Museum of Antiquity: A Description of Ancient Life — John Shaqi
Museum of Antiquity: A Description of Ancient LifeYaggy, L. W. (Levi W.)
History
Museum of Antiquity: A Description of Ancient Life
Yaggy, L. W. (Levi W.)
Civilization, Ancient; Classical antiquities
coated with stucco or marble, which served for a toilet-table. Several
vases were found there, which must have contained perfumes or cosmetic
oils. The form of this bed-room is very remarkable, and will not fail
to strike the reader from its exact correspondence with the elliptic
chamber or library described by Pliny in his Laurentine villa. The
windows in the semi-circular end are so placed that they receive the
rising, noontide, and setting sun. Bull's eyes, placed above the
windows, permitted them to be altogether closed without darkening the
room entirely. These windows opened on a garden, where, in Mazois'
time, the care of the guardian had planted roses, which almost
beguiled him into the belief that he had found the genuine produce of
a Pompeian garden. This must have been a delightful room, from its
ample size, elegance of ornament, and the quiet cheerful retirement of
its situation.
17. Upper garden upon the level of the court.
18. Entrance to the baths, which, though originally rare in private
houses, had become so common, long before the destruction of Pompeii,
that few wealthy persons were without them. The word _balneum_ was
peculiarly applied to domestic, _thermæ_ to public baths. This
specimen, which fortunately was almost perfect, small as it is,
suffices to give an idea of the arrangement of private baths among the
Romans. 19. Portico upon two sides of a small triangular court. There
is as much skill in the disposition, as taste in the decoration, of
this court, which presents a symmetrical plan, notwithstanding the
irregular form of the space allotted to it. Its situation is
conformable to the advice of Vitruvius; and as it could not front the
west, it has been placed to the south. The columns of the portico are
octagonal. At the extremity of the gallery, on the left of the
entrance, there is a small furnace where was prepared some warm
beverage or restorative for the use of the bathers, who were
accustomed to take wine or cordials before they went away. Here a
gridiron and two frying pans were found, still blackened with smoke.
In the centre of the base, or third side of the court, is placed a
bath, 20, about six feet square, lined with stucco, the edge of which
is faced with marble. It was covered with a roof, the mark of which is
still visible on the walls, supported by two pillars placed on the
projecting angles. The holes in the walls to admit the three principal
beams are so contrived that each side is lined with a single brick.
Under this covering the whole wall was painted to represent water,
with fish and other aquatic animals swimming about. The water was
blue, and rather deep in color: the fish were represented in the most
vivid and varied tints. Some years ago this painting recovered, on
being wetted, the original freshness and brilliancy of its coloring;
but exposure to the weather has done its work, and now scarce a trace
of it remains. In the middle of it there is a circular broken space to
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account