VII.4.57 Pompeii. Casa dei Capitelli Figurati or House of the Figured Capitals.
Excavated 1831 and 1836.
Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Part 5 Part 6 Part 1
Plan
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Entrance doorway, looking south.
VII.4.57 Pompeii. December 2005. Entrance doorway, looking south-west.
VII.4.57 Pompeii. August 2021. Looking south across atrium
from entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of
Robert Hanson.
Secondo Avellino -
Sul lato che guarda il
tablinum è l’apertura del pozzo con un puteale striato di bianco marmo. E desso
situato tra quattro piccole basi di marmo colorato, ciascuno delle quali ebbe
un incavo già introdotta una zampa di leone pur marmorea, di una delle quali
esiste un frammento. Sostenevano una mensa pur essa di marmo colorato, della
quale anche si son trovati i frammenti. Convien credere che questa mensa fu
distrutta, quando si mise in uso il puteale, situandolo così nello spazio, che
essa occupava……….
I dipinti delle pareti
dell’atrio sono anche semplicissimi, consistendo in uno zoccolo con
iscompartimenti di varii colori.”
Descrizione di una Casa Pompejana Disotterrata in
Pompeii nell’anno 1831, 1832, 1833 la terza alle spalle del tempio della
Fortuna Augusta. Naples, 1837, (p.9-10)
(trans. According to Avellino -
"From the
entrance hall, one passes into the Tuscan atrium, in the middle of which, however
a little more to the right of those who enter, you see the impluvium framed
around with a Piperno stone cornice. In the middle it had a fountain, of which
the beginning of the lead pipe still remains, and whose marble ornaments will
be described by us below.
On the side overlooking the tablinum was the opening of
the cistern-mouth with a white marble striped puteal. It was situated between four small bases of
coloured marble, each of which had a recess already introduced for a marble lion’s
paw, of one of which there is a fragment. They supported a table also made of
coloured marble, of which fragments have also been found. It is reasonable to
believe that this table was destroyed when the puteal was put into use, thus
placing it in the space it would have occupied..........
The painting on the walls of the atrium are also very
simple, consisting of a zoccolo/plinth with compartments of various colours.")
VII.4.57 Pompeii. Plan of the house described by Avellino.
VII.4.57 Pompeii. 1849. Drawing by Laurits Albert Winstrup 1815-1889 of plan of the house.
At the top of the plan is a sketch of the west side of the house, showing decoration still visible on portico of peristyle, in tablinum, west ala and cubiculum 10, as well as detail of mosaic flooring.
Photo © Danmarks Kunstbibliotek, inventory number ark_6186a.
Room 1, looking south across atrium and impluvium from entrance corridor. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.
(PPM and Avellino – room b, atrium, area c, impluvium).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. December 2005. Looking south across atrium and impluvium.
VII.4.57 Pompeii. September 2004. Atrium and impluvium from entrance fauces.
VII.4.57 Pompeii. September 2019. Room 1, looking south across
impluvium in atrium.
Foto Annette Haug, ERC
Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
(PPM and Avellino – room b, atrium, area c, impluvium).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 1, atrium. Looking south across impluvium through tablinum to peristyle.
(PPM and Avellino – room b, atrium, area c, impluvium, room p, tablinum, room t, peristyle).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. 1971.
Looking south across impluvium in atrium. Photo courtesy of Rick
Bauer, from Dr George Fay’s slides collection.
VII.4.57 Pompeii. December 2018. Room 1, looking
south-east across impluvium in atrium. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.
(PPM and Avellino – room b, atrium, area c, impluvium).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 1, atrium. Looking south-east to tablinum and peristyle.
(PPM and Avellino – room b, atrium, area c, impluvium, room p, tablinum, room t, peristyle).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. September 2019. Room 1, looking south across Piperno stone edged impluvium in atrium, with marble puteal.
Foto Annette Haug, ERC
Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
(PPM and Avellino – room b, atrium, area c, impluvium).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. Drawing by Fausto Niccolini of a round cup with ten openings, decorated with masks and leaves.
According to Avellino these were for lights to illuminate the atrium. According to PPM they were for water.
See Avellino, F.
M. Descrizione di una Casa Pompejana Disotterrata in Pompeii nell’anno 1831,
1832, 1833 la terza alle spalle del tempio della Fortuna Augusta. Naples,
1837, tav. VIII.
According to PPM –
“Durante gli
scavi nell’atrio è stata rinvenuti un’arca foderata di bronzo lavorato a
rilievo, con la relativa base.
La cassa è andata
perduta, della base si conserva ancora una parte in situ. Dispersi anche un
bacile in marmo, una tazza rotonda con dieci aperture per l’acqua, decorata con
maschere e foglie”.
(trans: "Found during the excavations in the atrium was an arca (strong-box)
bronze lined worked in relief, with its base.
The strongbox
has been lost, a part of the base is still preserved in situ.
