Herculaneum V.8. Casa del Bel Cortile or House of the Beautiful Courtyard.

Excavated 1937-38.

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Area 4 and Upper floor rooms

V.8 Herculaneum, April 2014. Area 4, looking north towards stairs and upper floor. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.8 Herculaneum. March 2014. Area 4, looking east across raised courtyard from tablinum.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR

V.8 Herculaneum, August 2013. Area 4, looking east across courtyard from tablinum. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum, 1957. Area 4, looking towards east side of courtyard from tablinum. Photo by Stanley A. Jashemski.

Source: The Wilhelmina and Stanley A. Jashemski archive in the University of Maryland Library, Special Collections (See collection page) and made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License v.4. See Licence and use details.

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V.8 Herculaneum, May 2018. Area 4, north-east corner of raised courtyard. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum. May 2006. Area 4.

Looking across the courtyard towards the arched recess in east wall under stairs. 

V.8 Herculaneum, May 2018. Area 4, arched recess under stairs. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum. May 2006. Area 4, detail of painted arched recess under the stairs. 

According to Maiuri, in the courtyard there is a flight of masonry stairs and a gallery with a parapet soberly painted.

Under the staircase, on the ground wall there is a painting of a leafy vine-branch, giving the impression of a garden trellis in the open air.

See Maiuri, Amedeo, (1977). Herculaneum. 7th English ed, of Guide books to the Museums Galleries and Monuments of Italy, No.53 (p.45).

V.8 Herculaneum, 1957.

Area 4, arched recess under the masonry stairs. Photo by Stanley A. Jashemski.

Source: The Wilhelmina and Stanley A. Jashemski archive in the University of Maryland Library, Special Collections (See collection page) and made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License v.4. See Licence and use details.

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V.8 Herculaneum, April 2014.

Area 4, looking towards east wall of courtyard, with masonry stairs, and south-east corner. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.8 Herculaneum, August 2013. Area 4, east wall of courtyard, with masonry stairs. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum, May 2018. Area 4, detail of painted decoration on east wall of courtyard. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum, May 2018. Area 4, painted decoration on east wall of courtyard/stairs. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum, May 2018. Area 4, detail of painted decoration on east wall of courtyard/stairs. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum, August 2013.

Area 4, masonry stairs on east side of “beautiful” courtyard. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum. May 2018.

Area 4, masonry stairs on east side of “beautiful” courtyard. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum, May 2018. Area 4, painted decoration on east wall of courtyard/stairs. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum. May 2018. Detail of side of stairs. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum. March 2014.

Area 4, looking north on masonry stairs on east side of “beautiful” courtyard.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR

V.8 Herculaneum. August 2021. Area 4, with stairs to upper masonry landing on north side. Photo courtesy of Robert Hanson.

V.8 Herculaneum. March 2014. Area 4, looking north-west along upper masonry landing at top of stairs.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR

V.8 Herculaneum, August 2013. Area 4, upper masonry landing on north side, at top of stairs. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum, May 2018. Area 4, upper masonry landing on north side, at top of stairs. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum. May 2006. Area 4, upper masonry landing, with doorways to upper rooms, with no floors. 

Two small rooms with painted white background decoration open onto the landing of the stairs.

V.8 Herculaneum. December 2004.

West side of doorway to middle room opening onto landing. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

V.8 Herculaneum. December 2004.

Looking north-east along north wall of landing. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

V.8 Herculaneum. December 2004.

East side of middle doorway on upper landing, opening into room above Room 5.

Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

V.8 Herculaneum. December 2004.

Looking along west side of upper room. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

V.8 Herculaneum. December 2004. Looking towards north-west corner of upper room. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

V.8 Herculaneum. December 2004.

Looking towards north-west corner and north wall, above room 5. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

V.8 Herculaneum. December 2004.

Looking towards north wall of room 5, below, and upper room, above. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

V.8 Herculaneum. May 2018. Looking towards north wall of room 5, below, and upper room, above. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum. October 2014. Area 4, looking north towards room 5, below landing. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.

V.8 Herculaneum. March 2014.

Area 4, looking towards upper west wall and north-west corner, and doorway to rooms overlooking street frontage, on upper floor.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR

V.8 Herculaneum. March 2014. Area 4, detail from modern compluvium above raised courtyard.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR

V.8 Herculaneum, August 2013.

Area 4, looking towards north-west corner, and doorway to rooms overlooking street frontage, on upper floor.

Photo taken from near room 7, the large salon. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum, May 2018.

Area 4, west side of upper floor landing, with detail of remaining painted decoration. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum, May 2018.

Area 4, west side of upper floor landing, with detail of remaining painted decoration. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

V.8 Herculaneum. June 2005.

Upper floor, doorway on landing which would have led to rooms overlooking street frontage.

Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

According to Maiuri, apart from the two smaller rooms reached from the landing, there were also two larger rectangular rooms, with mosaic flooring, both better decorated, which opened onto the area overlooking the street. The first still conserved some trace of colour in the red zoccolo and in the black panels of the walls, the second, had white pilasters decorated with candelabra and plant motifs between panels painted of red and azure blue.

V.8 Herculaneum. September 2003. Upper room, marble threshold. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

V.8 Herculaneum. September 2003.

Upper floor, large rectangular room with remains of painted decoration on east wall at north end. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

V.8 Herculaneum. September 2003.

Upper floor, large rectangular room with remains of painted decoration on east wall at south end. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

V.8 Herculaneum. September 2003. Upper floor, south wall. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

V.8 Herculaneum. May 2003.  Detail from upper floor. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Part 1      Part 2      Part 3      Part 4      Part 5      Part 6      Plan