V.2.d Pompeii. House. Excavated 1882?

V.2.d Pompeii. September 2021.

Entrance “a”, looking east from Vicolo di Cecilio Giocondo. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

V.2.d Pompeii. December 2005. Entrance “a”, looking north-east.

V.2.d Pompeii. Plan from BdI with V.2.d shown as entrance at [9].

See Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR), 1885, page 157.

V.2.d Pompeii. May 2005. Entrance “a”, looking east.

V.2.d Pompeii. December 2005. Entrance corridor “a”, looking east to atrium and through vaulted passageway “g” to garden.

V.2.d Pompeii. 1978. Entrance corridor “a”, looking east to atrium.

The high zoccolo of the entrance vestibule would have been of cocciopesto and this would also have been seen on the exterior façade of the house.

The remains of the painted panels of yellow and black can be seen on the left, these would have contained small paintings (vignettes), but are now illegible.

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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V.2.d Pompeii. May 2005. Room “b” on south side of atrium.

South wall of room with corner bench and cistern, and doorway to room “i” the kitchen and latrine, in south-east corner.

V.2.d Pompeii. May 2005. Room “c” the ala on north side of atrium, with doorway to cubiculum “e”, on left.

The low zoccolo was yellow, the middle zone of the walls was painted with red and yellow panels edged with “carpet” borders and two parallel lines.

These panels were separated by narrow white compartments containing a painted twisted candelabra design.

The north wall of the ala contained a large blocked-up window, which originally would have opened onto the long corridor of the neighbouring house at V.2.e.

V.2.d Pompeii. May 2005. Looking towards oecus “f” on north side of vaulted passageway.

On the left is the east side of the ala “c”.

According to PPM, in ancient times the atrium would have had a roof supported by brick columns which can be seen, above, in the wall between the ala and oecus.

According to Boyce, there were two lararia in the house.

One on the east wall of the left ala of the atrium, within a panel (1.03m high, and 1.35m wide) was painted a single yellow serpent.

The serpent was moving left amidst plants towards an altar furnished with two eggs and a pine cone.

Above there may have originally been figures, but the plaster has now fallen.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.36, nos.101 and 102)

See Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR), 1885, p.254.

V.2.d Pompeii. December 2005. Looking east through vaulted passageway “g” to the garden.

In the upper north-east corner, just visible through the arch, would have been the niche lararium, shown as “n” on plan.

V.2.d Pompeii but shown as V.2.15 on the photo. Pre-1937-39. Niche “n” on plan.

Looking towards vaulted niche lararium on upper north wall, in north-east corner of rear of house.

Photo courtesy of American Academy in Rome, Photographic Archive. Warsher collection no. 596

According to Boyce, there were two lararia in the house.

One on the north wall of a rear room that occupied the place of the peristyle, high above the floor, was a large arched niche (0.8m high, 0.65m wide, 0.35m deep, 2.9m high above the floor) with a heavy projecting ledge beneath it.

Painted on the back wall of this niche, was a burning altar adorned with a garland and furnished with two eggs, and on each side of the altar was a palm branch, yellow with red ribbon attached.

The wall around the niche was covered with white stucco which below the niche was studded with red spots representing a dado, down as far as a row of holes, where a kind of mezzanine was attached, by means of which the niche was reached.

At a late date this structure was removed and Mau supposed that the niche was reached thereafter by a portable ladder.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.36, nos.101 and 102,)

See Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR), 1885, p.256.

According to PPM, nothing remains of the painting other than a small amount of the base stucco.

V.2.d Pompeii. May 2005. East wall of rear room “l” (L), in area of usual peristyle, with steps to upper floor and cupboard or small room underneath.

V.2.d Pompeii, 1978. Room “l” (L), east wall with steps to upper floor, with cupboard or small room underneath. 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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V.2.d Pompeii. Pre-1937-39. Room “l” (L), steps against east wall, with doorway at the top leading into room above the triclinium.

Photo courtesy of American Academy in Rome, Photographic Archive. Warsher collection no. 530

V.2.d Pompeii. May 2005. Room “l” (L), east wall of small room or cupboard under steps.

V.2.d Pompeii. May 2005. Room “m”, looking towards the north-east corner of the triclinium.

The blocked window in north wall overlooked V.2.i and was blocked after excavation.

The holes for the support beams of an upper room can be seen in the walls.

This upper room would have been reached by the masonry steps against the east wall in the previous photos.  

In the remains of the yellow panel of the north wall, just visible in the centre would have been a painting of monochrome green glass vases on a yellow background.

According to PPM, the middle zone of the north wall was decorated with yellow side panels, and a red panel in the centre edged with “carpet” border and separated by black compartments with painted cane/reeds. On the white upper zone would have been architecture and painted garlands together with a stucco cornice.

Not a lot remains of the decoration of the east wall.

V.2.d Pompeii. North wall of triclinium “m”.

According to PPM, this is the only complete testimony of this painting, made by G. De Simone in 1884.

Polyphemus receives Galatea’s letter from a cupid on a dolphin’s back.

DAIR 83.57. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

V.2.d Pompeii. East wall of triclinium “m”. Drawing by G. De Simone in 1884.

Painting, now lost, of Venus/Aphrodite with Herm of Priapus on her right.

DAIR 83.58. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

V.2.d Pompeii. South wall of triclinium “m”.

Drawing by G. De Simone made in 1882 or 1884, of fresco found already in fragments with a sitting figure of a hunter with high boots and two spears.

It is probable that Narcissus is represented, although the water and his image are missing.

DAIR 83.59. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

See Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR), 1885, page 258.

V.2.d Pompeii. Description from BdI, 1885, page 253.

No.9 is the same as V.2.d.

V.2.d Pompeii. Description from BdI, 1885, page 254

V.2.d Pompeii. Description from BdI, 1885, page 255.

V.2.d Pompeii. Description from BdI, 1885, page 256.

V.2.d Pompeii. Description from BdI, 1885, page 257.

V.2.d Pompeii. Description from BdI, 1885, page 258.

V.2.d Pompeii. Description from BdI, 1885, page 259.