Capital

The figured capital retrieved in 1836 from the eastern pilaster of V 1,7 (H. 0.566 m, max. w. 0.67m (street side) - 0.81m (entrance side)) belongs to the group of relief capitals from the so-called tufa period. Several examples have been found in Pompeii, most of them typologised as a "Doppelvolutenkapitell". Our example differs from the others, since it is a combination of a "Doppelvolutenkapitell" and a capital form defined as "Sofakapitell". Apart from its originality concerning the shape, our capital shares the same theme, related to the Dionysian world (For a discussion of these motifs and the choice of subject, see Staub Gierow 1994, 73, Zanker 1998, 37 and most recently, Wyler 2006, 156). In our case, its large front side facing the street was adorned with the depiction of a winged Eros framed by tendrils; the short side towards the Vestibulum holds the bust of Dionysus, framed by two small figures, presumably belonging to the god´s mythological retinue, to the left a female and to the right a male one.
This façade with its figured capital is also an important source of information regarding the question of the dating of the original building phase of the Casa del Torello and its dependencies, mainly through comparisons with similar facades and for the capital, by stylistic means. The period to which the façade belongs, the so-called tufa period, is nowadays generally dated to the time between c. 200 B.C. and the beginning of the last century B.C (Recently confirmed by Adam 2007, 99). The most similar façades from this phase are the one in the Casa del Fauno (VI 12) and the southern facade of the Casa di Arianna (or Capitelli colorati) (VII 4,31.51) (See Hoffmann 1990, 493). The dating of these two façades differs slightly; the first suggestion dated stylistically but also by means of finds from the filling layer related to the original building phase, is generally placed in the beginning of the second quarter of the second century B.C (See Hoffmann 2009, 49f and Faber 2009, 82 - 84), the second one to the end of the third quarter of the same century (See Sear 1994, 55 and Sear 2006, 167 and 172 (The north peristyle from c. 100 - 90 B.C., about 30 years later than the building phase of the southern peristyle, to which the façade in question belongs)).
A precise dating is still missing for the figured capital. The only estimations come from Ronczewski ("...beide gehören dem 3. oder eher noch dem 2. Jh. an.", Ronczewski 1927, 287) and Pernice ("... eines der ältesten und bedeutendsten Tuffkapitelle in Pompeji. " Pernice 1925, 27), confirmed by Mercklin (Mercklin 1962, 71). The figured tufa capital from the Casa dei Capitelli Figurati (VII 4,57) has been analysed in connection with the study of that house and a dating to c.130 - 120 B.C. has been suggested (Staub Gierow 1994, 73). Thus, considering that the pilaster from the Casa del Torello is supposed to be amongst the earliest figured tufa capitals, a plausible date for the façade with its embellishment could be around the middle or the third quarter of the second century, i.e., slightly later than the Casa del Fauno with its supposed model character (Hoffmann 1994, 86: " Tuttavia, per quanto ne sappiamo, è nella Casa del Fauno che il lato esterno principale viene per la prima volta configurata architettonicamente come facciata a pilastri.") and earlier than the Casa dei Capitelli Figurati with its slightly later capital.