Also missing a
marble basin, a round cup with ten openings for water, decorated with masks and
leaves".)
See Carratelli, G. P., 1990-2003. Pompei: Pitture e Mosaici, VII (7). Roma: Istituto della enciclopedia italiana, (p.64).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 1, impluvium with marble puteal in atrium.
(PPM and Avellino – room b, atrium, area c, impluvium).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. September 2019.
Room 1, looking north-west across atrium towards entrance corridor
and doorway.
Foto Annette Haug, ERC
Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
(PPM and Avellino – room b, atrium, room a, entrance corridor).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. December 2005. Looking (north) back across atrium and impluvium to entrance corridor and doorway.
(PPM and Avellino – room b, atrium, room a, entrance corridor).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. Pre-1937-39.
Looking north-east across impluvium in atrium towards entrance doorway, on left, and to room 2, next to it.
Photo courtesy of American Academy in Rome, Photographic Archive. Warsher collection no. 1724.
(PPM and Avellino – area c, impluvium, room b, atrium, room a, entrance doorway, and room k, next to it).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 2, oecus, in north-east corner of atrium.
(PPM and Avellino – room k).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. Rooms to the left of the atrium Avellino’s
description of 4 rooms.
See Avellino, F. M. Descrizione di una Casa Pompejana Disotterrata in Pompeii nell’anno 1831, 1832, 1833 la terza alle spalle del tempio della Fortuna Augusta. Naples, 1837, (p.16).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. Rooms to the left of the atrium Avellino’s
description of rooms 1 and 2.
See Avellino, F.
M. Descrizione di una Casa Pompejana Disotterrata in Pompeii nell’anno 1831,
1832, 1833 la terza alle spalle del tempio della Fortuna Augusta. Naples,
1837, (p.17).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. Rooms to the left
of the atrium Avellino’s description of rooms 3 and 4.
See Avellino, F. M. Descrizione di una Casa Pompejana Disotterrata in Pompeii nell’anno 1831, 1832, 1833 la terza alle spalle del tempio della Fortuna Augusta. Naples, 1837, (p.18).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 2, north wall of oecus.
(PPM and Avellino – room k).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 3.
(PPM and Avellino – room l (L).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 3, kitchen? East wall with stairs to upper floor.
(PPM and Avellino – room l (L).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 3, kitchen? Stairs to upper floor.
(PPM and Avellino – room l (L).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 3, kitchen? North-west corner with well.
(PPM and Avellino – room l (L).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 3, kitchen? North-east corner, under stairs.
(PPM and Avellino – room l (L).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 3, kitchen? North-east corner.
(PPM and Avellino – room l (L).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 4, cubiculum.
(PPM and Avellino – room m).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 4, east wall of cubiculum.
(PPM and Avellino – room m).
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 5, with small doorway to room 6 in its south wall.
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 5, east wall of cubiculum.
(PPM and Avellino – room n).
According to PPM –
“……….. Gli affreschi
che Avellino (Avellino 1853, p.22) descrive nel modo seguente –
“ha le mura
dipinte a scompartimenti di colori diversi e veggonsi nell’alto le tracce di
una elegante cornicetta colorata di stucco” – risalgono alla fase decorativa
degli inizi dell’età augustea. Numerosi resti di colore mostrano che la zona
mediana era a fondo rosso e suddivisa in campi da lesene azzurre or candelabri
con ornamenti in giallo e porpora. I campi laterali sono delimitati all’esterno
da strisce verdi. La zona superiore conserva resti di pittura gialla, mentre
nulla resta del fregio in stucco menzionata da Avellino. Il rivestimento
pavimentale è in signino con campo centrale di pietre nere, bianche, gialle,
rossi e verdi, per lo più di forma
quadrangolare. Anche in questo ambiente il signino è
sovraddipinto con uno strato di colore rosso brillante. Il pavimento
è coevo o precedente alle decorazioni
parietali.”
See Carratelli,
G. P., 1990-2003. Pompei: Pitture e
Mosaici. VII, (7). Roma: Istituto della enciclopedia italiana, (p. 84).
(trans: The frescoes that Avellino (Avellino 1853, p.22)
describe as follows –
“it has the walls painted in compartments of different
colours and you can see traces of an elegant coloured stucco frieze at the
top" – dating back to the decorative phase of the beginning of the
Augustan age. Numerous remains of colour show that the middle area had a red
background and was divided into panels by blue pilasters or candelabra with
ornaments in yellow and purple. The side panels are delimited on the outside by
green stripes. The upper area preserves remains of yellow paint, while nothing
remains of the stucco frieze mentioned by Avellino. The floor covering is in
signinum with a central area of black, white, yellow, red and green stones,
mostly quadrangular in shape. Also in
this room, the signinum is overpainted with a layer of bright red colour. The
floor is contemporary with or prior to the wall decorations.")
VII.4.57 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 5, north-east corner of cubiculum.
(PPM and Avellino – room n).
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Plan