The House of the Faun

The Art and Architecture of Pompeii and Herculaneum

Historical Background

Original foundations go back to the 3rd century BC Six successive construction phases traced

according to different building stones Dates back to 180 BC – example of architecture of

Samnite period Second large peristyle added 110 BC At time of eruption probably belonged to Cassius

family – suggested by election slogans found in the house and the inscription on a gold ring found on a woman’s skeleton in house

Special Features 2950 m2 Occupies a whole insula Widely admired for size and splendour, beautiful mosaics

(Alexander Mosaic) and brightly coloured First Style Wall decorations

Duplication of the atrium (2), triclinium (4), and peristyle (2) features

Public and private sector – architect Vitruvius recommended that men of high social status should have separate and spacious facilities to socialise with guests, while those of lesser standing would not need these as they were more likely to visit others

Interior walls painted in first style (imitation architectural features) which by AD 79 would have seemed conservative

Smaller atrium cannot be accessed directly from the larger one, and this probably indicates that this was more private and reserved for the family

Unusual Features

The House of the Faun has some typical Domus features, but also some unusual features:

Smaller atrium is tetrastyle (four columns around impluvium)

Kitchen relatively large, and there are baths (very unusual in private house)

Smaller peristylium is transverse (set at 90 degrees to the house axis) and has 28 columns with Ionic capitals. The columns were made of stuccoed tufa (volcanic stone)

The larger peristyle has 44 Doric columns of stucco-covered brick

Ionic Column

Doric Column

Axial Symmetry The front entrance has a porch and

a vestibule, and leads off the street with shops on either side.

The main part of the house shows axial symmetry with matching rooms on either side of the atrium.

The atrium contains an impluvium and bedrooms arranged symmetrically on either side.

Bedrooms and alae are arranged symmetrically alongside the atrium.

Beyond the atrium is the tablinum, or family living room or study, which opens onto the peristylium.

The tablinum leads through to the peristylium, a courtyard garden surrounded by a colonnade

Wall Decoration Most wall decorations were done in the late

2nd century BC. The decorations would have all been 200 years old at the time of the eruption.

Most decorations are in the First Style of wall painting.

This was an attempt to imitate rich and luxurious marble walls

This type of beautiful wall decorations appear to have been much admired and would often be restored rather than replaced

The Peristylium There were two peristyles The smaller of the two was

the oldest It has a shallow rectangular

pool with a marble basin for a fountain

It destroys the symmetry of the central axis slightly because of the angle at which it lies

The second peristylium shows the wealth of the owner

The raised area on the back wall may have been used as a small stage

There are engaged half columns on both the west and east walls

The columns are made of brick then faced with stucco. They are fluted

Rain water was collected via a gutter that ran around the garden

Lararium in Entrance way

Atrium Tuscanium – Public Area

Atrium - Reconstruction

Atrium - Reconstruction

Tablinum

First Peristyle

Atrium Tetrastylum

Summer Triclinium

Second Peristyle

Alexander Mosaic taken from Exedra

Nile Mosaic taken from floor

Other Artwork

Other Artwork