pompeii brochure exposition

8/9/2019 Pompeii Brochure Exposition

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n at i o n a l g a l l e r y o a r t | o c t o b e r 1 9, 2 0 0 8 m a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 0 9

Pompeii and the Roman Villaa r t a n d c u l t u r e a r o u n d t h e b ay o n a p l e s


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beore mount vesuv ius erupted in ad 79 , the region

o Campania around the Bay o Naples was an artistic center

o great sophistication. Archaeological excavations have

uncovered not only Pompeii (g. 1), Herculaneum, and other

towns near Vesuvius, but also the remains o luxurious sea-

side villas built or prominent Romans (g. 2). They were

drawn to the bay by its beauty and thermal baths a legacy

o its volcanic geology as well as the lingering Greek culture

around Naples, a ormer Greek colony. The bays popularity

as a resort or vacationing Romans brought extraordinary

wealth to the area. Adding to its economic well-being was

the emperor Augustus designation o the port o Puteoli

(modern Pozzuoli, north o Naples) as the Italian entry pointor the enormous shipments o grain rom the province o

Egypt. The wealth, coupled with the great demand or works

o art to adorn the interior spaces and gardens o the vast

maritime villas, attracted artists rom ar and wide. Many o

them would also have ound clients among the well-to-do

townspeople o Pompeii and Herculaneum who emulated the

liestyles o the powerul elite. The art collections o both

villa owners and residents o the nearby towns demonstrate

their shared artistic tastes and cultural ideals, particularly a

reverence or classical Greece, which was seen as a Golden Age.

c: Garden scene,

p, h

g b, ,

1 bc 1 -

ad, uf s,

p (, . 65)

1. c Kk, The

Forum at Pompeii with

Vesuvius in the Background,

1841, , t

J. p g m,

l a (. 150)


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v illas , houses , and gardens

Roman aristocrats began constructing villas on the bay in the

second century bc. They retreated to these country estates,

especially in spring and summer, to enjoy their leisure (otium)and escape rom the pressures o business (negotium) in Rome.

Over the course o the next two centuries ruling amilies

arrived as well. Julius Caesar, the rst emperor Augustus, and

the emperors Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero all had

residences on the bay. The presence o the imperial amilies

led to increasing numbers o villas or Romans eager to urther

their careers through access to the political elite in more relaxedsocial circumstances than was possible in Rome. So many villas

were built along the bay that the ancient historian Strabo said

they looked like one continuous city.

The sumptuous villas had extensive gardens and elegant

interior courtyards, some large enough to enclose a swimming

pool. Their aades were lined with colonnaded walkways

that oered the owners sweeping vistas o the sea, reached

by terraces leading down to private harbors or pleasure boats.The houses orming the dense city blocks o Pompeii and

Herculaneum turned a blank wall to the busy streets but

nonetheless shared certain eatures with the seaside villas.

In both, rooms were arranged around an atrium, which opened

to the sky to bring light to the interior and allow rainwater

to collect in a square basin (impluvium) set into the foor.

Some townspeople emulated eatures o villa architectureon a smaller scale, adding colonnaded (peristyle) courtyards,

baths, and interior gardens to their houses. According to

Vitruvius, writing in the rst century ad, the residences

o men o rank who, rom holding oces and magistracies,

have social obligations to their ellow citizens, [need] loty

entrance courts . . . . and most spacious atriums and peristyles . . . .

The rules on these points will hold not only or houses in

2. Two seaside villas,

p, 1 bc

1 ad, ,

m a

nz n (. 2)


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town, but also or those in

the country. . . (On Architecture

6.5.23).

The interiors o the

villas and many Pompeianhouses were lavishly deco-

rated, their walls sheathed

with colorul rescoes repre-

senting mythological scenes,

landscapes with views o the

bay and the villas lining its shores, and still lies celebrating

local delicacies rom the sea and the land made ertile by its

rich volcanic soil. Furnishings included marble tables (g. 3)and bronze lampstands, some even in the orm o statues.

