VII.4.59 Pompeii. House of Black Wall or Casa dei Bronzi.

Linked to VII.4.8. Excavated 1832, 1837. (Strada della Fortuna 4).

 

VII.4.59 Pompeii. December 2005. Entrance to the House of the Black Wall.

The house was named after the triclinium discovered with painted IV style black walls.

Due to the bombing in the night of 13th September 1943, much damage was done.

The IV style stucco and plaster in the cubicula near the atrium was lost.

In the peristyle, the plaster on the columns and the paintings on the walls were damaged, and the east wall was partly demolished.

Worst of all was the damage to part of the famous IV style triclinium.

When excavated the triclinium had been found missing most of the decoration on its east side.

After the bombing, most of the west side was lost as well. The south wall was partially destroyed.

Many interesting small paintings were destroyed.

The walls of this triclinium were restored in the following years from many fragments.

Partial restoration was also completed in the atrium and peristyle.

See Garcia y Garcia, L., 2006. Danni di guerra a Pompei. Rome: L’Erma di Bretschneider. (p.101).

 

VII.4.59 Pompeii. December 2006. Remains of a capital in storage in the Forum Granary store VII.7.29.

According to Spano, this damaged capital of Nocera tufa stone was found lying abandoned in a room of VII.4.59.

When found, only half of each side was preserved, the left half of the front face and the right half of the side face.

The above photo shows the side that would have been pointing into the fauces.

He suggested it may have been the capital from the right side of the entrance of the House of Ariadne.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1910, p.280 and p.282, fig. 12.

 

VII.4.59 Pompeii. December 2006. Remains of a capital in storage in the Forum Granary store VII.7.29.

This damaged capital of Nocera tufa was found lying abandoned in a room of VII.4.59.

Spano suggested it may have been the capital from the right side of the entrance of the House of Ariadne.

The above photo shows the side that would have been pointing onto the Via della Fortuna.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1910, p.280 and p.282, fig. 12.

 

VII.4.59 Pompeii. December 2006. Remains of a capital on right, in storage in the Forum Granary store VII.7.29.

This damaged capital of Nocera tufa was found lying abandoned in a room of VII.4.59.

Spano suggested it may have been the capital from the right side of the entrance of the House of Ariadne.

The above photo shows the front and the pointed corner with the remains of the scroll that separated the two sides.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1910, p.282.

 

VII.4.59 Pompeii. September 2004. Looking south across Impluvium in atrium.

 

VII.4.59 Pompeii. March 2009. East side of atrium.

 

VII.4.59 Pompeii. September 2004. Looking south through atrium to tablinum.

 

VII.4.59 Pompeii. March 2009.

Doorway in ala, to oecus on east side of tablinum, leading to peristyle. Looking south.

 

VII.4.59 Pompeii. March 2009. Looking south through tablinum to peristyle.

 

VII.4.59 Pompeii. March 2009. 

Corridor or andron to peristyle, and ala on west side of atrium.

 

VII.4.59 Pompeii. March 2009.

Doorways to ala and cubiculum on west side of atrium. 

 

VII.4.59 Pompeii. March 2009. Looking through tablinum to peristyle.

 

VII.4.59 Pompeii. House of the Black Wall.

Looking north in peristyle – the east side having a wall with half columns against it.

Old undated photograph. Courtesy of Society of Antiquaries. Fox Collection.

 

According to Boyce, in the south-west corner of the peristyle was the doorway to the kitchen.

In this kitchen was a niche and Lararium. The niche had its interior walls painted with spots of many colours.

Painted on the wall to the right of the niche was a Lar wearing a yellow tunic and green pallium, carrying rhyton and situla.

Behind the Lar and somewhat bigger, was Vulcan holding tongs in his right hand and his left resting on a shield.

The figures on the left side of the niche had vanished.

In the lower zone was a serpent beside and altar.

Boyce made a note that Avellino thought that Vulcan’s appearance in the Lararium painting was a reference to the business of the owner.

The shops at numbers 60 and 61 to the right of this house, were apparently owned by a bronze worker.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.66, no.283)

See Avellino, F.M., 1840. Descrizione di una casa disotterrata negli anni 1832,1833 e 1834….. Naples.