IX.2.26 Pompeii. House of M. Casellius Marcellus.
Excavated 1869.
Part 2
Part 1
IX.2.26
Pompeii. July 2017. Looking south along entrance corridor from entrance
doorway.
The
doorway to the kitchen is on the right.
Foto
Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
IX.2.26 Pompeii. December 2018.
Looking south from entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Aude
Durand.
IX.2.26 Pompeii. May 2005. Looking south through the tablinum to garden area.
According to Bragantini, the lava base for the arca, or money chest, can be seen at the base of the pilaster, on the left.
See Bragantini, de Vos, Badoni, 1986. Pitture e Pavimenti di Pompei, Parte 3. Rome: ICCD. (p.426, atrio ‘d’).
According to Fiorelli, a walkway preceded the large garden located behind the atrium, and on this walkway was a terrace with rooms, in which many men and women took refuge, whose rich jewellery, rings and pendants of gold, along with their nine skeletons were found on the 18th and 20th November 1869.
Of all graffiti, together with isolated names, that one could read on the pillars of this walkway, the most important was the one that contained the verse of the Aeneid (I.234):
CERTE .
HINC . ROMANOS. OLIM
VOLENTIBVS
ANNIIIS
See Pappalardo, U., 2001. La Descrizione di Pompei per Giuseppe Fiorelli (1875). Napoli: Massa Editore, (p.144).
IX.2.26 Pompeii. 1932. Lava base for the arca, or money chest in the tablinum.
According to Pernice –
Found in the
atrium on the back wall in front of a brick pillar that is built between a room
and a passageway.
Base made of
lava. The corners are only slightly notched for right-angled feet.
The split pin is still in the fastening pin. Under the split pin is a round disk that rested on the inside of the bottom of the chest.
See Pernice, E.,
1932. Hellenistische Tische, Zisternenmündungen, Beckenuntersätze, Altäre u.
Truhen. Berlin, p. 73, Taf. 43.4.
DAIR 32.1111. Photo
© Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
Thanks to Espen B. Andersson for assisting us in our interest in money-chests.
IX.2.26 Pompeii. Pre-1943. Photo by Tatiana Warscher.
According to Warscher –
This photo is of the south-east corner of the atrium.
The two doorways are those to two narrow corridors that lead from the atrium to the pseudo-peristyle.
On the right is the lava base for the money-chest or strong- box (arca).
On the left (just in view) is the doorway to the room (cubiculum) where, according to A. Trendelenburg, on the floor was a mosaic showing two white doves.
(Warscher then wrote “I have not found any trace of this mosaic, and I have not found it at the Museum. I think it has perished.”)
IX.2.26 Pompeii. Pre-1943. Photo by Tatiana Warscher.
According to Warscher, “this photo is taken by the north portico of the pseudo-peristyle, that had a terrace.
On the plan by Fiorelli, the two rooms to the south of the pseudo-peristyle are not shown, but here the doorways are seen.”
(We think Warscher has made a mistake here –
according to the photos below (1966 by Jashemski and one from 1979), the above photo is looking north (or north-west) towards the west wall of the tablinum and the doorways of two corridors, one largely obscured by the pilaster in front).
See Warscher, T. Codex Topographicus Pompeianus, IX.2. (1943), Swedish Institute, Rome. (no.134.), p. 241.
IX.2.26 Pompeii. 1979. Looking west along pseudoperistyle portico. On the right are two corridors and at the far end the tablinum.
See Carratelli,
G. P., 1990-2003. Pompei: Pitture e
Mosaici: Vol. IX. Roma: Istituto della enciclopedia italiana, p.115
IX.2.26 Pompeii. 1966.
Looking north from garden at rear, through tablinum towards atrium with lararium, on left. 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.
J66f1006
IX.2.26 Pompeii. 1966. Looking north-east across garden areas, towards triclinium, centre left. 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.
J66f1007
IX.2.26 Pompeii. Pre-1943. Photo by Tatiana Warscher.
According to Warscher - this is a photo of the bricked-up doorway in the east wall of the triclinium.
She made the point that near the rear of this blocked doorway (in IX.2.24) the famous lararium with the image of Vesta was found.
She noted the fragment of amphora built into the doorway.
See Warscher, T. Codex Topographicus Pompeianus, IX.2. (1943), Swedish Institute, Rome. (no.135.), p. 247.
IX.2.26 Pompeii. W.1639. Looking north to lararium in atrium, and triclinium on its east side. On the left is the entrance corridor.
Photo by Tatiana Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
IX.2.26 Pompeii. Lararium situated at south end of east wall of corridor leading to atrium.
Old undated photograph from Fox collection. Courtesy of Society of Antiquaries.
According to Bragantini, the triclinium on the east side of the lararium had a floor of cocciopesto, with a decoration outlined in white tesserae which underlined the place of the table with a round of tiles, and with a border of meanders forming the shape of the room, there is almost nothing left.
The north wall had a small window.
The walls were painted with a black dado decorated with painted plants.
The middle zone of the walls was white, with panels edged with a border separated by narrow compartments with candelabra.
The upper zone was probably white, with architectural paintings.
See Bragantini, de Vos, Badoni, 1986. Pitture e Pavimenti di Pompei, Parte 3. Rome: ICCD. (p.425, triclinio ‘c’).
IX.2.26 Pompeii. 1886? Watercolour by Luigi
Bazzani.
Looking north in atrium towards lararium on
east side of entrance corridor.
Photo © Victoria and Albert
Museum. Inventory number 1066-1886.
IX.2.26 Pompeii. c.1931. Looking north to lararium in atrium, entrance corridor on left, triclinium on right.
DAIR 31.2471. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches
Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.
Or See Warscher, T. Codex Topographicus Pompeianus, IX.2. (1943), Swedish Institute, Rome. (no.132.), p. 233.
IX.2.26 Pompeii. March 2009. Lararium in atrium, on east side of corridor from entrance.
IX.2.26 Pompeii. March 2009. Remains of Lararium.
According to Boyce, the high podium was coated with red stucco and on the front was painted a cylindrical altar with offerings.
Two yellowish serpents coiled around the altar, raising their heads to the offerings, one from each side.
Around the top of the podium ran a heavy cornice adorned with a red frieze of stucco, above it two columns.
These columns with capitals and bases supported an architrave with a design of scallops and a cornice with triple band, all done in coloured stucco.
The back wall was decorated with shrubs and birds painted on a yellow background, the side walls were painted as red and yellow imitation marble.
On the exterior of each side wall were a hippogriff (a mythical beast half griffin and half horse) and two dolphins.
See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p. 82, Pl. 34, 3.)
IX.2.26 Pompeii. March 2009. South side (front) of Lararium.
IX.2.26 Pompeii. March 2009. Front of Lararium.
A painted altar is just about visible in the centre but the 2 serpents creeping towards it are faded.
IX.2.26 Pompeii. March 2009. West side of base of Lararium.