IX.14.4 Pompeii. House of M. Obellius Firmus or Casa di MM. Obellii Firmi, pater et filius

or Casa del Conte di Torino.

Linked to IX.14.2 and IX.14.b. Excavated 1888, 1903, 1910.

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IX.14.4 Pompeii. December 2007. Looking north-east to atrium B of IX.14.4 from upper level.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. December 2007. Looking south-east over peristyle 1 to garden 2 from upper level. Room 3 is on the right.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. December 2007. Looking south over restored upper storey towards IX.14.c.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. December 2007. Looking south-west across unexcavated area from the upper level.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. December 2007. Looking north along the upper level.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017. Looking south along corridor from secondary atrium, towards peristyle 1. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. December 2007.

Looking south along corridor from secondary atrium 27 towards peristyle 1, with doorway to kitchen, room 18, on right.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. December 2007. Doorway to room 18, the kitchen, looking west.

According to NdS, a plaster cast was made of the wooden double-leaf door dividing the kitchen / praefurnium from the corridor.

The plaster cast was to be left in situ, to make the visit to the house more interesting for visitors!

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1911, (p.216)

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017. Room 18, detail from north wall above hearth. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 18, hearth or large podium against north wall in spacious kitchen.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017. Room 18, hearth or large podium against north wall in kitchen. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 18, looking north at hearth in kitchen.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. July 2017. Kitchen 18, north-west corner.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017. Room 18, looking towards north-west corner of kitchen. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017. Room 18, detail from north-west corner of kitchen. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. July 2017.

Kitchen 18, looking towards west side with rectangular and cylindrical basins/vats.

On the left is the latrine.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017.

Room 18, looking towards west wall with rectangular and cylindrical basins/vats, and the hearth against the north wall, on right.

On the left is the latrine.  Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017. Room 18, windows in upper west wall of kitchen. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017. Room 18, looking towards west wall with rectangular and cylindrical basins/vats.

On the left, at the south end, is the latrine. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. December 2007. Looking west across room 18, kitchen.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 18, kitchen on west side of corridor.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. July 2017. Kitchen 18, south-west corner with latrine.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017. Room 18, latrine in south-west corner of kitchen area. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. December 2007. Latrine in south-west corner of room 18, kitchen.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. July 2017.

Kitchen 18, painted niche lararium on south wall, with latrine in south-west corner, on right.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017. Room 18, south-east corner of kitchen. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. September 2019. Kitchen 18, lararium niche in south wall.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. December 2007. South wall of kitchen, with painted niche.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. 1931. South wall of kitchen, with painted niche.

DAIR 31.2480. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p. 31, no. 68 & Pl.13, 2)

IX.14.4 Pompeii. 1911. Lararium in kitchen 18 at the time of excavation.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1911, p. 217, Fig. 3.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. September 2019.

Kitchen 18, detail of painted niche of lararium set into south wall.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. December 2007. Arched niche set in painted aedicula, on south wall of kitchen 18.

According to Boyce, a rectangular space was enclosed within a simple painted aedicula of slender columns supporting a pediment.

The pediment represents red marble with insets of green in the centre and at each lower corner.

The inside walls of the arched niche are thickly covered with spots of yellow, green and red.

On the rear wall is a figure, which the report in Not. Scavi called Fortuna, but which certainly represents the Genius.

He holds cornucopia in his left hand and a patera in his right. There is no altar.

In the spaces at the sides, and below the niche but still within the painted aedicula were the following painted figures –

On each side of the niche was a Lar. Above each Lar was a garland with a bird perched on it.

Below the level of the niche was, on the right, a hog advancing to the left, and on the left was a banqueting scene with six persons upon a triclinium, three men and three women.

Immediately below the niche was a single serpent gliding right amongst the plants.

Between the entrance doorway to the room and this Lararium was painted a figure of Hercules with the club upon his shoulder.

The whole painting is very crudely executed.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1911, p. 214, with photo p. 217.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.31, no.68 & Pl.13, 2)

See Fröhlich, T., 1991. Lararien und Fassadenbilder in den Vesuvstädten. Mainz: von Zabern. (L111, T. 48,1).

See Giacobello, F., 2008. Larari Pompeiani: Iconografia e culto dei Lari in ambito domestico. Milano: LED Edizioni, (p.218, no.114)

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017. Arched niche set in painted aedicula, on south wall of kitchen 18. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017. Room 18, detail of painted aedicula above niche. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017. Room 18, detail from painted niche. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. December 2007. Niche on south wall of kitchen 18. Detail of painting of figure of Genius holding a cornucopia.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017. Room 18, detail showing painted side walls of niche. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017. Room 18, looking towards south-east corner of kitchen. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. December 2007. Looking west into corridor leading to baths area rooms 16 and 17, on south side of kitchen.

According to NdS, the walls of the rooms in the baths area were covered with rustic plaster.

These rooms had once been a laconicum and a caldarium, as could be seen from the carbon-black remaining on the masonry.

This could be seen in the traces where the most recent plaster had fallen from the walls.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1911, (p. 214).

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2005. Looking south through arch into room 16, laconicum or apodyterium at west end of corridor.

According to NdS this is a laconicum.

According to Fabbricotti it is an apodyterium.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1911, (p.214).

See Fabbricotti in Cronache Pompeiana Vol. II, 1976, p. 49, fig. 16a.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017.

Room 16, laconicum in baths area. Looking towards arched doorway in west wall to room 17 calidarium. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2005. Room 16, laconicum south wall in baths area.

IX.14.4 Pompeii. May 2017. Looking north from laconicum 16 into corridor. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

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