I was very excited about the prospect of visiting Pompeii. But before the trip, I’d read that while I’d see plenty of ruins at the archaeological park, most of the art had been removed from the site and was on exhibit in the Naples National Archaeological Museum. I knew a museum visit was imperative, preferably prior to visiting the archaeological site.
On the day our group was in Naples, several of my fellow travelers had a similar idea. And armed with a photo of this map, drawn by our trip leader, Lodo, we set out for the museum right after lunch.
I began with the Domus exhibit, which contains furnishings from Pompeii, and the exhibit of Daily Life Objects from the Vesuvian Area. There was an impressive amount of information (in both Italian and English) in the wall text that accompanied the displays in both areas. It covered the history of Pompeii prior to its coming under Roman rule in 80 BCE and its subsequent transformation as its public spaces and sacred sites were reorganized according to the Roman model. From the late first century BCE to the early first century CE, a great deal of new construction took place in the city. From the text, I learned that Pompeii had experienced an earthquake in 62-63 CE, 17 years before the devasting volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed the city.
In ancient Rome, a domus was a private, single-family townhouse. Only wealthy upper-class families could afford to have a domus. The layout of a domus was fairly standard. Near the entrance, there would be an atrium where guests were received and business was conducted. Beyond this public space, there would be a colonnaded courtyard/garden that the family would use for relaxing and dining. Various rooms around the courtyard would be used as bedrooms and for other daily needs of the family.
The museum’s Domus exhibition space was filled with all sorts of furniture, garden sculptures, fountains, and figurines of gods and goddesses in bronze and terra cotta. It was obvious that the people of Pompeii appreciated fine design and excellent craftsmanship. One of the first artifacts that caught my attention was this marble-topped table. Its three legs are fully sculpted to portray lions.
The round table top below features inlays of colored marble on white marble. It rests on an antique column.
This bronze safe would have been kept in a public part of the house, such as the atrium. It’s decorated with putti(cherubs) and Bacchic characters.
In this pair of wall paintings, the depiction of geometric architectural elements gives the design a strikingly modern feel. The bright colors (red, burgundy, light blue, and ochre) are typical of Pompeiian painting.
Isn’t this folding table gorgeous? A bronze band frames the marble top. The curvilinear legs reminded me of Art Nouveau style. If you look closely, you’ll see that the satyrs are holding bunnies.
These two small frescoes were found on the walls of a domus.
There were also several small bronze and marble sculptures.
When archaeologists discovered this bronze statuette of a dancing faun in a grand domus in Pompeii, they named the building the House of the Faun. The piece was made at the end of the second century BCE.
One of the most elegant pieces I saw was this white marble sculpture of a sphinx that was found in the House of the. Since it dates back to the early first century CE, it wasn’t very old when the city was destroyed. The table top is a modern addition.
Furniture was often decorated with ivory plaques, such as this one from the first century CE which shows an episode from the abduction of Persephone.
The wide range of artifacts in the section of the museum that focused on daily life in the Vesuvian area provided insight into the habits and customs of the inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Among the artifacts displayed were musical instruments, surgical instruments, tableware, storage vessels, and articles used for body care.
Here are two everyday items from houses in Pompeii, both dating back to the first century CE. The first is a lead-glazed terracotta mug decorated with stylized animals and trees. The second is a lead-glazed terra cotta deep wine cup decorated with vegetal motifs and doves. While the wealthiest families might have tableware of costly silver or bronze, the less well-off could buy copies made of glazed pottery as status symbols.
The Romans started to make lead-glazed pottery in the first century BCE. The most common objects were tableware and lamps, but statuettes of exotic animals, crocodiles, and frogs were also made to decorate gardens. This reflects the growing interest in Egypt that followed the Roman victory in the Battle of Actium whereby Egypt became a Roman province.
I couldn’t help smiling when I saw this whimsical lead-glazed terracotta statuette of a frog.
