Pompeii Street View. Vicolo degli Scheletri. West to East.
Part 2 Part 1
Vicolo della Maschera between VII.14 and VII.13. March 2009. Looking south from junction with Vicolo degli Scheletri.
Vicolo della Maschera between VII.10 and VII.11. December 2005. Looking north from junction with Vicolo degli Scheletri.
Vicolo degli Scheletri between VII.11 and VII.14. 2015/2016.
Looking east. Photo courtesy of
Giuseppe Ciaramella.
Vicolo degli Scheletri between VII.11 and VII.14. December 2005. Looking east from junction with Vicolo della Maschera.
Vicolo degli Scheletri, information card on display in VII.1.47. May 2017. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
Vicolo degli Scheletri, information card on display in the triclinium of VII.1.47. May 2017. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
According to Dwyer –
This family group comprised the father figure leading the way of the flight to escape (victim numbered 1), followed by two younger women found close together (numbered 2 and 3), and a short distance away, a woman bringing up the rear of the group (numbered 4).
See Dwyer, E., 2010. Pompeii’s Living Statues. Ann Arbor: Univ. of Michigan Press, (p.55-71).
According to Osanna –
After the 1943 bombing of the Antiquarium, a list of the contents’ loss and damage was made by Maiuri.
But the casts, having never been inventoried, were not included at the time on the list.
Those which were most damaged by the bomb, which could not be shown again, would have had to end up in a storage room/deposit used in the Maiuri years, housed in one of the rooms of the Sarno Baths.
In 2014, prior to the drafting of the restoration project, allowing the recovery of data and finally a fine-tuning on the state of conservation and the number of casts preserved to date (out of a total recovered from the bibliography 103 have been recorded.) In the course of this work of knowledge, some casts considered lost have also been found, starting with our small group from the Vicolo degli Scheletri.
Of these, the first and fourth were recovered in their entirety, thanks to a thorough restoration.
With the two young girls falling together, fate had been less lenient: separated forever by the bombs, it had been possible to recover a good part of the first cast (that of the larger girl), while the smaller girl, who had moved first visitors by her tender age, it seemed only part of the torso and buttocks remained.
See Osanna M, 2019. Pompei. Il tempo ritrovato.
Le Nuove Scoperte. Milano: Rizzoli, (p.330).
(Ma I calchi,
non essendo stati mai inventariati, né allora né in seguito, non furono
compresi puntualmente nell’elenco.
Quelli più
danneggiati dalle bombe, che non si potevano nuovamente esporre, dovettero
finire in un deposito usato a più riprese negli anni di Maiuri, ospitato in uno
degli ambienti delle Terme del Sarno.
In 2014,
preliminare alla redazione del progetto di restauro, ha permesso il recupero di
dati e finalmente una messa a punto sullo stato di conservazione e sul numero
di calchi conservatisi fino a oggi (su un totale di 103 recuperato dalla
bibliografia ne sono stati censiti.) Nel
corso di questo lavoro di conoscenza sono stati ritrovati anche alcuni calchi
considerati perduti, a cominciare dal nostro gruppetto di via di Scheletro.
Di questi il
primo e il quarto sono stati recuperati, grazie a un accurato restauro, nella
loro interezza. Con le due fanciulle cadute insieme, il destino era stato meno
clemente: separate per sempre dalle bombe, era stato possibile recuperare una
buona parte del primo calco (quello della più grande), mentre della fanciulla
piu piccola che aveva commosso per la sua tenera età i primi visitatori sembra
non resta che parte del torso e dei glutei.)
Vedi Osanna M, 2019. Pompei. Il tempo ritrovato. Le Nuove Scoperte. Milano:
Rizzoli, (p.330).
Vicolo degli
Scheletri, Pompeii.
April 2019.
Three of the four
plaster-casts of a family group found in the Vicolo degli Scheletri in February
1863. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.
Vicolo degli Scheletri, May 2017.