In the grander houses, diners drank wine rom silver cups

decorated with olives (g. 4), vine leaves, or amous episodes

rom amiliar myths. Sculpted portraits o amily members

or ancestors, set up in reception areas, would have reminded

guests o the lineage o their hosts.

Gardens in and around the villas were accented withaviaries, ountains, and marble or bronze gurines that

spurted water into pools and watercourses. Houses in Pom-

peii were generally much smaller, but townspeople shared

the villa owners love o gardens. Even in modest houses, a

little garden might be tucked into the courtyard and embel-

lished with sculpture. I the spaces were too tight or actual

gardens, plants could be painted on the walls. The painted

3. Two table supports,

p, h g

c r, 1 -

ad, , uf

s, p (. 15)

4. Kantharos entwined with

olive branches, p,h m,

1 bc, ,

m a

nz n

(. 29)


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gardens visually expanded small ones, as in the so-called

House o the Golden Bracelet where rescoes o fowering

shrubs, birds, and ountains adjoined the real garden behind

the house (cover).

Garden sculpture oten represents rustic subjects,

including wild animals, or Dionysos, god o wine, with his

rowdy entourage o satyrs and maenads. Such works suggest

the wilder side o nature while taming it or the owners plea-

sure. Portraits o Greek thinkers and writers were also set up

in gardens, which, like libraries, were places or contemplation

and learning echoes o the pastoral setting o Platos Academy,

depicted in a mosaic rom a house in Pompeii that shows

Plato surrounded by philosophers at his school in a groveoutside Athens (g. 5).

legacy o greece

The region around the Bay o Naples had been colonized by

Greeks as early as the eighth century bc. The city o Neapolis

(modern Naples) was ounded around 600bc and did not

become a Roman municipality until 89bc. Like other cities

around the bay, it still retained its Greek character ater being

absorbed into the Roman sphere. The Greek favor was evident

even in the streets where some Romans sported Greek dress

rather than the togas worn in Rome.

The Roman conquest o Greece in 146bc spurred a

ascination with the countrys illustrious past as well as the

looting o masterpieces o Greek art, which victorious Roman

generals brought back to Italy to adorn public and privatespaces at home. The reverence or Greece, viewed as the

repository o culture, beauty, and

wisdom, culminated in the emperor

Augustus intent to revive during his

reign (27bcad14) the glories o

ancient Athens under the leadership

o Pericles in the th century bc. In

the words o the poet Horace, Captive

Greece took captive her savage con-

queror and brought civilization to the

rustic Latins.

Greek infuence pervaded the

decor o the villas around the Bay o

Naples and the houses o the elite in

5. Platos Academy, p-

, v t. s

s, 1

bc 1 ad,

, m a- nz n

(. 95)


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Pompeii and Herculaneum. For their owners, knowledge o

Greek culture was a status symbol and mark o renement

that was refected in the works o art they acquired. A portrait

o Homer (g. 6) or relies depicting episodes rom the Trojan

War conveyed their appreciation o Greek history. Busts o the

ourth-century bc playwright Menander suggested their enthu-

siasm or Athenian theater; and likenesses o the Greek philos-

opher Epicurus, who believed that pleasure is inherently good

and leads to happiness, attested to their amiliarity with his

hedonistic teachings.

Dining rooms or triclinia so called because they con-

tained three couches on which diners reclined while eat-

ing were oten painted with scenes rom Greek mythology.Excavations at the site o Moregine, south o Pompeii, have

uncovered an intriguing building complex, perhaps a villa,

perhaps an inn or the headquarters o a business. Frescoed on

the walls o one o its dining rooms are images o the god

Apollo, patron o the liberal arts, fanked by the muses (g. 7).

Their presence would have reminded guests o the pleasures

o intellectual and creative conversation, the ideal at any

Roman banquet.

Many Romans living near the Bay o Naples were avid

art collectors who prized copies ater Greek old masters.

