Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro.

Herculaneum House near the Theatre.

Paintings found whilst tunnelling

In 1739, while continuing through passages/tunnels towards the Theatre, paintings were discovered on the walls of a house (or houses) in the tunnels.

This page contains some of the paintings said to have been from near the theatre.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Medallion with head.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9812.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Medallion with head.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9832.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Predella. A statue of an ithyphallic Bacchus on a podium and three women.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9267.

See Bragantini, I and Sampaolo, V., (Ed.), 2009. La Pittura Pompeiana. Verona: Electa, p. 156.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Secondo: Le Pitture 2, 1760, p. 147, Tav. XXIV.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Predella. Bacchic sene.

A woman holding a horizontal thyrsus and some fronds,  a seated nude man holding a small sceptre, a woman holding some flowers and a thyrsus leaning against a pilaster.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9265.

See Bragantini, I and Sampaolo, V., (Ed.), 2009. La Pittura Pompeiana. Verona: Electa, p. 159.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Predella. A seated man, two women and a thyrsus leaning against a pilaster.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Secondo: Le Pitture 2, 1760, p. 165, p. Tav. XXVII.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Painting of Orestes and Pylades in front of Iphigenia.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9538.

See Bragantini, I and Sampaolo, V., (Ed.), 2009. La Pittura Pompeiana. Verona: Electa, p. 157.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Painting of Apollo, Olympus and Marsyas.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9539.

See Grimaldi, M. (Cur.), 2021. The Painters of Pompeii. Roma: MondoMostre, page 64/65, fig.3. House near the Theatre.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Secondo: Le Pitture 2, 1760, p. 121, Tav. XIX.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Pre-1843 drawing by Abbate.

Top drawing, Marsyas and Apollo, MANN 9539.

Lower drawing, Orestes and Pylades, MANN 9538.

See Raccolta de più interessante Dipinture e di più belle Musaici rinvenuti negli Scavi di Ercolano, di Pompei, e di Stabia. 1843. Napoli.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Bacchic scene.

The scene shows a woman is leaning on pillar; a man seated, holding a stick; a woman standing, holding a casket; a woman holding tympanum and lekythos and a girl playing an aulos.

Now in the Louvre. Inventory number P27.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Secondo: Le Pitture 2, 1760, p. 133, Tav. XXI.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre.

Two women carry a tray of fruit twoards two seated women, a winged cupid with a bow and a naked man with a red cloak and holding a quiver or other instrument.

Now in the Louvre. Inventory number P117.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Secondo: Le Pitture 2, 1760, p. 155, Tav. XXV.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Painting of a Bacchic ceremony.

A woman looking back towards a seated woman wearing an ivy crown and holding a myrtle crown, woman holding a thyrsus, a cupid holding a lit torch and a woman standing with a foot on a stool.

Now in the Louvre. Inventory number P28.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Secondo: Le Pitture 2, 1760, p. 141, Tav. XXIII.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Painting of a group of 5 figures.

See Gell, W. Pompeii unpublished [Dessins de l'édition de 1832 donnant le résultat des fouilles post 1819 (?)] vol II, pl. 2 verso..

Bibliothèque de l'Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art, collections Jacques Doucet, Identifiant numérique Num MS180 (2).

See book in INHA Use Etalab Licence Ouverte

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Drawing by Gell of five figures, one seated.

See Gell, W. Pompeii unpublished [Dessins de l'édition de 1832 donnant le résultat des fouilles post 1819 (?)] vol II, pl. 3 verso..

Bibliothèque de l'Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art, collections Jacques Doucet, Identifiant numérique Num MS180 (2).

See book in INHA Use Etalab Licence Ouverte

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. June 2013. Seated pipe player and standing cymbals player.

Fragment of fresco said to be from the theatre in Herculaneum.

Now in Pompejanum, idealized replica of a Roman villa, Aschaffenburg, Germany.

Photo courtesy of Carole Raddato.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Architectural painting with satyrs.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9878.

Photo courtesy of Raffaele Prisciandaro.

See Grimaldi, M. (2021). The Painters of Pompeii. (MondoMostre, Rome), page 64/65, fig.3. House near Theatre, NAP 9878

See Bragantini, I and Sampaolo, V., (Ed.), 2009. La Pittura Pompeiana. Verona: Electa. P. 257.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Architectural painting with satyrs.

Restoration painting by A. Sikkard.

