I.3.24 Pompeii. Domus of Capella. Excavated 1867.

Part 2      Part 1

I.3.24 Pompeii. December 2006. Doorway to cubiculum or bedroom to west of entrance, and fauces or entrance corridor, looking north.

I.3.24 Pompeii. December 2006. Doorway to bedroom on west of entrance corridor.

I.3.24 Pompeii. December 2006. Looking towards north wall of bedroom to west of entrance corridor.

In the west wall, on the left, the recess for the bed can be seen.

I.3.24 Pompeii. December 2006. Entrance corridor, on left, and doorway to room on east side of fauces, or entrance corridor, on right.

I.3.24 Pompeii. December 2006. Doorway to room on east of entrance corridor.

I.3.24 Pompeii. December 2006. Doorway to oecus/cubiculum on south side of atrium, and corridor to garden

I.3.24 Pompeii. December 2006. Looking south in oecus/cubiculum on south side of atrium.

I.3.24 Pompeii. December 2006. Two rooms on south side of atrium.

Looking south across tablinum, and adjoining room overlooking peristyle/garden area, (at the rear).

I.3.24 Pompeii. December 2006. Corridor from atrium to garden area.

According to Bull. Inst.,

“Passando di là al peristilio, a sinistra trovansi due, a destra una camera, tutte e tre rivestite di stucco a colore giallo con bende e pilastri porporini.

Delle due a mano manca quella di dietro non è priva d’un grazioso quadretto.

Senovi dipinti Marte e Venere, agruppati al solito. Venere, mezza sdrajata e ripiegando in su il capo, che tocca colla mano destra, guarda il suo amoroso, che le è assiso alle spalle.

Accanto sono appoggiati lo scudo, la lancia e la spada.

Nel dinanzi un Amorino s’affatica di nascondere la sua testina nel vasto elmo del dio della guerra.

Sovvraposto alla parete mirasi una cornice con vaga e grottesca architettura.

Fra le figure donnesche dipintevi noto soltanto una Leda che tirando in su il manto, che le cuopre le gambe e la schiena, osserva il cigno che le si aggruppa al grembo.

La camera a destra offre alcuni medaglioni dipinti in maniera fina e graziosa.

I soggetti sono ordinarj. Havvi un Sileno col pedum, una maschera ed una protome di Medusa.”

See Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR), 1869, p.239

I.3.24 Pompeii. December 2006. Doorway to cubiculum on east side of peristyle.

According to Fiorelli, the wall painting of a lion, hind, dog and hare found in a corner of the walkway, was found next to this doorway.

See Pappalardo, U., 2001. La Descrizione di Pompei per Giuseppe Fiorelli (1875). Napoli: Massa Editore, (p.40)

According to Bull. Inst. –

“In un altro angolo del peristilio è dipinto, nella maniera grossolana delle pitture topiarie, un leone che dilania una cerva e più sotto un cane che addenta una lepre”.

(translation: "Found painted in a coarse manner in another corner of the peristyle was a lion tearing apart a hind and with a dog biting a hare beneath.”)

See Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR), 1869, p.239-240.

I.3.24 Pompeii. 1935 photograph taken by Tatiana Warscher.

According to Warscher:

“A l’epoca degli scavi la casa era riccamente dipinta, ma di queste pitture avanza nulla tranne una figura di Amore (nel cubicolo sul lato est del peristilio”.)

See Warscher, T, 1935: Codex Topographicus Pompejanus, Regio I, 3: (no.55), Rome, DAIR, whose copyright it remains. 

(translation: “At the time of the excavation, this house was richly painted, but nothing remains of these paintings except a figure of Cupid (in the cubiculum on the east side of the peristyle”).

According to Sogliano, the following paintings were also found in this room –

Leda (found destroyed), p.23, no.85

Mars and Venus (found destroyed), p.34, no.136

Two flying cupids, one with bunch of grapes and crook, the other with his crook, p.56, nos. 286 and 287

Flying cupid with dish full of grass/plants (found destroyed), p.59, no.326

Female figure carrying a basket in her left hand, p.158, no.819

Female figure turned to the left, with a garland in her right hand, and a basket of flowers in her left, p.159, no.829

See Sogliano, A., 1879. Le pitture murali campane scoverte negli anni 1867-79. Napoli: Giannini.

According to Fiorelli, found in this room were paintings of –

Mars, Venus and Cupid, Leda and the Swan, four Cupids, two flying female figures hovering in the air carrying baskets.

See Pappalardo, U., 2001. La Descrizione di Pompei per Giuseppe Fiorelli (1875). Napoli: Massa Editore, (p.40).