So many versions oThe Three Graces (no. 110) survive that

they must stem rom a amous prototype, now lost. The

portrait o an athlete rom the Villa dei Papiri near Hercula-

neum (g. 8) echoes a ourth-century bc sculpture by Lysip-

pos, while the statue o a youth rom a Pompeian house(no. 104) harks back to Polykleitos Doryphoros (Spearbearer)

6. Homer, b, 1 -

bc 1 ad,

, o l

b m, l-

(. 92)

7.Apollo and the muse Clio,

m, t a,

1 ad, ,

uf s, p

( , . 111)


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o c. 440bc. The owners o such works must have taken

pride in possessing sculptures that recall two o the most

renowned artists o ancient Greece.

Some o the nest works o art

were carved in imported Greek marble;

others were ordered rom Greece or

created by Greek artists who had

moved to the Bay o Naples, attracted

by the opportunities aorded by the

wealthy patrons there. But most collec-

tors would have relied on local artists

amiliar with Greek models. The

works o art they commissionedbetween the rst century bc and the

rst century ad, either or their own

collections or or public display, were

made in styles rom various periods.

A statue o Aphrodite rom Puteoli

refects the infuence o classical Greek

art o the later th century bc in her

remote expression and the virtuoso

handling o her garment, which alls

in delicate, rippling olds (g. 9). Like

the marble emale torso rom the same

site (g. 10), the gures transparent

drapery clings to her body, revealing

a clear understanding o human anat-

omy. A more severe bronze statue o ayoung woman rom the Villa dei Papiri,

8. Victorious athlete, h-

, v p,

1 bc 1 -

ad, z, m

a nz

n (. 114)

9.Aphrodite, r t p,

1 ad, ,

m a

c (. 106)

10. Torso from a statue of

a woman, r t

p, 1 ad,

, m a-

c ,

b (. 12)


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i lm programs

East Building Auditorium

October 25, 2:00 pm

The Last Days o Pompeii: Lecture and Films

Martin M. Winkler, proessor o

classics, department o modern and

classical languages, George MasonUniversity

See the Calendar o Events and the

Film Calendar or urther details,

or go towww.nga.gov.

exh ib it ion i lm

Narrated by Sir Derek Jacobi,

this 30-minute lm examines

the explosion o artistic activity

on the Bay o Naples that began

in the rst century bc.

East Building Small Auditorium

Monday to Friday, noon to 3:00 pm

Weekends, noon to close

(with minor exceptions)


Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday,

11:30 am (with minor exceptions)

This flm was made possible by

the HRH Foundation

concert

October 15


Michele Campanella, pianist

Concerts at the National Gallery

o Art are open to the public ree o

charge, rst-come, rst-seated.

general inormation

Admission to the National Gallery

o Art and all o its programs is ree

o charge, except as noted.

Hours: Monday Saturday, 10:00

am 5:00 pm, Sunday, 11:00 am

6:00 pm. Gallery Web site:

www.nga.gov. For inormation aboutaccessibility, assistive listening

devices, sign-language interpreta-

tion, and other services, inquire

at the Inormation Desks, consult

the Web site, or call 202.842.6690

(tdd line 202.842.6176).

middle and h igh school

studio WorKshops

Studio Workshops include an

in-depth examination and discus-

sion o works o art in the galleries,

ollowed by a related, one-hour

studio project. Oered rom10:00 am to 12:30 pm on the ol-

lowing dates:

Middle School Students

November 6, 7, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

December 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

High School Students

January 20, 21, 22, 23

February 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25,

26, 27

March 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 17, 18, 19, 20

To register, e-mail your chosen

date and your name, the name

and address o your school, and

the school telephone number to

[email protected].

teacher WorKshops

February 4 and 11, 4:00 pm

Workshops include a tour othe exhibition, a discussion o

teaching applications, and

light rereshments. Registration

required. For details, visit http://

www.nga.gov/education/teacher.htm

or call 202.842.6276.

