West Wall
Description
A. Karivieri & R. Forsell
DESCRIPTION
The wall is built in opus incertum, except for the window frames that are in opus mixtum. Opus incertum consists mainly of limestone, some cruma, grey tufa, couple of lava, spolia of cocciopesto. Opus mixtum by the windows consists mainly of grey tufa blocks alternating with bricks and a couple of limestone blocks. Window sill (see description in W wall, outside). Wall is built against the S wall of room t and the tufa column to the north.
Wall-plaster
The wall is covered by plaster up to the level of 2.65 m N of the window, and 2.10 m S of the window.
Upper zone
The upper zone of wall plaster is not preserved.
Main zone
The middle zone: the panels flanking the window are white, with red borders, vertical bands 4 cm wide, and a yellow decorative horizontal border and above it a red line (see separate sketch) .The white side panels had probably centrally placed figurative motifs. The window was surrounded by a dark red border, the same colour that can be seen in the plaster inside the N part of the window.
Dado
The dado has red background and it consists of three panels. The overall design is hard to distinguish. At the upper border there is a yellow horizontal, 5 cm high band. 54 cm below the upper border of the dado, there is a white horizontal line, ca 1 cm wide. There is a central decorative pattern, where the decoration consists of white and yellow lines, with additional yellow vegetal motifs, and in side panels the vegetal motifs seem to have white colour.
State of preservation
The upper part of the wall is reconstructed. After our documentation in 2004, the wooden lintel was replaced and the wall above it was remade.
The wall is covered by plaster up to the level of 2.65 m N of the window, and 2.10 m S of the window. The panels of wall-plaster flanking the window, S: 82 cm wide, N: 82 cm wide.
Dado height: 72-73 cm, a central decorative pattern, 1.06 m wide.
