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Given fresh life were frescoes made in the latest fashion in Pompeii wall decoration, before the flourishing city was buried under the volcanic ash furiously spewing from Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The House of the Vettii has been closed to visitors for 20 years, with a brief interruption restricted to the entrance hall and the atrium in 2016, although this area was subsequently closed off again to enable the completion of the restoration work. It will now take its place once again as one of the highlights of a visit to Pompeii. The house has been included in the list of buildings that will remain open on a permanent basis to visitors in 2023. It is always included in guides to the UNESCO World Heritage site and books on ancient art as a result of its extraordinary frescoes and the sculptures that adorned the large garden. As one of the most opulent homes in Pompeii, the House of the Vettii is widely regarded as a vital archaeological resource for understanding the social and cultural dynamics of the Roman era.
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In Roman society, women and men socialized in the same spaces, and both genders would have experienced erotic paintings and sculptures as conversation pieces perfectly fit for polite company. Priapus symbolized male power and virility, but he was also the enemy of thieves, as well as a humorous figure that might have made guests smile. The decorative schema of the House of the Vettii provides important evidence for trends in domestic decoration in the final years of Pompeii’s occupation. That caused significant destruction, the chronology of the wall paintings and other decorations in the House of the Vettii has been a topic of debate since the house’s discovery.
An Ancient Pompeii Home Filled With Erotic Frescoes Was Just Restored After Two Decades Of Work
The women discovered Pentheus, hidden behind a pine tree, but mistook him as a lion. When looking through the main entrance and large atrium, it is possible to view the rear garden, surrounded by the large peristyle. Zuchtriegel ventured that the fresh “readings” of the revived fresco painting “reflect the dreams and imagination and anxieties of the owners because they lived between these images,” which include Greek mythological figures. On Tuesday, the House of Vettii, Domus Vettiorum in Latin, was being formally unveiled after 20 years of restoration. Given fresh life were frescoes from the latest fashion in Pompeii wall decoration before the flourishing city was buried under the volcanic ash furiously spewing from Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
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The House of the Vettii, an opulent home in the ancient city of Pompeii, has reopened to the public after 20 years of restoration work. Talita von Furstenberg, co-chairman of the Diane von Furstenberg label and a current ambassador for Buccellati, told Vogue that “the curation of the exhibition allowed it to feel like you were going through this family company’s handcrafted, wearable art. It’s so rare that such a prolific brand still has authenticity and family values.” Von Furstenberg wore an emerald Buccellati ring, along with one of their cuffs and pendant necklaces. The celebratory gala dinner was hosted alongside the exhibition venue in a glass greenhouse large enough to accommodate five sprawling tables with Buccellati place settings tucked between overflowing bouquets of pink flowers. Day transformed to night as chef Cerea’s expressive dishes circulated—culminating with near-endless dessert options, including an unexpectedly luscious panettone and his signature cannoncini (a sweet custard filled treat).
Revealing the Risqué Art of Pompeii’s House of the Vettii
However they knew each other, Aulus Vettius Conviva and Aulus Vettius Restitutus may have met the same fate as thousands of others living in Pompeii at the time. As HISTORY reports, an estimated 2,000 people died in Pompeii following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E., which likely killed around 16,000 people in the towns and villages nearby. Marco Cantile/LightRocket via Getty ImagesElaborate frescoes line the walls in the House of the Vettii.
House of the Vettii, Pompeii
Astonishingly Wealthy Pompeii Home of Two Men Freed from Slavery Reopens to Public - Good News Network
Astonishingly Wealthy Pompeii Home of Two Men Freed from Slavery Reopens to Public.
Posted: Tue, 17 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Amphion and Zethus were twins bore by Antiope, niece of Lykos, after being seduced by Zeus. After the twins were born, Lykos exposed them on Mt. Cithairon, but they were found by a shepherd who took them in. As punishment, Lykos imprisoned Antiope and allowed his wife, Dirce, to treat her cruelly.
The House of the Vettii of Pompeii
The house, built post-earthquake around 62 AD, is a remarkable example of the Second Style of Pompeiian architecture. The dimensions and design of this dwelling indicate an adherence to the classic Roman domus model, with a grand atrium, peristyle garden, triclinium (dining room), and a number of cubicula (bedrooms). The artifacts that were recovered allowed for the identification of the house’s putative owners, Aulus Vettius Conviva and his brother, Aulus Vettius Restitutus. The Vettii had risen to some prominence; Conviva was an augustalis—the top civic office for which a freedman would be eligible. In the construction and decoration of their house the brothers display a mind-set not uncommon among the newly-rich. Two strongboxes (arca—essentially lockable boxes for storing valuables), concrete signs of wealth, were placed prominently in the large atrium so that visitors would be sure to notice them.
Its detailed frescoes, intricate mosaics, and innovative layout contribute to a fascinating portrait of affluent Roman living, beckoning visitors from around the world to explore its many mysteries. The recent restoration of the House of the Vettii involved the painstaking removal of all that dirt and wax using lasers, a process called photoablation. Ultrasound and thermal imaging helped conservators understand how the walls themselves were deteriorating with time, and how to shore them up without damaging the frescoes. In addition to being a little prudish, Pompeii’s early caretakers also made some well-intentioned mistakes. To protect frescoes from the region’s heat and humidity, they painted on a solution of wax and benzine, which oxidized the pigments over time, darkening the colors and making the images far less crisp and lively than they would have appeared on the eve of the eruption.
Much of their exuberant decor survives today, including a garden featuring statues and a fountain as well as a number of lavish, sometimes erotic, frescoes. One such fresco, located at the home’s entrance, features Priapus, the Greek god of fertility, with a large phallus balancing on a scale along with a bag of money. More erotic frescoes are contained in a small room that researchers think may have been used as a brothel. The Peristyle is decorated with black panelling with alternate still life and figure paintings.
The interior walls were adorned with sumptuous frescoes, and the floors were often decorated with delicate mosaics, both executed by skilled craftsmen of the era. Erotic art has been turning up at Pompeii since excavations began in the 18th century. At first, the naughtier pieces would be spirited off to the Gabinetto Segreto (Secret Cabinet) in Naples, away from the innocent eyes of the general public. The House of Vettii, however, was one of the first sites to be unearthed using modern archeological techniques, and its artifacts were left in situ so their context could be preserved for future scholars and the public.
The house was built atop the remains of an earlier house that survives, in part, in the form of the wings (alae) and a doorway. The plan of the House of the Vettii has two large central halls (atria) and, significantly, lacks an office space (tablinum). Entry to the house was gained from the east by way of a vestibule that granted admission to the larger atrium.
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