Introductory Slide Overviews / Adult Tours

Please consult the Calendar o

Events orwww.nga.gov or ull sched-

ule and program inormation.

audio guide

Narrated by National Gallery

director Earl A. Powell iii, this

tour includes commentary by guest

curator Carol Mattusch, George

Mason University; Mary Beard,

University o Cambridge; and

Kenneth Lapatin, The J. Paul Getty

Museum. The tour is available orrental at the entrance o the exhibi-

tion or $5.

To reserve audio tours or groups,

call 202.842.6592.

sunday lectures


October 19, 2:00 pm

Finding Ancient Rome on the Bay o

Naples: An Introduction to Pompeii and

the Roman Villa

Carol Mattusch, Mathy Proessor oArt History, George Mason University

November 9, 2:00 pm

The Sydney J. Freedberg Lecture

in Italian Art

To Live with Myths in Pompeii and Beyond

Paul Zanker, proessor o art history,

Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa

March 1, 2:00 pm

Is Anything New under the Sun? Environ-mental Quality around the Bay o Naples

in ad79 and the Present Day

Mark Walters, environmental

consultant and writer

March 8, 2:00 pm

The Society o Dilettanti: Grecian Taste

and Roman Spirit

Bruce Redord, proessor o art his-

tory and English, Boston University

Book signing oDilettanti: The Anticand the Antique in Eighteenth-Century

England to ollow

p u b l i c s y m p o s i u m

Roman Art and Culture on the Bay o Naples

March 20, 11:00 5:00 pm

March 21, 1:00 5:00 pm


Illustrated lectures by noted scholars,

including John Bodel, Lucilla Burn,Faya Causey, John R. Clarke, Bjoern

Ewald, Nathalie Kampen, Barbara

Kellum, Miranda Marvin, Rebecca

Molholt, John Pollini, and Hrica

Valladares

catalogue

The ully illustrated, 383-page cata-

logue, Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art

and Culture around the Bay o Naples, is pub-lished by the National Gallery o

Art in association with Thames and

Hudson. Hardcover $60.00, sot-

cover $40.00.

on the Web

http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/

pompeiiino.shtm


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with heavy drapery hanging in broad vertical olds, takes

inspiration rom an earlier phase in the development o the

classical style (g. 11).

Several works o sculpture ound in villas or houses

around the Bay o Naples recall the even earlier archaic style

current in Greece in the sixth century bc. The bronze statue

o a youth rom the House o Julius Polybius in Pompeii

echoes the archaic style in its sti rontal pose and stylized

hair arranged in tight curls resembling corkscrews or snail

shells (g. 12). Did Roman collectors think that such works

were actual Greek statues rom the sixth century bc or did

they know that they were buying contemporary versions o

antiques? Probably most were content with modern adapta-tions, but an archaistic bust o a youth suggests that some

buyers might have been ooled (g. 13). Found in the Villa dei

Papiri, the sculpture may be a orgery, cleverly designed with

11. Girl fastening her peplos,

h, v

p, 1 bc

1 ad, z,

m a nz-

n (. 103)

12. Tray-bearing youth orApollo, p, h

g J p, 1

bc 1

ad, z, uf s,

p (. 48)


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an irregularly shaped lower edge to give the impression that

the bust is a ragment broken o rom a ull-length ancient

Greek statue. Regardless o whether collectors believed such

works to be ancient or modern, their collections reveal that

the Roman reverence or the Greek past led them to acquireworks representing the art o Greece in all its variety as they

adopted Greek culture as their own.

