VII.12.28 Pompeii. Casa del Balcone Pensile or House of the Hanging Balcony.

Excavated 1863. (Vico del Balcone Pensile 9).

VII.12.28 Pompeii. December 2007. Front façade on Vicolo del Balcone Pensile.

VII.12.28 Pompeii.  Front façade, looking north-west.

Photographed 1970-79 by Günther Einhorn, picture courtesy of his son Ralf Einhorn.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. 1959. Looking north-west on Vicolo del Balcone Pensile. 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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VII.12.28 Pompeii. Looking west to the junction of Vicolo del Balcone Pensile with Vicolo della Maschera, on the left.

Photographed 1970-79 by Günther Einhorn, picture courtesy of his son Ralf Einhorn.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. Looking west c.1880, along Vicolo del Balcone Pensile with house on right.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. Looking west c.1890, along Vicolo del Balcone Pensile with house on right.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. Looking west along Vicolo del Balcone Pensile with House of the Hanging Balcony, on right.

Photo by permission of the Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford. File name instarchbx202im 004. Resource ID 44506.

See photo on University of Oxford HEIR database

VII.12.28 Pompeii. 1864. Looking west along Vicolo del Balcone Pensile with House of the Hanging Balcony, on right.

Drawn in 1864 by M. Duclère, woodcut by Thérond.

See Le Tour du monde, nouveau journal des voyages 1864, p. 392.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. December 2005. Entrance doorway.

According to Boyce, in this house was found a ruined lararium painting done on a white background.

He said it was not certain in which room the painting was seen.

Fiorelli placed it in the atrium, the Ann. Inst. and Helbig placed it in the kitchen.

In the west wall of the kitchen, a rectangular niche can be seen. Perhaps the painting was seen on the wall beside this niche?

Above the coils of a single serpent (female, according to Helbig) stood a Lar in green tunic and brown pallium.

The corresponding serpent and Lar on the other side had disappeared.

Helbig, 38; Ann.Inst., xxxv, 124, X; Fiorelli, Scavi, 105, No.17, Fiorelli, Descr., 291.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.71, no.322)

According to Giacobello –

The plastered arched niche was found in room (h) on the west wall, the room having decoration in the Fourth Style.

See Giacobello, F., 2008. Larari Pompeiani: Iconografia e culto dei Lari in ambito domestico. Milano: LED Edizioni, (p.292, no.C17)

VII.12.28 Pompeii. December 2005. West end of upper floor. 

VII.12.28 Pompeii. December 2005. East end of upper floor. 

VII.12.28 Pompeii. December 2007. Upper floor. 

VII.12.28 Pompeii. December 2005. Looking north through doorway.

According to Pagano –

“Una scala di legno dava accesso al piano superiore, e questo slargavasi sulla via mediante un tavolato sorretto da travi e fornito di finestre che guardavano nella strada. Nel restaurarsi questo balcone, si era avuto mente a riprodurre con esattezza i legni che prima vi erando adoperati per sostenerio.

Entrando nella casa trovasi a sinistra la scalinata di legno che metteva al piano superiore. Viene in seguito un piccolo atrio dove ammirasi una graziosa fontana formata da un Puttino che regge colla sinistra una piccola colomba attualmente rotta, da cui sortiva un getto d’acqua che cadeva in una vaschetta.

Al di sotto del tavolino che vedesi alle spalle del Puttino, si osservano quattro chiavi di bronzo, per somministrare l’acqua in diversi punti della casa.

Il tablino ha un quadretto sulla parete a sinistra, che esprime Alceste ed Admete, allegoria dell’amor coniugale.”

See Pagano, N. (1881).Guida di Pompei, ed.9. (p.49-50).

(translation –

"A wooden staircase gave access to the upper floor, and this opened up onto the street with a floor supported by beams and provided with windows looking into the street. In restoring this balcony, it had been thought to reproduce exactly the woods that had previously been used to support it.

Entering the house, on the left we find the wooden staircase to the upper floor. Then came a small atrium where one could admire a pretty fountain formed by a Puttino/small boy/cherub that held in his left hand, a small dove (or shell) currently broken, from which a jet of water would have fallen into a tub.

Below the marble table we can see behind the Puttino, four bronze keys were observed, to administer water at different points of the house.

The tablinum had a picture on the left wall, showing Alcestis and Admetus, an allegory of marital love.")

VII.12.28 Pompeii. 1836-7 drawing by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc "Escalier et détails de construction de la Casa 28".

There are what appear to be later notes on the drawing as the numbering VII.2.28 was not instituted until some 30 years later.

