East Wall
Description
A. Karivieri & R. Forsell
DESCRIPTION
The wall is located between room o and room p.
The wall is built in opus incertum and consists mainly of limestone, some lava, one piece of cruma and a piece of terracotta are also visible. Some larger limestone blocks are visible in the centre of the wall where a removed mythological painting was located. The lower part of the wall is totally covered by the wall plaster and not visible for study.
Wall plaster is made in three phases; the dado is the last phase. The edges between the dado, the main zone and the upper zone are clearly visible.
Wall-plaster
Upper zone
The upper zone is preserved ca 20-40 cm, in the corners, missing in the centre, there are remains of yellow and red colour, but no visible features.
Main zone
The main zone is divided in five main areas. In the centre and on both sides there are large yellow panels. The central panel included the mythological painting depicting Theseus and Ariadne, now in Naples. The central yellow panel has a horizontal incision for a flower band at the height of 1.43 m, presumably similar to the one on the N wall.
Both yellow side panels have in the centre flying female figures where the S one is clearly visible as a silhouette (see photo). Both female figures were surrounded by a decorative band. Between the three larger yellow panels there are red rectangular panels in the lowermost part, where there is a frame with three lines below and towards the corners, and four lines above and towards the large central panel. In the centre of these red panels, there are lion protomes, i.e. a lion jumping through a circle surrounded by outward bent leaves (cf. bronze objects). The lions are jumping towards the central panel. Above these red panels there are architectural views painted in red and yellow, crowned by a “cassette” roof and framed by columns towards the central panel. These columns are continuation to the columns in the dado that frame the fence design. Towards the N and S corner, there are remains of bluegreen vertical bands flanking the architectonic setting, probably imitating columns. Between these architectonic designs and the decorative band framing the yellow panels with flying figures, there are small rectangles in the centre of the main zone, 13 x 12 cm.
In the yellow side panels there is a horizontal bluegreen 4 cm wide band which is connected with the “column” between the red area and the corners of the wall, 10 cm height from dado. This bluegreen band continues from the corner horizontally at the height of 3.35 m, above the decorative band, surrounding the flying figure and it has been decorated with white design above the bluegreen paint.
Dado
Dado is dark red, divided in seven zones; the three central ones are wide, flanked by two vertical slimmer zones, and in the corners there are again wider panels. The five wider panels have horizontal bands. The “leaf bands” are directed to the vertical panels to meet there. (See sketch)
The central panel is the widest. It is decorated with a fence pattern in the upper part divided into six entities. Below the fence there is a horizontal area, decorated with seamonsters in yellow colour in heraldic position, accentuating the horizontality. This area is flanked by painted columns which separate it from the large horizontal areas on both sides. The area with seamonsters is framed by three light-coloured lines (height 30.5 cm), and below, there are two horizontal bands, 5.5 cm high, the lower one was bluegreen in colour. The lowermost section seems to have been dark red.
State of preservation
The wall is reconstructed, from the level of ca 80 cm above the upper edge of the wall painting in the main zone. The reconstruction edge is marked with a layer of thin modern tile slabs. The N part of the wall visible above the wall plaster has been reinforced with modern mortar in a different way in comparison with the S part, near the entrance, which has been reinforced only partially, only to support the edge of the Unterputz. Originally, there was a mythological painting in the centre of the wall which was removed and taken to the MANN in Naples. Painted wall-plaster is missing above this area. There are large diagonal and vertical cracks and the surface is flaking.
Main zone: Height of main zone 3.54 m. The yellow panel to N, width, 1.40 m, width for the framing border 1.12 m, height 1.66 m, also between the NE and SE corner and the frame for flying figure, at the height of 1.08 m.
Vertical bands between small rectangle and architectonic setting, 15 cm wide.
N: Red area with lion, 85 cm height, width 1.03 m. S: Red area with lion, 85 cm height, width 1.01 m.
Width of yellow central panel: 1.64 m. Columns flanking the central panel, width ca 15 cm. Column width 15 cm S of S red area. S yellow panel width flying figure 1.52 m + bluegreen band in the SE corner 7 cm. Frame width: 1.22 m, height 1.76 m.
The flying figure in the S panel is 38 cm high, placed at the height of ca 2.25 m.
The size of the area in the centre of the wall where wall-plaster is missing: 1.30 x 1.90 m.
Dado height: 1.07 m, upper band 6 cm high bluegreen. The fence border is located at the height of 76.5-101 cm, also bluegreen on red, area width of units varies. The seamonsters are located at the height between 31-76.5 cm; two lower bands at the height between 29-17 cm, lowermost dark red area at the height of 0-17 cm. Width of the central panel with fence and seamonsters is 1.56 m. The columns (width: 21 cm) that flank the central panel in the dado have a wider base towards the panel with seamonsters (width 30 cm).
The wide horizontal panel from N: 1.03 m (with vertical line 6 cm from corner).
The vertical panel from N: 57 cm. The second broad horizontal panel from N: 99 cm.
