VI.14.20 Pompeii. Casa di Orfeo or House of Orpheus or the House of Vesonius Primus.

Excavated 1834 and 1874.

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VI.14.20 Pompeii. December 2005. Entrance doorway.

According to Mau, found on the walls of VI.14.20-22 were electoral recommendations made by Vesonius Primus.

Cn Helvium aed. d.r.p. (for aedilem, dignum re publica) Vesonius Primus rogat.

(Vesonius Primus urges the election of Gnaeus Helvius as aedile, a man worthy of public office)

C. Gavium Rufum II vir. o.v.f. utilem r.p. (duumvirum, oro vos, facite, utilem rei publicae).

(Vesonius Primus requests the election of Gaius Gavius Rufus as duumvir, a man serviceable to public interests; do elect him, I beg of you).

L. Ceium Secundum II v.i.d. Primus fullo ro (gat)

(Primus the fuller asks the election of Lucius Ceius Secundus as duumvir with judiciary authority).

Cn. Helvium Sabinum aed. Primus cum suis fac(it).

(Primus and his household are working for the election of Gnaeus Helvius Sabinus as aedile).

See Mau, A., 1907, translated by Kelsey F. W. Pompeii: Its Life and Art. New York: Macmillan. (p. 396-7)

According to Presuhn, dipinti on the exterior walls of VI.14.20-22 identified the owner as Vesonius Primus.

Cn(aeum) Helvium

aed(ilem) d(ignum) r(ei) p(ublicae)

Vesonius

Primus rog(at)       [CIL IV 3477]

See Presuhn E., 1878. Pompeji: Die Neuesten Ausgrabungen von 1874 bis 1878. Leipzig: Weigel. (III, p. 4)

C(aium) Gavium Rufum IIvir(um) o(ro) v(os) f(aciatis)

utilem r(ei) p(ublicae) Vesonius Primus rog(at)      [CIL IV 3471]

See Presuhn E., 1878. Pompeji: Die Neuesten Ausgrabungen von 1874 bis 1878. Leipzig: Weigel. (III, p. 4).

VI.14.20 Pompeii. December 2004. Looking west across atrium 1 and impluvium, from entrance fauces or corridor.

According to Garcia y Garcia, during the 1943 bombing, the explosions of the bombs falling nearby caused the ruin and partial loss of the IVth Style plaster on the south and north walls of the entrance corridor.

See Garcia y Garcia, L., 2006. Danni di guerra a Pompei. Rome: L’Erma di Bretschneider. (p.87 and 91).

VI.14.20 Pompeii. February 2021. Cast of guard-dog found chained up and left to die, photographed in Antiquarium.

Photo courtesy of Fabien Bièvre-Perrin (CC BY-NC-SA).

According to Garcia y Garcia, this big guard dog was found on the 20th November 1874 chained in the entrance.

The lapilli fell from the compluvium into the entrance corridor and the poor animal was unable to get up and unfasten himself.

He died tied to his chain, and this gives a terrible impression of the poor animal’s last minutes.

The plaster cast showed his leather collar with the two bronze rings for the chain.

See Garcia y Garcia, L., 2006. Danni di guerra a Pompei. Rome: L’Erma di Bretschneider. (p.191, and figs 443-4)

VI.14.20 Pompeii. October 2020. Cast of guard-dog found chained up and left to die, photographed in VI.17.42. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. October 2020. Looking west across atrium 1 towards tablinum 4. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. July 2017. Looking west across atrium 1 towards tablinum 4.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. May 2005. Looking west across atrium 1 towards tablinum 4.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. May 2000. Looking west across atrium 1 towards tablinum 4. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. Pre-1937-39. Looking west across impluvium in atrium.

Photo courtesy of American Academy in Rome, Photographic Archive.  Warsher collection no. 468.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. February 2021.

Marble portrait herm of Vesonius Primus, on display in Antiquarium at VIII.1.4, with the inscription -

PRIMO N(ostro)

ANTEROS ARCAR(IUS)

Photo courtesy of Fabien Bièvre-Perrin (CC BY-NC-SA).

VI.14.20 Pompeii. Pre-1937-39. The marble bust of Vesonius Primus is seen on the north side of the tablinum.

Photo courtesy of American Academy in Rome, Photographic Archive.  Warsher collection no. 1847.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. Pre-1937-39. The marble bust of Vesonius Primus.

Photo courtesy of American Academy in Rome, Photographic Archive.  Warsher collection no. 1848.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. 1878 painting of marble bust and herm of Vesonius Primus.

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

VI.14.20 Pompeii. Inscription under the marble bust of Vesonius Primus.

See Presuhn E., 1878. Pompeji: Die Neuesten Ausgrabungen von 1874 bis 1878. Leipzig: Weigel. (III, p. 4)

According to Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby (See www.manfredclauss.de) this read

Primo N(umeri?) Anteros arcar(io)      [CIL X 865]

According to Cooley this translates as

To our Primus. Anteros, treasurer (set this up)       [CIL X 865]

See Cooley, A. and M.G.L., 2004. Pompeii: A Sourcebook. London: Routledge. (p. 106)

VI.14.20 Pompeii. Looking west across atrium and tablinum.

The marble bust of Vesonius Primus is at the east end of the north wall of the tablinum, and the corridor.

Old undated photograph courtesy of the Society of Antiquaries, Fox Collection.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. Album by M. Amodio, c.1880, entitled “Pompei, destroyed on 23 November 79, discovered in 1748”.

Looking west across atrium. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. From an album by Roberto Rive, dated 1868. Looking west across impluvium in atrium. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. October 2019. Room 1, atrium, looking west. 

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Atrium, room 1, looking west. 

VI.14.20 Pompeii. May 2005. Looking through tablinum to peristyle and west wall with painting of Orpheus.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. October 2020. Looking towards west wall of peristyle with painting of Orpheus. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. May 2017. Looking from tablinum to peristyle and west wall with painting of Orpheus. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. Peristyle and painting of Orpheus.

Old undated photograph courtesy of the Society of Antiquaries, Fox Collection.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. From an album by Roberto Rive, dated 1868.

Fresco of Orpheus on west wall of peristyle. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. October 2020. Room 1, looking west across impluvium in atrium. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. July 2017. Room 1, looking west across impluvium in atrium.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. May 2017. Room 1, looking west across impluvium in atrium. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 1, looking west across marble impluvium in atrium.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. 1964.

Room 1, looking west across marble impluvium in atrium. 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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VI.14.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 1, looking south across impluvium in atrium.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 1, marble impluvium and fountain with fittings, in atrium.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 1, marble fountain and fittings. Looking east across atrium.

VI.14.20 Pompeii. October 2020.

Room 1, looking west across atrium towards marble fountain. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

Part:       1        2        3        4        5        6        7        8       9        10        11       Plan