Three of the four plaster-casts of a family group found in the Vicolo degli Scheletri in February 1863.Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
Vicolo degli Scheletri, May 2017. Plaster cast of a strong and tall man. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
Vicolo degli Scheletri, May 2017. Detail of plaster cast of a strong and tall man. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
Vicolo degli Scheletri, May 2017. At the rear is the plaster-cast of a female. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
Vicolo degli Scheletri, May 2017. Plaster cast of a female adult. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
According to Osanna –
The woman's body is part of the group of the first four individuals found in the Vicolo degli Scheletri, described on several occasions by numerous visitors and found in an altered state of conservation, due to the damage suffered during the bombing.
(‘ Il corpo
della donna fa parte del gruppo dei primi quattro individui ritrovati nel
Vicolo degli Scheletri, descritto in più occasioni da numerosi visitatori e
ritrovato in uno stato di conservazione alterato, dovuto ai danni subiti
durante il bombardamento.”)
Pompeii, September 2015. Exhibits from the Summer 2015 exhibition in the amphitheatre.
Victim numbered 1, found in the area of Reg. VII, between Insulae 10,11,13 and 14, can be seen on the lower left.
Vicolo degli Scheletri. September 2015. Plaster cast of victim numbered 1 on display in the amphitheatre.
He was found 3rd February 1863, with no precise location, just intersection of two of the alleyways/small roadways in Reg. VII separating insulae 10, 11, 13 and 14, at a height of five metres above the ancient street level.
Vicolo degli Scheletri. February 1863. The first plaster cast, one of four made in the vicolo.
Old photograph of 1860s by Giorgio Sommer. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.
The vicolo owes its name to the discovery in February 1863, of the 4 skeletons.
They were found at a height of 5 metres above the soil.
These were cast in plaster for the first time, only done previously on wooden furniture.
One was possibly the father of the group (carrying their savings, some gold jewellery and the house keys.
He was followed by 2 girls (possibly his daughters) the younger of the 2 had her hair in a plait.
The fourth, possibly their mother, wore a few jewels and carried a few other precious objects.
An amber statuette. Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 25813.
A silver medallion, possibly an emblema from a goblet or plate. Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 25489.
A silver mirror. Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 25716.
See Guzzo, P., 2003. Tales from an eruption. Milano, Electa. (pp. 103-105).
Vicolo degli Scheletri. Undated photograph by Amodio, numbered 2992 from an album dated c.1873.
Plaster cast of two human fugitives, numbers 2 and 3, found between Reg. VII.11 and VII.14, on 3rd-5th February 1863.
Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.
Vicolo degli Scheletri. Late 19th Century.
Plaster cast of two human fugitives, numbers 2 and 3, found between Reg. VII.11 and VII.14, on 3rd-5th February 1863.
Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.
Vicolo degli Scheletri. September 2015. Plaster cast of victim numbered 4, on display in the amphitheatre exhibition.
According to Dwyer –
The fourth victim was found in the middle of the vicolo, about twenty-five metres from the other three victims.
She was often described as “the pregnant woman”, but her bunched up clothing could have accounted for the impression.
See Dwyer, E., 2010. Pompeii’s Living Statues. Ann Arbor: Univ of Michigan Press, (p.65-69).
Vicolo degli Scheletri, north side, May 2010. Looking east between VII.11 and VII.14 from junction with Vicolo della Maschera.
Vicolo degli Scheletri, south side, May 2010. Looking east between VII.11 and VII.14 from junction with Vicolo della Maschera.
Vicolo degli Scheletri between VII.11 and VII.14. December 2005.
Looking east from VII.14.17 towards junction with Vicolo del Lupanare.
Vicolo degli Scheletri between VII.14 and VII.11. April 2019.
Looking west from Vicolo del Lupanare towards display screen at junction of roads. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.
Vicolo degli Scheletri between VII.14 and VII.11. April 2019.
Looking west. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.
Vicolo degli Scheletri. September 2005. Looking west from Vicolo del Lupanare.
Vicolo degli Scheletri between VII.14 and VII.11. September 2005. Looking west.
Vicolo del Lupanare between VII.14 and VII.1. September 2005. Looking north to the junction with Vicolo degli Scheletri.