Games were an important part of everyday life.
Archaeologists recovered over 3000 bronze vessels from cities and towns in the area around Vesuvius. Many were functional kitchen items. Below is a bronze serving vessel shaped like a basket and a bronze serving cup decorated with silver and copper.
There were several examples of bronze and silver lamps.
The silver treasure found in a domus called the House of Menander in Pompeii consists of 118 items. It must have belonged to a member of the ruling class.
As a glass artist, I was especially in the Roman glassware found in Pompeii. The technology for making glass developed in Mesopotamia and Egypt between 3000 and 1500 BCE. Beginning in the mid-first century CE, Campania became a center for glassmaking. Here are some of the most beautiful examples of glassware found in Pompeii.
The museum has a staggeringly large number of frescoes from Pompeii on display. Here are some that I found particularly memorable. Several feature mythological characters. In the first photo below, we see Ares and Aphrodite. They were a popular subject, often found in Roman homes. In the second photo, Io, with the bovine horns, is guarded by Argus at the request of Hera to prevent Zeus from seducing her.
In the photo below, the Athenians celebrate Theseus after he kills the Minotuar.
One of the most well-known images from Pompeii is this double portrait of the baker Terentius Neo and his wife.
There is elaborate detail in this fresco which shows a scene of ritual sacrifice. The snakes are a symbol of prosperity.
Below, we can see the god Bacchus, dressed in grape vines, giving water to a panther. The conical mountain in the painting was long believed to be Mount Vesuvius, as it appeared before the 79CE eruption. However, art historians now believe that may not be the case.
In the homes of Pompeii’s wealthiest residents, large areas of the walls were covered with frescoes, such as the one below. It shows a naumachia, the Roman public spectacle of a mock naval battle staged in an enormous artificial basin.
I found this tiny fresco of a rabbit and some figs quite charming.
I started learning to do mosaics a few years ago and although I was getting tired, I didn’t want to stop before I saw the mosaics from Pompeii. All were found in homes of the wealthiest families. Here are photos of a few of the many that I saw, and look carefully at the close-ups.
First of all, a panther with symbols of Dionysus, from the first century CE.
Next, fish and ducks, from the early first century BCE.
Also from this time period is the large round mosaic with several figures and a lion at the center.
Another early work is this scene of life on the Nile.
The goddess Venus is the subject of this slate wall panel done in a style of mosaic that uses polychrome marble inlays.
The identity of the woman in this mosaic portrait is unknown.
I was awed by the intricacy of the mosaic work on this column. This type of column was often found in garden architecture.
Here is an example of a mosaic pavement showing the head of Medusa.
I was surprised to learn that there was a Temple to Isis in Pompeii. Egyptian influence can be seen in the statue, where Isis holds an ankh (Egyptian symbol of life) in her left hand. The limestone stele contains 20 lines of hieroglyphs.
My final stop in the museum was in a section called the Secret Cabinet or Secret Room where access is restricted to those 18 years of age and older. This is due to the explicit erotic content of the frescoes, mosaics, sculpture, furniture, and other artifacts in the exhibit. All were found in various residences in Pompeii. It was obvious that the pursuit of sexual pleasure was viewed as a natural part of life. Although I took some photos, I am not going to include them in this blog post because I cannot control who has access to it. If you are interested in viewing these high-quality works of art (and they are definitely worth seeing), I encourage you to search online for Pompeii Secret Cabinet.
I didn’t get back to the hotel in Sorrento until around 6pm. Once again I was starving so I headed around the corner to a restaurant where a woman was making pasta by hand in the window. Although it was obviously a tourist trap, I had some delicious spinach ravioli with tomato sauce and meatballs on the side (because I choose to believe that protein can balance out the carbs). Also, I was feeling pretty stanchi (pronounced stahnky, this Italian word means tired) at this point and I desperately needed to recover some energy so I’d be ready to walk the streets of ancient Pompeii tomorrow.
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