Pompeiiâs House of the Faun
Reminiscing about my trip last summer... Hereâs a little research piece I wrote about one of my favorite archaeological sites we visited:
In Pompeiiâs early stages of excavation, archaeologists were shocked to discover a miraculous amount of well-preserved art from several of the cityâs buildings. From bathhouses to brothels to private residences, Pompeii has provided academia with an artistic glimpse into the lives of the ancient inhabitants of Roman Italy. The most common forms of decorative art unearthed from Pompeii are frescoes, mosaics, and sculptures. Artists would often use art for architectural enhancement of a room. This could range from simple pragmatism (such as basic floor mosaic patterns), to elaborate ornamentation (often characterized by highly specialized techniques, especially regarding wall frescoes). For personal dwelling spaces, the degree of detail in this art depended heavily on the wealth and status of whoever owned the private residence.
After further investigation of the excavated pieces of art, it was revealed that some of the elite houses of Pompeii deliver insight beyond the imperial era, when the city was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. In fact, there exists a plethora of artistic styles from older periods of civilization. The House of the Faun on the Via di Nola is a prime example of Pompeiiâs most lavish and wealthy residences, particularly during the height of the townâs Hellenistic Oscan influence during the second century B.C.E. This period in Pompeiiâs history is characterized by the great private wealth that was amassed from an increase in agricultural production and exports. The upper class also exhibited a devotion to Hellenistic culture, which was left over from the influence of their prior conquerors, the Samnites.[1]
Here is a plan of the house (Source: Ling, Roger. Pompeii: History, Life, & Afterlife. Stroud: Gloucestershire: The History Press, 2009, 47):
Rather than showing off their wealth in the civic realm (as was common in Rome), prominent Oscan-Pompeian families during this time tended to express their status through sheer opulence in their own private homes.[2] Professor Paul Zanker, expert on Roman archaeology and art, elaborates:
âŚSamnite landed proprietors and exporters adopted the luxury of the Hellenistic world with the same excesses as the Roman aristocrats in their roughly contemporary villas on the Bay of Naples. But unlike the Roman senators, who forced one another to show some restraint in the face of Greek luxuria in Rome itself, the richest citizens of Pompeii apparently knew no limits â on the contrary, they proudly exhibited their newly acquired Greek cultivation.[3]
The fine decoration in the House of the Faun and evidence of careful restoration by its owners indicates that the building possessed values of old money, another characteristic of Oscan Pompeii. Some scholars interpret this as verification that the inhabitants of house had been an established, respectable family even before Roman rule, and were accustomed to holding civic positions of power.[4]
Additionally, the House of the Faun has the most extensive and complete first-style wall paintings of any other excavation at Pompeii. This structural painting style is of Greek origin and was used frequently throughout the second century B.C.E.[5] First-style domestic interiors were meant to imitate public marble architecture through the use of painted polychrome stucco panels, as well as create the illusion of tying a room together continuously and uninterruptedly.[6] Because wealthy families tended to replace first-style domestic dĂŠcor with the updated second (architectural), third (ornamental), and fourth (fantastic) styles, this is further indication that the owners of the House of the Faun put a higher premium on older styles of decoration, and could afford to preserve them as such.[7] In other words, they could have kept up with the trends of the elite, but they chose to spend their money on protecting their beloved heritage.
The nineteenth century art historian August Mau, who created the classification of Pompeian mural styles, describes the process by which the House of the Faunâs owners preserved their first-style walls.
In order to protect the painted surfaces against moisture, the walls in the beginning were carefully covered with sheets of lead before they were plastered. Later two doorways were walled up, and the plastering over the apertures, which was applied directly to the wall surface without the use of lead sheathing, forms with its decoration an inseparable part of that found on either side.[8]
The houseâs first-style walls were found most prominently on those of the fauces, the entrance hallway from the atrium. Homeowners tended to use the atrium and fauces to exhibit their status as visitors first entered the home. It is worth noting that the House of the Faun (along with the House of the Labyrinth) had two other atria set alongside the main one. This was intended to provide separate access to the two areas of the home without any obstacles, a luxury only the super rich could afford.[9] There were instances of other painting styles found in the house, as Mau notes, âa few unimportant rooms are painted in the second and fourth styles.â[10] Nevertheless, it is clear that the most important rooms were decorated in the first-style, especially the atrium area.
Along with the houseâs wall paintings, its floors were even more elaborately designed. During the latest phase of the first-style (c. 100-80 B.C.E.), these floor illustrations were often coupled with the relatively flat wall decorations, creating a visually stimulating experience for the viewer.[11] Of Pompeiiâs most valuable mosaics, many of them came from the floors and panels of the House of the Faun. The most famous of these is the mosaic of Alexander the Great, which decorated a colonnaded exedra on a side of the houseâs central peristyle.[12]Â
The peristyle was a columned portico that surrounded an outdoor garden area, where many rooms of the house overlooked. The addition of a peristyle to the traditional Greek influenced layout of the âatrium houseâ provided a new area for family members and visitors to meet.[13] Clearly, the homeowners chose a significant spot for their personal Alexander mosaic.[14]
Aside from this large and extravagant piece, however, the residence was once adorned with other extremely detailed mosaics. In front of the main entrance is the word âHAVE,â which is a variation of the Latin word for âWelcome.â This friendly mosaic serves as a sort of ancient âwelcome mat,â adorned with green, yellow, white, and red marble pieces.[15] While this particular mosaic served a simple purpose, the owners of the House of the Faun used mosaic art far beyond the restraints of pragmatism.