Photo Ministère de la Culture (France), Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine, diffusion RMN-GP. Référence : AP03R00470

VII.12.28 Pompeii. December 2005. Looking north along entrance corridor towards small garden at the front of the house.

According to Jashemski, this was enclosed on the north and west by a portico supported by three columns and one pilaster.

These were joined by a low wall. At the north-west corner was a small shallow pool in which stood a footed marble basin.

On the pedestal behind the basin stood a marble fountain statuette (see photos below).

On the left corner of the pedestal there was a small bronze head of Jupiter.

See Jashemski, W. F., 1993. The Gardens of Pompeii, Volume II: Appendices. New York: Caratzas. (p.196

VII.12.28 Pompeii. Looking from west portico towards north portico and white marble threshold of the exedra, with painted decoration.

Fratelli Alinari 11345a, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

VII.12.28 Pompeii. Looking from west portico towards north portico and white marble threshold of the exedra, with painted decoration.

Photo by permission of the Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford. File name instarchbx202im 005. Resource ID. 44501

See photo on University of Oxford HEIR database

VII.12.28 Pompeii. Pre-1937-39. Looking north-west.

Photo courtesy of American Academy in Rome, Photographic Archive. Warsher collection no. 436.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. c.1908. Watercolour by Luigi Bazzani. Looking north across garden area.

In the rear, on the right, the decorated north wall of the exedra can be seen.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum, inventory number 139411.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. 1897. Painting by George Samuel Elgood. Looking north from viridarium.

See Elgood, G. S., 1907. Italian Gardens. London: Longmans Green, p.3.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. Looking north towards fountain and statue in garden area.

In the upper centre of the photo, the decorated west wall of the exedra can be seen.

Photo by permission of the Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford. File name instarchbx202im006. Resource ID. 44496.

See photo on University of Oxford HEIR database

VII.12.28 Pompeii. Pre-1937-39.

Painted panel with dolphins from south end of west wall of the exedra.

Photo courtesy of American Academy in Rome, Photographic Archive. Warsher collection no. 679.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. Looking north towards fountain and statue in Viridarium. c.1880-1890, G. Sommer no. 1256.

The photo is incorrectly titled Casa della Gran Fontana. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

See also the image below numbered 1256 from the Fox Collection.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. C.1880? Looking north past fountain and statue in garden area. Photo by Giacomo Brogi no. 5048.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. Album by M. Amodio, c.1880, entitled “Pompei, destroyed on 23 November 79, discovered in 1748”.

Looking north. In the rear, on the right, the decorated north wall of the exedra can be seen. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. From an album dated c.1875-1885.

Looking north towards fountain and statue in Viridarium. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. Looking north towards fountain and statue in Viridarium.

19th century album photo by G. Sommer, no. 5305.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. Fountain and statue in Viridarium.

Though numbered 1256 this is not the same photo as that by Sommer, c.1880-1890, numbered 1256 above.

It does not have Sommer's name and the décor is closer in detail to the 1867 Dyer photo below.

Perhaps it is an earlier version of 1256 from the cooperation of Sommer and Behles c.1867–1874?

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

VII.12.28 Pompeii. 1867. Fountain and statue in Viridarium.

See Dyer, T., 1867. The Ruins of Pompeii. London: Bell and Daldy, p. 25.

VII.12.28 Pompeii.

Watercolour of painted decoration from an unknown room, but may be from the pilaster at the side of the fountain and statue, see above.

On the lower horizontal bar of the painting are the words "Balcone Pensile".

DAIR 83.150. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. Marble fountain statue of small boy with hand on head and holding a shell. 

Found in Viridarium. Front view. PAP inventory number 20395.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. Marble fountain statue of small boy with hand on head and holding a shell.

Rear view showing pipework into arm. PAP inventory number 20395.

VII.12.28 Pompeii. Marble fountain statue of small boy with hand on head and holding a shell.

Arm and shell from which water fell, showing lead pipework. PAP inventory number 20395.

VII.12.28 from VII.12.35. May 2006. Looking east towards marble table.

According to Jashemski, in the portico behind the pedestal was a marble table.

In the floor underneath the table was a cavity, which contained the keys of the pipes distributing the fountain water.

See Jashemski, W. F., 1993. The Gardens of Pompeii, Volume II: Appendices. New York: Caratzas. (p.196)

VII.12.28 from VII.12.35, Pompeii. May 2006. Looking east towards the north portico, and white marble threshold of exedra.

In the lower left, the upper north-east corner of the plastered wall of a cubiculum can be seen.

VII.12.29 blocked entrance and VII.12.28 on Vico del Balcone Pensile. December 2005.

VII.12.29 blocked entrance and VII.12.28 on Vico del Balcone Pensile. 1959.

Looking east. 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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