I.4.25 Pompeii. Domus L. Rapinasi Optati and I.4.5 Casa del Citarista or House of the Citharist or Casa di Apollo citaredo or House of the Lyre Player or Domus L Popidius Secundus (Augustianus).

Linked to 1.4.5 and I.4.28. Excavated 1853-1861, 1868, 1872 and 1929.

Entrance doorway and fauces 46, atrium 47, rooms 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, and 55

Part 1      Part 2      Part 3      Part 4

Entrance Atrium 47      Atrium 6 West      Lower Peristyle      Middle Peristyle      Middle Peristyle West      Upper Peristyle      Service and Baths areas

We have combined the pictures of I.4.5 and 1.4.25 here. Combined room plan

I.4.25 Pompeii. Old undated postcard. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

Looking west across upper peristyle, with middle peristyle on the left. In the top right is the Via dell’Abbondanza leading to the Forum.

I.4.25 Pompeii. Late 19th or early 20th century postcard. Looking south-west across peristyles.  

On the top left are the mountains of the Sorrentine peninsula, and beneath them on the left, is the theatre area. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

I.4.25 Pompeii. October 2019. Looking south to entrance doorway.

Foto Tobias Busen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

I.4.25 Pompeii, in centre. March 2018. Looking south-east along south side of Via dell’Abbondanza.

Foto Taylor Lauritsen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

I.4.25 Pompeii. March 2018. Looking south to entrance doorway on Via dell’Abbondanza.

Foto Taylor Lauritsen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

I.4.25 Pompeii. March 2018.

Looking towards east side of entrance and along Via dell’Abbondanza.

Foto Taylor Lauritsen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

I.4.25 Pompeii. December 2004. Looking towards east side of entrance and staircase.

I.4.25 Pompeii. 1964.

Looking towards east side of entrance and staircase. 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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I.4.25 Pompeii. May 2019. Looking south towards front façade and entrance doorway, with I.4.26, on left, and I.4.24, on right.

Foto Tobias Busen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

I.4.25 Pompeii. May 2019. Looking towards front façade on east side of entrance doorway.

Foto Tobias Busen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

I.4.25 Pompeii. October 2019. Looking towards front façade on west side of entrance doorway.

Foto Tobias Busen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

I.4.25 Pompeii. March 2018. Looking towards west side of entrance doorway.

Foto Taylor Lauritsen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

I.4.25 Pompeii. December 2004. West side of entrance doorway with face on wall.

According to Della Corte, the following “vulgar insult” was found written near to a “grotesque profile (of the face of Ampliatus)”.

This was proudly the work of Salvius:     

Ampliate,  Icarus te pedicat.  Salvius scripsit   [CIL IV 2375]

See Della Corte, M., 1965.  Case ed Abitanti di Pompei. Napoli: Fausto Fiorentino. (p.251)

According to Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby

[CIL IV 2375] above, has also been read as:

Amplicate

Icarus

te pedicat

Salvius

scripsit     [CIL IV 2375]

(See www.manfredclauss.de)

I.4.25 Pompeii. March 2018. Detail of “face” set into wall on west side of entrance doorway.

Foto Taylor Lauritsen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

I.4.25 Pompeii. 2nd March 1863. Seal found in one of the rooms in the north of the house.

It contains the name L RAPINASI OPTATI.

According to the Epigraphic Database Roma this reads:

L(uci) Rapinasi
Optati      [CIL IV 8058, 75]

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 4760.

I.4.25 Pompeii. 2nd March 1863. Handle of seal of L RAPINASI OPTATI found in one of the rooms in the north of the house.

It contains the image of a person wearing the exomis, a short tunic that characterizes tradesmen and craftsmen as

hooked to the shoulder, in this case left, in order to favour the movement of the right arm and hand.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 4760.

I.4.25 Pompeii. May 2019. Detail from model in Naples Archaeological Museum.

Looking north-west from above Vicolo del Citarista, bottom right, towards atrium and north portico of upper peristyle.

The entrance corridor/fauces is on the upper centre right on the Via dell’Abbondanza.

The north portico of upper peristyle 56 is on the left.

Foto Tobias Busen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR

I.4.25 Pompeii. September 2020. Looking south across atrium 47, towards doorway to upper peristyle.

Foto Tobias Busen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR

I.4.25 Pompeii. September 2020. Room 47, detail of atrium floor at south end of fauces.

Foto Tobias Busen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR

I.4.25 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 46, fauces/entrance corridor. Looking south across atrium 47.

I.4.25 Pompeii. October 2019. Fauces/entrance corridor 46, looking towards east side from atrium.

Foto Tobias Busen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

I.4.25 Pompeii. December 2007. Staircase room, on east side of fauces/entrance corridor 46.

I.4.25 Pompeii. October 2019. Fauces/entrance corridor 46, looking towards west side from atrium.

Foto Tobias Busen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

I.4.25 Pompeii. September 2004. Room 47, atrium, with marble rim of impluvium.

I.4.25 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 47, impluvium in atrium.

I.4.25 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 47, puteal in atrium.

I.4.25 Pompeii. October 2023. Room 47, puteal near impluvium in atrium. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

I.4.25 Pompeii. October 2023.

Room 47, detail of puteal in atrium. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

I.4.25 Pompeii. September 2019. Room 47, puteal in atrium.

Foto Tobias Busen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

I.4.25 Pompeii. September 2019. Room 47, detail of puteal in atrium.

Foto Tobias Busen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

I.4.25 Pompeii. October 2019. Room 47, looking north from impluvium in atrium.

Foto Tobias Busen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR

I.4.25 Pompeii. October 2019. Room 47, detail of edge of impluvium, looking west from east side.

Foto Tobias Busen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR

I.4.25 Pompeii. September 2019. Room 47, looking north across impluvium in atrium.

Foto Tobias Busen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

Part 1      Part 2      Part 3      Part 4

Entrance Atrium 47      Atrium 6 West      Lower Peristyle      Middle Peristyle      Middle Peristyle West      Upper Peristyle      Service and Baths areas

Combined room plan