VI.14.22 Pompeii. Fullonica di Marcus Vesonius Primus

or Fullonica di Balbino or Babino or Balbinus or Tito Babinio Alessandro.

Excavated 1874 to 1877. Linked to VI.4.21.

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VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 6, tablinum and corridor to rear.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 12, peristyle converted into a fullonica.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2005.

Room 12, looking south-west across peristyle converted into a fullonica. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 12, three basins.

According to Seyffert, clothes when sent to be cleaned were stamped with the feet in pits or troughs filled with warm water and substances which separated the fat from them, as urine, nitre, and fuller's earth. If the object was to felt the web, and make it thicker and stronger, the same process was gone through, and the cloth was then beaten with rods, washed out in clean water, dried, carded with a kind of thistle or with the skin of a hedgehog, fumigated with sulphur, rubbed in with fuller's earth to make it whiter and stronger, and finally dressed by brushing, shearing, and pressing. The fuller's earth, when well rubbed in, pre­vented the clothes from getting dirty too soon, and freshened up the colours which the sulphur had destroyed.

See Seyffert, Dr O., 1894, Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, London: William Glaisher. (p.243-4).

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2005. Room 12, three basins on south side of peristyle. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 12, raised level with foot basins. Looking west.  

VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 12, foot basins against south wall.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 12, south wall of raised level.

Wall paintings of groups of figures. According to Seyffert, “the fullones at Rome formed one of the oldest guilds.

Like all mechanics, they worshipped Minerva as their tutelary goddess, and took a prominent part in her chief festival, the Quinquatrus”.

See Seyffert, Dr O., 1894, Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, London: William Glaisher. (p243-4).

VI.14.22 Pompeii. 1874-5 drawing of paintings in room 12, on south wall of raised level.

See Giornale degli Scavi di Pompei NS3, 1875, Tav. IV.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. 1878 drawing of painting of festival in room 12, south wall of raised level.

See Presuhn E., 1878. Pompeji: Die Neuesten Ausgrabungen von 1874 bis 1878. Leipzig: Weigel. (IV, Plate V)

VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 12, south wall of raised level with wall painting of five figures.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 12, south wall of raised level with wall painting of two figures.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 12, south wall of raised level with remains of wall painting.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 12, south wall of raised level.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2005.

Room 12, looking west towards south-west corner. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 12, west wall with remains of wall painting with figure.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2006. Room 12, west end. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 12, west wall with foot basins?

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2006.

Room 12, detail from foot basin at west end. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 12, looking north across three rinsing basins or tanks.    

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2005. Looking north-east across basins in converted peristyle. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2005. Looking north-east across basins in converted peristyle. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. Pre-1937-39. Looking towards the north-east corner across basins in converted peristyle.

Photo courtesy of American Academy in Rome, Photographic Archive. Warsher collection no. 1031.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 12, looking north into the west rinsing basin.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2006.

Room 12, looking north into the west rinsing basin. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2006. Room 12, detail from west rinsing basin. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2006. Room 12, detail from west rinsing basin. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2006. Room 12, detail from west rinsing basin. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2006. Room 12, detail from west rinsing basin. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 12, looking north into the middle rinsing basin.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2006.

Room 12, looking north into the middle rinsing basin. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2006.

Room 12, detail from the middle rinsing basin. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2006. Room 12, detail from the middle rinsing basin. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2006. Room 12, detail from the middle rinsing basin. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 12, looking north into the east rinsing basin.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. June 2006.

Room 12, looking north into east rinsing basin. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VI.14.22 Pompeii. December 2007. Looking east from raised level into room 5 and through doorway into atrium.

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