Most of the houseâs mosaics are on display in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, which continue to amaze visitors from all over the world. According to the museumâs guidebook, âThese mosaics are without doubt the most precious objects in the Naples Collection, both in terms of the quality and richness of their subjects, and due to the fame that followed their discovery and excavation.â[16] One particularly lively mosaic depicts a cat snatching a bird, while the register below it has a scene of ducks swimming in a pond with seashells, fish, and other birds. The texture of the catâs fur and birdsâ feathers is remarkable, demonstrating the highly specialized technique of the mosaicist. Mau notes that this mosaic was âcharacterized by delicacy of execution and harmonious coloring.â[17] This piece once decorated a room next to the houseâs atrium.[18]
Along with decorative floors, there were several mosaic friezes and panels found at the House of the Faun as well. Exhibiting Hellenistic influence yet again, many pieces illustrate the theme of Greek theater and Dionysian mysteries, such as the mosaic with the tragic masks. The two tragic female masks include long, curly wigs, their faces turned upwards and set in a mirror image along the design.[19] Colorfully patterned garlands and cornucopias of grapes, pomegranates, pinecones, and various types of leaves and floral vegetation surround the masks, creating a visually stimulating frieze. This theatrical scene adorned area of the threshold separating the entrance vestibule from the atrium.[20]
Nilotic scenes were also very popular subjects depicted in Roman art. The House of the Faunâs Nile landscape frieze includes a variety of river creatures, such as ducks, cranes, a cobra, a hippopotamus, a crocodile, and a river rodent of some kind. This piece came from the houseâs threshold of the Alexander mosaicâs exedra, introducing the decorative theme of the hall.[21] The Nile River was commonly portrayed in celebration of the Egyptian goddess Isis, as well as a general celebration and tribute to Egyptian culture. There are still remains of Pompeiiâs Temple of Isis on the Via del Tempio di Iside, indicating the presence of that particular cult in the city.
The House of the Faun had two large dining rooms, one square and one oblong, both with large windows on the side of the peristyle.[22] On the floors of these rooms were mosaics of fish, octopus, and other Mediterranean seafood delicacies that were staples in the Pompeian diet. Once located in the middle of the emblem (floor), these vibrant illustrations fit in nicely with the purpose of the space.
The dining areas were not the only place where the homeowners stuck with the theme of the room. In a cubiculum (small bedroom) of the house was an erotic tile mosaic scene of a nymph pleasuring a satyr.[23]Â (Sorry guys, I couldnât find a photo of this one in my unorganized stash)
While the mosaics from the House of the Faun are significant for their subject matter and thematic illustrations, the process and technique are also important to consider when analyzing these pieces. The mosaics were created in workshops on portable marble or terracotta trays before being transferred to the property and installed into the floors. These portable insets were called emblemata, which could be later rearranged by the homeowner even after installation. Mosaics were composed of extremely small tesserae in a variety of colors, each one specially shaped and arranged into rows. This created the illusion of brushstrokes as one would find in a painting, and the degree of this detailed likeness depended on the particular mosaicistâs level of specialization. The name of this technique, opus vermiculatum, means âworm-like,â referring to the small, winding rows of tesserae.[24] Clearly, the production of these mosaics required artisanship that would have been very expensive, emphasizing the degree of wealth this family must have possessed.[25]
Mau asserts that the mosaics from the House of the Faun are âthe most beautiful that have survived to modern times.â[26] Aside from these intricate floor designs, the wealthy homes of Pompeii have left behind nothing short of priceless treasures, both historically and artistically. The House of the Faun is an especially valuable example of aristocratic life in Oscan Pompeii, and has permanently changed the modern perception of ancient Roman Italian culture.
Finally, here is a photo of the real faun statue (housed in the Naples Museum):
[1] John R. Clarke, The Houses of Roman Italy, 100 B.C.-A.D. 250: Ritual, Space, and Decoration (Berkeley, University of California Press, 1991), 79.
[2] Paul Zanker, Pompeii: Public and Private Life, trans. Deborah Lucas Scheider (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1998), 32-33.
[4] Alex Butterworth and Ray Laurence, Pompeii: The Living City (New York: St. Martinâs Press, 2005), 14.
[5] Roger Ling, Pompeii: History, Life, and Afterlife (Stroud: Gloucestershire: The History Press, 2009), 47.
[7] Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, Houses and Society in Pompeii and Herculaneum (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994), 162.
[8] August Mau, Pompeii: Its Life and Art, trans. Francis W. Kelsey (London: MacMillan & Co., Ltd., 1904), 288-289.
[9] Marisa Ranieri Panetta, Pompeii: The History, Life, and Art of the Buried City (Vercelli, Italy: White Star Publishers, 2004), 246.
[12] It was later revealed that a second peristyle was added toward the end of the second century B.C.E., further evidence of the luxury this family enjoyed. See Eugene Dwyer, âThe Unified Plan of the House of the Faun,â Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 60, no. 3 (September 2001): 336.
[16] The National Archaeological Museum of Naples Guide (Mondadori Electa S.p.A., 2010), 58.
[18] Museum of Naples, 58.
[21] Museum of Naples, 58.