South Wall
Description
A. Karivieri & R. Forsell
DESCRIPTION
The wall is built in opus incertum consisting mostly of Sarno limestone, cruma, some lava. In the E lower corner, there are large rounded limestone blocks with red-coloured Unterputz. There is a refilled hole, possibly made of funnelers near the E corner at the height of 0.75 - 1.90 m, located 60 cm from E corner. There are pieces of terracotta attached to the Unterputz in the E part of the wall. The wall-plaster is preserved in the W part almost up to the height of the wall, in the E part only the dado is left. A stucco cornice is preserved in the W part of the wall at the height of 4.0 m.
Wall-plaster
Upper zone
Above the cornice the plaster has been preserved as red-coloured Unterputz.
Main zone
At the height of ca 4 m, below a stucco cornice there is a dark red horizontal band. There are remains of green-blue colour in the upper main zone near the W edge, a horizontal line.
There is a horizontal red line (ca 1 cm) at 2.52 m height and below it a border, ca 5 cm wide., to separate the main zone from the upper main zone.
Main zone has three panels, with white background. In the centre of the wall, in the main zone, one painting has been removed to Naples. Between the central and W panels there is a 20 cm wide space that stretches from the dado up to the stucco cornice, decorated with a candelabrum,at a distance of 1.00 m from the W corner. A spiral formed (?) candelabrum was painted yellow, and it is flanked by two white vertical bands that continue the line of the panel with vegetal motifs in the dado. The main panels have decorative system as in the W wall, with a red frame, a yellow decorative band and an inner red band (1 cm wide). In the central panel they framed a central mythological motif (Mars and Venus), that has been removed to Naples. The mythological painting had a red framing line, the measures of which are 66 cm x 1.32 m.
Dado
Dado is red with a yellow horizontal band at the upper border, and seems to have had similar decorative scheme as the dado in the W wall. The vertical panels flanking the central part have clearly visible vegetal motifs. The rectangles in the W and E corners have yellow flowers in the centre.
State of preservation
There are several cracks near the E corner. The upper part of the wall is missing. There is a refilled hole, possibly made of funnelers near the E corner in the lower part of the wall.
Total length: 3.28 m. Height: 4.55 m. Dado height 76 cm (W), 72 cm (centre).
