Herculaneum IV.6. Casa della Fullonica, linked to IV.5 and IV.7

Herculaneum IV.6. Plan of the Casa della Fullonica.

See Pesando, F. and Guidobaldi, M.P. (2006). Pompei, Oplontis, Ercolano, Stabiae. Editori Laterza, (p. 335)

According to Maiuri, this was a modest dwelling, perhaps inhabited by a family of shopkeepers or artisans. The front part was used for the exercise of the business and the more private rear portion formed the living quarters. On one side of the entrance corridor is a simple workroom, IV.5, and on the other a shop IV.7.

Behind the shop in the covered atrium, there is a typical installation of podia and tanks for the washing of clothes.

At the end of the atrium, there is a larger room (the triclinium) and an apothecary; behind these, arranged around another atrium with an impluvium tank, are the few other ground floor rooms.

The two rooms at the end, with the original barrel-vaulting, good opus signinum flooring with sections in marble opus sectile and lit by circular windows, still preserve the remains of a nobler, more antique decoration of the I style in the fine stucco cornice with dentils and in the mouldings of the lunette of the vault.

See Maiuri, Amedeo, (1977). Herculaneum. 7th English ed, of Guide books to the Museums Galleries and Monuments of Italy, No.53 (p.30-1).

Pesando and Guidobaldi wrote that the conventional name of this house was derived from the laundry that was installed in the north-west corner of the atrium during the last years of the life of this house, where two basin/tanks for the washing of the cloth are preserved. There are two consecutive atria, the first Testudinate, the second Tuscanic. There were also rooms on an upper floor, but the extent of these are not certain, but they certainly extended above the rooms 1 and 3, at the front of the dwelling.

Room 1, atrium testudinate, onto which opens the large receiving room (4) originally the tablinum, and the storeroom (5), obtained from a previous adaptation, analogous to the corridor (6) which leads to the rear section of the house, centred on the Tuscanic atrium (8). Here is preserved the impluvium basin in cocciopesto with two cistern mouths. On the north side is an exedra (7) and a vaulted diaeta (9) with pavement in cocciopesto with marble inserts and with a rough closing wall on the side of the atrium, intended evidently to protect the room from the trickle of rain water flowing in the impluvium. On the east side of the atrium were the rooms of major importance – the two oeci with barrel-vaults (10 and 11) with remains of original wall decorations in first style, and floors of cocciopesto with central panel in opus sectile.

See Pesando, F. and Guidobaldi, M.P. (2006). Pompei, Oplontis, Ercolano, Stabiae. Editori Laterza, (p. 335)

IV.6, Herculaneum, September 2015. Entrance doorway on east side of Cardo IV Inferiore.

IV.6, on right, Herculaneum, September 2015.

Entrance doorway on east side of Cardo IV Inferiore. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.

IV.6, on right. Herculaneum, May 2003. Looking east to entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2006.

Atrium, remains of two basins/tubs in north-west corner, for washing cloth and use in the laundry. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6, Herculaneum, June 2006. Atrium, details of  basins/tubs in north-west corner. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2006.

Atrium, looking towards north-west corner with basins/tubs. On the left is the shop at IV.7. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2003.

Atrium, north-east corner, with doorway to small storeroom/cupboard. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6, Herculaneum, photo taken between October 2014 and November 2019.

Looking west from room 8, atrium at rear of house, across room 4, tablinum/triclinium, towards entrance corridor.

Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2006.

Atrium, general view looking north-west from rear of house across room 8, the rear atrium with remains of impluvium basin in cocciopesto.

Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Room 6, corridor, is on the left; Room 4, tablinum/triclinium, is centre left; Room 7, is centre right, and Room 9, is on the right.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2003. Atrium, west wall. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Room 8, west wall of atrium, being the remains of south-east corner of room 4.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2005. Room 7, north-west corner. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2003.

Room 7, detail of west wall in north-west corner. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2003.

North wall of room 8, second atrium;, pilaster between rooms 7 and 9. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2005. Room 8, north wall of atrium in north-east corner, with doorway to room 9, on left.

The doorway to room 10 is on the right. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2005. Room 10, drain/gutter against east wall. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2003. Room 10, east wall. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2003. Room 10, detail of east wall. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2006. Room 10, north-west corner of oecus. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6 Herculaneum. August 2013. Room 10, detail from north-west corner. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2006. Room 10, north wall of oecus. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2006. Room 10, detail from north wall of oecus. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2003.

Room 11, north-west corner, looking through doorway across rear atrium. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2003. Room 11, north wall of oecus/exedra. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6 Herculaneum. August 2013. Exedra 11, looking towards east wall with circular window. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2005. Room 11, oecus/exedra, east wall. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2003.

Room 11, oecus/exedra, detail from east wall. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IV.6 Herculaneum. August 2013. Room 11, oecus/exedra, detail of circular window from east wall. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

IV.6, Herculaneum, May 2005.

Looking west towards pilaster at east end of entrance corridor/atrium, on right. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.