The Greek-inspired works o art displayed in the villas

and town houses around the bay took on new meanings in

their Roman context. Monumental images o gods, goddesses,

or heroes such as Alexander the Great were scaled down to

become tabletop ornaments (g. 14). A statue evoking Apollotransormed the god o learning and the arts into a lampstand

(no. 44), shedding light, both literal and gurative, on Roman

gatherings. In Greece statues o gods and goddesses were set

up in sanctuaries and public places, but in Pompeii a sculp-

ture o Artemis (no. 102), goddess o the hunt, was installed

in a colonnade around a domestic garden; ormerly public art

became private.

destruction and discovery

The eruption o Vesuvius in ad79 brought nearly all this to

an end. From a villa at Misenum at the northern tip o the

bay, Pliny the Younger saw the cloud rising rom Vesuvius and,

soon ater, wrote two letters recording the event, Its general

appearance can best be expressed as being like a pine tree, or

13. Bust of a youth or

Apollo, h, v

p, 1 bc ,

z, m a-

nz n

(. 101)

14.Alexander the Great on

horseback, h,

1 bc 1 -

ad, z, m

a nz

n (. 116)


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it rose to a great height on a sort o trunk and then split o

into branches. I imagine . . . it was thrust upwards by the rst

blast . . . .broad sheets o re and leaping fames blazed at sev-

eral points . . . .The buildings were now shaking with violent

shocks and seemed to be swaying to and ro as i they were

torn rom their oundations.In the second letter he wrote,

Soon aterwards the cloud sank down to earth and covered

the sea . . . .We were terried to see everything changed, bur-

ied deep in ashes like snowdrits(Ep. 6.16, 6.20).When it

was over, Herculaneum and all but the highest parts o Pom-

peii lay beneath tons o volcanic debris. Cities arther away

were largely unaected; the discovery o the monumental

Aphrodite at Capua (no. 107) shows that artistic patronagecontinued at a very high level in parts o the region well ater

the eruption. But the towns and villas in the shadow o Vesu-

vius were abandoned and mostly orgotten until their discov-

ery in the eighteenth century.

Systematic excavations began at Herculaneum in 1738

and ten years later at Pompeii. In the ollowing decades,

archaeologists tunneling through solidied mud at Hercula-

neum ound the Villa dei Papiri and brought to light more

than eighty statues and about one thousand ancient papyri

inscribed with Greek texts. News o the discovery o the

ancient cities spread throughout Europe. Curious tourists

focked to the Bay o Naples, attracted also by bursts o volca-

nic activity rom Vesuvius (g. 15). Illustrated publications

15. J W, Vesuvius

from Portici, . 1774 1776,

, t h-

l, a c-

, b

g; aq w

c dk bq

(. 122)


12/12

documenting the nds spawned a rage or antique styles,and reproductions o antiquities became a major industry thatcontinued throughout the nineteenth century.Sir LawrenceAlma-Tadema and other artists specialized in paintings such

asA Sculpture Gallery, 1874, in which Pompeian antiquities are

illustrated in exacting detail (g. 16). The ancient works o

art excavated (and still being ound) at the buried cities and

villas along the Bay o Naples aected the art, design, and

culture o Europe and eventually North America, where even

rooms in the United States Capitol were decorated in thePompeian style.

t w w s m. a w r m,

, f, n g

a. c 2008 b t, n g a, W.

Wk i sz

s b a n p.

16. s lw a-

t,A Sculpture Gal-

lery, 1874, ,

h m a,

d c,

h, nw h-

. g a m.

lw, c 1912a(. 143)

This brochure is

made possible by the

HRH Foundation.

The exhibition is organized

by the National Gallery

o Art, Washington, in

association with the Los

Angeles County Museum

o Art, with the cooperation

o the Direzione Regionale

per i Beni Culturali e Pae-

saggistici della Campania

and the Soprintendenza

Speciale per i Beni Archeo-

logici di Napoli e Pompei.

The exhibition in Wash-

ington is made possible by

The Exhibition Circle o

the National Gallery o Art.

It is also made possible

by Mr. and Mrs. Joe L.

Allbritton.

Bank o America is proud

to be the national sponsor.

The exhibition in Wash-

ington is also supported

by The Charles Engelhard

Foundation and by Mary

and Michael Jaharis.

Additional unding in

Washington is providedby the John J. Medveckis

Foundation and the

Malcolm Hewitt Wiener

Foundation.

The exhibition is supported

by an indemnity rom

the Federal Council on the

Arts and the Humanities.

pompeii brochure exposition

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