In a small room off the peristyle of the house is a fresco of Menander, the ancient Greek dramatist. It is one of the most well-preserved houses in Pompeii, and you can clearly see scenes such as Ajax dragging Cassandra from Palladium before the eyes Priam, and Death of Laocoon. There are frescoes decorating the interior walls, displaying scenes from Homer’s Iliad. Frescoes in the House of Menanderįlanked by pillars and covering around 1800 square meters, it is obvious that this house belonged to someone particularly wealthy. They mixed it with water to create a brighter shade of red, unlike the duller tones that can be seen on other frescoes today. This is a toxic mercury sulfide mineral with a bright red pigment, and the people of Pompeii used it differently to those elsewhere in ancient Rome. There are plenty of frescoes to see in Pompeii and many of them use a red pigment known as cinnabar. Frescoes in Pompeiiįrescoes are murals painted on wet or freshly laid plaster, covering an entire wall or ceiling. Labyrinth and checkerboard patterns are common they are both pleasing and interesting to look at. For example, the House of the Geometric Mosaics - one of the largest houses in the city - occupies an area of 3000 square meters and has black and white mosaic patterns all over it. Lizards, fish and ducks as well as patterned flooring are all over the city. There are other, more simple mosaics dotted around Pompeii. The original Cave Canem mosaic is still on display at the House of the Tragic Poet, protected by a glass shield to ensure its preservation. It was clearly a warning sign for visitors to this particular house. The Latin phrase ‘CAVE CANEM’ - translated literally as Beware the Dog - is also written in mosaic tiles along the bottom. Its teeth are bared, and it has a chain around its neck. It depicts a dog which looks as though it’s preparing to pounce. The Cave Canem MosaicĪlso known as ‘Beware of the Dog’, this one is located at the entrance of the House of the Tragic Poet - a must visit on Pompeii tours. However, there is an exact copy on display which you can see at the House of the Faun on tours from Rome to Pompeii. The original mosaic is currently housed in the National Museum of Archaeology in Naples. The right-hand side of the mosaic is well-preserved, showing Darius and the Persians, but the left-hand side which shows Alexander and his army is poorly preserved. The mosaic dates from shortly after the battle and is located in the House of the Faun. The battle is thought to be the Battle of Issus which took place in 333 BCE, although some historians argue that it is in fact the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BCE. One of the most famous works of art in Pompeii is the Alexander Mosaic - it depicts a battle between Alexander the Great and King Darius III of Persia and was discovered in 1831 during excavations at Pompeii. The mosaics in Pompeii are mostly found on the floors of houses and buildings throughout the city. The mosaics provide an interesting insight into what life was like in Pompeii, and indeed throughout the Roman Empire as a whole. These range from religion to sex, and sports to war campaigns. Made from tiny pieces of colored glass, ceramic or stone, the mosaics in Pompeii depict many different scenes and themes. If you’re an art fanatic, take a Pompeii tour from Rome and see the mosaics, frescos and sculptures of the city. Pompeii was left to ruin, buried under layer upon layer of ash and pumice - and so was the art that existed there too.īut over the years, the art has been rediscovered. On day tours from Rome to Pompeii, visitors can explore the artwork left behind when Mount Vesuvius erupted. Pompeii, the ancient Roman city frozen in time, is an absolute haven for art lovers.
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