I.3.24 Pompeii. December 2006.  Steps to upper floor, above arch

On the left is the doorway to the cubiculum, the recess under the arch led to a storeroom, the doorway on the right leads into the kitchen.

I.3.24 Pompeii. December 2006. Steps to upper floor, kitchen doorway and rear, south wall of house.

According to Boyce, on this south wall of the peristyle was the Lararium painting. He described -

The Genius, holding cornucopia against his left shoulder, poured a libation upon an altar from a patera held in his right.

Beside him stood a Camillus holding a shallow dish.

Opposite the Genius were the tibicen and the popa, the latter leading a pig to sacrifice.

Only the Lar on the right remained.

In the lower zone, a single red and yellow serpent coiled towards an altar.

Nothing now remains of this painting in situ.

See Bull. Inst. 1869, p.239.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p. 24)

I.3.24 Pompeii. December 2006. Looking north across area of peristyle, with large triclinium overlooking it, (centre of picture).

Jashemski said the peristyle had a portico on the north and east side supported by three brick columns.

There was a Lararium painted on the south wall of the portico.

Also a crudely executed animal painting, no longer visible, on one corner of the south garden wall.

See Jashemski, W. F., 1993. The Gardens of Pompeii, Volume II: Appendices. New York: Caratzas. (p. 28)

I.3.24 Pompeii. 1935 photograph taken by Tatiana Warscher. Looking north towards a half-column in the peristyle.

At the rear, on the right in the triclinium (room “n”), the recess for the triclinium couch could be seen.

See Warscher, T, 1935: Codex Topographicus Pompejanus, Regio I, 3: (no.54), Rome, DAIR, whose copyright it remains. 

I.3.24 Pompeii. December 2006. Triclinium.

I.3.24 Pompeii. December 2006. Looking through room on north side of peristyle, across tablinum and atrium towards entrance doorway.

According to Bull. Inst., “The room on the right offered some medallions painted in a fine and gracious manner.

The subjects were ordinary. There was a Silenus with his crook, a mask, and a bust of Medusa”.

See BdI, 1869, p.239

According to Sogliano, found painted in the room on the north side of the garden were -

Head of Silenus, (nearly all vanished), p.41, no.172

Flying cupid with cornucopia, p.57, no.293

Flying cupid with alabastron on left shoulder, (destroyed), p.58, no.307

Flying cupid with his attribute vanished, p.60, no.342

Protome of Medusa, (destroyed), p.90, no.516

See Sogliano, A., 1879. Le pitture murali campane scoverte negli anni 1867-79. Napoli: Giannini.

According to Fiorelli,

“On the right of this same walkway was a room, adorned with three paintings of Cupids, and by a bust of Silenus, that looked into the adjoining triclinium through a wide window”.

See Pappalardo, U., 2001. La Descrizione di Pompei per Giuseppe Fiorelli (1875). Napoli: Massa Editore, (p.40)

I.3.24 Pompeii. December 2006. Looking north across atrium, and towards entrance doorway, from tablinum.

In Codex Topographicus Pompeianus: Regio I.3, (the copy at DAIR), Warscher included a description of the insula.

This description is included at the end in all parts of I.3 on the website.

“L’isola 3 della Regio I apparteneva ai quartieri piuttosto poveri, ad’esenzione della casa no. 3 tutto le case sono di dimensioni non grandi.

La casa no. 3 presenta un interesse dal punto di vista della costruzione: il peristilio si trova ad un livello più alto di quello dell’atrio:

questa particolarità si riscontra solamente in questa casa.

Noi abbiamo un esempio inverso nella casa dell’Ancora nera ove l’atrio si trova ad un livello più alto di quello del peristilio.

Si sente bene nell’isola in questione la vicinanza dell’anfiteatro da una parte e delle caserme dei gladiatori dall’altra.

Non c’è dubbio che le case nos 23, 25 siano state abitato da gladiatori.

(translation: “Insula 3 of Region I belonged to a rather poor neighbourhood, with the exception of house No. 3 all the houses were not large in size.

The house at no. 3 had a special interest from the point of view of construction: the peristyle sits at a level higher than that of the atrium: this particularity was found only in this house. We have a contrary example in the House of the Black Anchor where the atrium was located at a higher level than that of the peristyle.

The nearness of the amphitheatre on one side and the gladiators' barracks on the other suited well the inhabitants of the insula in question.

There was no doubt that the houses numbered 23, 25 had been inhabited by gladiators.”).

Part 1