedra/tablinum.

DAIR 41.704. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

See Pernice, E.  1938. Pavimente und Figürliche Mosaiken: Die Hellenistische Kunst in Pompeji, Band VI. Berlin: de Gruyter, (described as tablinum 27, see Taf. 34.5.)

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 23, west wall in exedra/tablinum.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. 1890 painting by A. Magliano. Room 23, west wall in exedra/tablinum.

See Niccolini F, 1890. Le case ed i monumenti di Pompei: Volume Terzo. Napoli, Arte Tav. 54.

See Carratelli, G. P., 1990-2003. Pompei: Pitture e Mosaici: Vol. VI. Roma: Istituto della enciclopedia italiana, p. 1068, n. 103.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. Room 23, west wall of tablinum.

According to Zahn, this was a wall discovered in 1833, showing the west (right-hand) wall of the first tablinum from Via della Fortuna (aka Via Nola).

See Zahn, W., 1842-44. Die schönsten Ornamente und merkwürdigsten Gemälde aus Pompeji, Herkulanum und Stabiae: II. Berlin: Reimer, taf. 73.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 24, oecus.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 24, step, inside the doorway.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 24, east wall.

The central painting is now faded and damaged, but it was another example of the story of Ariadne on Naxos.

See Descoeudres, J-P, et al, 1994, Pompeii Revisited: the life and death of a Roman town. Sydney. Meditarch (p.121).

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. Room 24, east wall. C.1840.

Drawing by James William Wild, showing pattern on a dark background.

Wild's note on the drawing says: The ground dark red and the foliage touched in with light green, light blue, white and yellow.

The only example in Pompei of a pattern covering a wall.

Photo © Victoria and Albert Museum, inventory number E.4004-1938.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. 1842 painting by Zahn of decoration on room 24, east wall.

See Zahn, W., 1842. Die schönsten Ornamente und merkwürdigsten Gemälde aus Pompeji, Herkulanum und Stabiae: II. Berlin: Reimer, Taf. 39.

According to PPM this shows the detail of the "wallpaper" decoration, from a drawing by Zahn.

The traces still visible in situ and the fragments found by the Australian Expedition to Pompeii during the cleaning of the cellar confirm the accuracy of Zahn's watercolour.

See Carratelli, G. P., 1990-2003. Pompei: Pitture e Mosaici: Vol. VI. Roma: Istituto della enciclopedia italiana, p. 1071 n. 108 (and n. 107 and n. 110).

According to Descoeudres, in the cellar were fragments of plaster probably discarded by earlier excavators which when overlaid on an enlarged actual size copy of Zahn's painting were a perfect match, as were the traces remaining on the wall.

See Descoeudres J-P., Ed., 1994. Pompeii Revisited: The life and death of a Roman town. Sydney: Meditarch, (fig.75, p. 119 and reconstruction of wall in fig. 81, p.127)

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. Room 24, east wall.

Drawing by Serafino Mastracchio of painting of Arianna abandoned on Naxos.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number ADS 622.

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)

See Helbig, W., 1868. Wandgemälde der vom Vesuv verschütteten Städte Campaniens. Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel, (1234).

Kuivalainen describes –

“A composition of five main figures on the sea shore.…………………..”

Kuivalainen comments –

“The relationship to the scenes depicting a sleeping Ariadne above is obvious. The sequence of the events is tighter here: the sailing Theseus is not far from the shore, Ariadne is barely awake but already aware of his departure, and Bacchus with his companions have just arrived. The central position of Silenus, of equal height with the divinity, is rare.”

See Kuivalainen, I., 2021. The Portrayal of Pompeian Bacchus. Commentationes Humanarum Litterarum 140. Helsinki: Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, p.153-4, E17.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii.

Room 24, east wall. 1841 painting by Carl Loffler, Wall decoration from Colona Colorato in Pompeii.

Photo courtesy of Thorvaldsens Museum, Copenhagen. Inventory number D1813. www.thorvaldsensmuseum.dk Use CC0 Public Domain

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. Room 24, east wall. 1846 copy of painting of Ariadne on Naxos.

See Raoul-Rochette M., 1846. Choix de Peintures de Pompei. Paris: L’Imprimerie Royale, Pl. 6.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 24, north wall.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 24, north-west corner.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii but shown on photo as VII.4.57. Pre-1937-39. Room 24, north-west corner.

Photo courtesy of American Academy in Rome, Photographic Archive. Warsher collection no. 1828.

According to PPM –

“West wall at north extremity – remains of decoration in IV Style: zoccolo painted in imitation of marble:

slabs of “breccia gialla” (yellow patches on white) inside of a red cornice, near to which was a vertical panel of “cipollino verde” (green veins on white). Above the zoccolo, the decoration was composed of floral motifs placed to form a diamond lattice.” 

See Carratelli, G. P., 1990-2003. Pompei: Pitture e Mosaici.VI. (6). Roma: Istituto della enciclopedia italiana, p.1073-4, no.110.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 24, floor.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Decorative Gutter Rainwater Spouts

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Decorative Gutter Rainwater Spouts

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Decorative Gutter Rainwater Spout.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 25.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 25, staircase to upper floor. Looking north.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 25, second staircase to upper floor, looking east.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 26.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 26, small room or cupboard. Looking east.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 25, north wall and door to cellar, room 27.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 27, doorway to cellar.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 27, steps to cellar.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 27, cellar.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 27, south wall of cellar.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 27, south wall of cellar.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 27, south-east corner of cellar.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 27, east wall of cellar. Lararium painting, small niche, garland and serpent.

According to Fröhlich this had a few defects, moderately faded in places, very dirty in the lower part.

There was a white painted wall surface with sacrificial plate.

A big snake moves slightly ascending to the right.

In the oblong hole under the head of the serpent destroyed today, a wooden sacrificial plate was certainly attached.

The picture background is filled with small perennial plants and oleander-like shrubs, both with red flowers.

At the upper edge two garlands are painted, over whose three attachment points in each case remnants of nails stuck in the wall, which apparently served for the attachment of real garlands.

See Fröhlich, T., 1991. Lararien und Fassadenbilder in den Vesuvstädten. Mainz: von Zabern, L86, p. 287.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14, p. 66.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 27, east wall of cellar. Lararium painting.

VII.4.31/51 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 27, south side of cellar. 

Part:    1        2        3        4        5        6        7        8        9       10      11      12      13      14      15      Plan