See Mau, A. 1882. Geschichte der Decorativen Wandmalerei in Pompeji. Berlin: Reimer, Taf. XIX.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Architectural painting with satyrs.

See Raccolta de più interessante Dipinture e di più belle Musaici rinvenuti negli Scavi di Ercolano, di Pompei, e di Stabia. 1843. Napoli.

According to Pagano and Prisciandaro -

31st October 1739 – paintings found on the plaster of some walls of buildings which had been found in the passages of the caves/grotto, these had been cut from the walls with great attention.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre.

A floating figure with a laurel crown in hand, or Vittoria.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Secondo: Le Pitture 2, 1760, p. 225, Tav. XL.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9157.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre.

Floating winged figure (Hebe) with jug and basin in hands.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Secondo: Le Pitture 2, 1760, p. 221, Tav. XXXIX.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9159.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre.

Hunting scene with dogs and deer.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Secondo: Le Pitture 2, 1760, p. 115, Tav. XVIII.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 8816.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre.

Another, same dimensions as previous, at the centre was a vase from which two branches departed, on the sides of which were two goats

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Secondo: Le Pitture 2, 1760, p. 15, Tav. III.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 8556.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. A temple dedicated to a divinity.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Primo: Le Pitture 1, 1757, p. 221, Tav. XLI vignette.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 8571.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Fregio e Grottesco.

Frieze with plant leaves, ribbons and a face/mask entwined.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9744.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Secondo: Le Pitture 2, 1760, Tav. XVII, p. 113.

According to Prisciandaro and Pagano, several pieces of architectural and grotesques decoration all came from the same wall.

These are now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory numbers 9670, 9674-9679, 9680-9686.

See Pagano, M. and Prisciandaro, R., 2006. Studio sulle provenienze degli oggetti rinvenuti negli scavi borbonici del regno di Napoli. Naples: Nicola Longobardi, (p.183).  

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Esposito identifies this as MANN 9684.

See Esposito, D., 2014. La pittura di Ercolano. Roma: L’Erma di Bretschneider, Tav. 90.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9684.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Allroggen-Bedel identifies this as MANN 9685.

See Allroggen-Bedel, A., 1983. Piranesi e l’archeologia nel reame di Napoli. Fig. 8.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre.

Architecture and grotesques decoration from the same wall.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Quarto: Le Pitture 4, 1765, Tav. X vignette p. 47.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9685.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Architecture and grotesques decoration from the same wall.

Pre-1849. Painting by Zahn, from Naples Museum.

See Zahn W., 1849. Ornamente aller klassischen Kunst-Epochen nach den Originalen in ihren eigenthümlichen Farben. Berlin: Reimer, Taf. 40.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Architecture and grotesques decoration from the same wall.

See Raccolta de più interessante Dipinture e di più belle Musaici rinvenuti negli Scavi di Ercolano, di Pompei, e di Stabia. 1843. Napoli.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Architecture and grotesques decoration.

Painted by Charles A. Questel between August 1831 and November 1832 at Portici Museum.

See Charles-Auguste Questel (1807-1888) Voyage en Italie et Sicile. Août 1831 - novembre 1832, pl. 107.

INHA identifiant numérique : NUM MS 512. Document placé sous « Licence Ouverte / Open Licence » Etalab 

The original fresco is now in Naples Archaeological Museum.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Architecture and grotesques decoration from the same wall.

Painted by F. Duban in Portici Museum between 1823-1828.

See Duban F. Album de dessins d'architecture effectués par Félix Duban pendant son pensionnat à la Villa Medicis, entre 1823 et 1828 : Tome 2, Pompéi, pl. 177.

INHA Identifiant numérique NUM PC 40425 (2)

https://bibliotheque-numerique.inha.fr/idurl/1/7157  « Licence Ouverte / Open Licence » Etalab

The original fresco is now in Naples Archaeological Museum.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre.

Painting of two actors/muses, one playing the lyre, the other with a mask lifted above the head, both with crowns of vine leaves.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9079.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Quarto: Le Pitture 4, 1765, Tav. XXXV, p. 167.

See Helbig, W., 1868. Wandgemälde der vom Vesuv verschütteten Städte Campaniens. Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel, 1441.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre.

Painting of two actors/muses, one playing the lyre, the other with a mask lifted above the head.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Quarto: Le Pitture 4, 1765, Tav. XXXV, p. 167.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre or Villa dei Papiri. Copy by Ternite of fresco of head of Medusa.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 8818.

