VII.9.44 Pompeii. Workshop. Excavated 1820, 1899.

VII.9.44 Pompeii and VII.9.43. September 2005. Looking west on Vicolo del Balcone Pensile towards entrance doorways.

VII.9.44 Pompeii. December 2005.  Looking east on Vicolo del Balcone Pensile.

VII.9.44 Pompeii. December 2005. Looking south-east across entrance doorway.

According to Eschebach on the left would have been the remains of the base of two steps of the stairs to the upper floor.

See Eschebach, L., 1993. Gebäudeverzeichnis und Stadtplan der antiken Stadt Pompeji. Köln: Böhlau. (p.316)

VII.9.44 Pompeii. December 2005. Looking south across workshop.

In the front workshop on the left, there would have been stairs to an upper floor with remains of masonry tanks or washbasins beneath.

In the rear room, there would have been a podium with two furnaces and boilers with chimneys for the smoke, a hearth and nearby a basin.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1899, (p.389)

VII.9.44 Pompeii. June 2005. Looking south-west across the rear room. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

VII.9.44 Pompeii. June 2005. Looking towards west wall with remains of two boilers or furnaces. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

According to Gell –

“Between this house (VII.9.47) and the Temple of Mercury is an arched kiln, said to have been used for making lime.

Directly opposite this gate of the Pantheon (VII.9.43) is the well, about 116 feet deep, before mentioned, the water of which is singularly cold and very slightly brackish. Behind this is a space supposed to be for soap-boiling, all of which may, however, have appertained, with the lime, to some process of whitening or cleansing the garments of this who attended the supposed Pantheon, or College of Augustales.”

See Gell, W, 1832. Pompeiana: Vol 1. London: Jennings and Chaplin, (p.10-11).