See Ternite, W. 1839-c.1858. Wandgemälde aus Pompeji und Herculanum nach den Zeichnungen und Nachbildungen in Farben. Berlin: Reimer, 2, Taf. 12 item 1.

See Reinach S., 1922. Répertoire de peintures grecques et romaines. Paris Leroux, p. 207,6.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre or Villa dei Papiri. Fresco of head of Medusa.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 8820.

According to Lapatin, three heads of beardless figures with wild hair and wings sprouting from the forehead had been attributed to the Villa dei Papiri, but this may be an error and they may be from a house in the vicinity of the Herculaneum Theatre.

See Catalogue (p. 226, pl. 49) of exhibition entitled “Buried by Vesuvius, the Villa dei Papiri at Herculaneum”, edited by Kenneth Lapatin. 

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre or Villa dei Papiri.

Second fresco of head of Medusa, with wild hair and wings sprouting from the forehead.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 8821a.

According to the MANN catalogue it is with the face of Triton rather than Gorgon.

See Borriello M. R., Sampaolo V., et al, 1986. Le Collezioni del Museo Nazionale di Napoli. Roma: De Luca Editore, no. 244, p. 157-7.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Drawing of figure holding cymbals tied with a ribbon.

According to AdE, “The figure, on a dark background with yellow cornice, has blonde hair, green clothing, and holds the cymbals (castanets) tied with a ribbon, with both hands”.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Setto: Le Pitture 5, 1779, Tav. XLIV, p. 193.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9080.

See Pagano, M. and Prisciandaro, R., 2006. Studio sulle provenienze degli oggetti rinvenuti negli scavi borbonici del regno di Napoli. Naples: Nicola Longobardi, p. 183.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Young boy probably Bacchus riding a panther.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9122.

See Helbig, W., 1868. Wandgemälde der vom Vesuv verschütteten Städte Campaniens. Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel, 369.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Secondo: Le Pitture 2, 1760, Tav. XXXI, p. 189.

This is one of four paintings found in Portici, but not all from the same place. The others were

Young person (picture not identified).

Dolphin (MANN 8684; NR 77).

Another similar dolphin (MANN 8684; NR 77)

See Pagano, M. and Prisciandaro, R., 2006. Studio sulle provenienze degli oggetti rinvenuti negli scavi borbonici del regno di Napoli. Naples: Nicola Longobardi, (p.183).  

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Lion and landscape in architecture grotesque.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Primo: Le Pitture 1, 1757, Tav. LXIV, p. 233.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 8583.

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Satyr or faun wearing a lion skin and holding a vase and a pedum.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9113.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Setto: Le Pitture 5, 1779, Tav. XIV, p. 67.

See Ruggiero M., 1885. Storia degli scavi di Ercolano ricomposta su' documenti superstiti. Napoli: Acc. Reale delle Scienze, p. 694.

See Pagano, M. and Prisciandaro, R., 2006. Studio sulle provenienze degli oggetti rinvenuti negli scavi borbonici del regno di Napoli. Naples: Nicola Longobardi, (p.183).  

Ercolano Casa vicino al Teatro or Herculaneum House near the Theatre. Three pictures found in Portici and shown together in AdE.

Only the satyr has an inventory number shown in Ruggiero. The winged cupid and the seated youth are listed but do not have a number.

See Antichità di Ercolano: Tomo Setto: Le Pitture 5, 1779, Tav. XIV, p. 67.

See Ruggiero M., 1885. Storia degli scavi di Ercolano ricomposta su' documenti superstiti. Napoli: Acc. Reale delle Scienze, p. 694.

According to Prisciandaro and Pagano these were also found in houses near the theatre.

Mercury picking up the small Bacchus (Helbig 379b: Young Dionysus and Hermes).

Architecture with a portico (MANN 9727; NR 67).

Several animals – (NR 111; Arditi 1474).

Architecture and landscape (painting not identified).

Similar painting (not identified).

Medusa painting (NR 342; Arditi 1063; Sangiorgio 659; Avellino 461).

Two heads (NR 346; Arditi 1249; Sangiorgio 1362; Avellino 1521).

Deer and bird in flight (NR 12; Arditi 1173; Sangiorgio 1253).

Royal peacock (MANN 8696; NR 324).

Bird (picture not identified).

See Pagano, M. and Prisciandaro, R., 2006. Studio sulle provenienze degli oggetti rinvenuti negli scavi borbonici del regno di Napoli. Naples: Nicola Longobardi, (p.183).