DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.61387#0047
THE RUINS OF POMPEII.
23
in one corner of his hall, or atrium, a well-executed marble bust of himself,
of the size of life, with his name inscribed underneath. It will be seen in the
photograph of the House of Rufus given further on. These two Pompeian
magnates probably little dreamed that they should secure for themselves
so lasting a remembrance by these contrivances.
During the reign of the Bourbon dynasty at Naples, the excavations
at Pompeii went on much in the fashion just described. The period of the
French occupation of Naples (1806-1815), was marked by a more vigorous
prosecution of the researches; and it was during this period that the Forum,
the greater part of the Street of the Tombs, and the line of the walls were
laid open. Murat’s wife, Queen Caroline, took great interest in the exca-
vations, and it was under her patronage that Mazois commenced his magni-
ficent work on Pompeii. After the restoration of the Bourbons, the works
again proceeded slowly; though, even at this snail’s pace, much of course was
done in the period of nearly half a century, during which they occupied the
throne. The most important excavations conducted during this period were
those of several temples round the Forum, of the public Baths, and of many
large and interesting houses, as those of the Tragic Poet, of the Faun, of the
Fountain, the Fullonica, and others. The revolution, which drove the Bour-
bons from the throne, had ultimately the effect of also revolutionizing the
proceedings at Pompeii; though not so much in increasing the speed of the
operations, as in causing them to be more carefully conducted. Garibaldi,
who became dictator at Naples in 1859, made indeed a lamentable choice in
appointing the romance writer, M. Alexandre Dumas, to the directorship
of the excavations. That gentleman, however brilliant his talents, seems
to have been totally unfit for the post, and is said scarcely to have visited
Pompeii. His tenure of office, however, was fortunately short. When the
authority of Victor Emmanuel, as King of Italy, became established in the
Neapolitan dominions, the superintendence of the excavations was intrusted
to the Commendatore Fiorelli, who still continues to hold it. This gentle-
man had long been known as a scholar and antiquary, and as in every respect
excellently qualified for the office; his liberal political opinions had, however,
not only excluded him from it, but even drawn down upon him the persecu-
tion of the government. The peculiar excellence of Signor Fiorelli’s system
consists in the skilful mode in which the excavations are conducted, the
religious care with which every fragment is retained in or restored to its
original position, and the pains taken to preserve the frescoes and other
23
in one corner of his hall, or atrium, a well-executed marble bust of himself,
of the size of life, with his name inscribed underneath. It will be seen in the
photograph of the House of Rufus given further on. These two Pompeian
magnates probably little dreamed that they should secure for themselves
so lasting a remembrance by these contrivances.
During the reign of the Bourbon dynasty at Naples, the excavations
at Pompeii went on much in the fashion just described. The period of the
French occupation of Naples (1806-1815), was marked by a more vigorous
prosecution of the researches; and it was during this period that the Forum,
the greater part of the Street of the Tombs, and the line of the walls were
laid open. Murat’s wife, Queen Caroline, took great interest in the exca-
vations, and it was under her patronage that Mazois commenced his magni-
ficent work on Pompeii. After the restoration of the Bourbons, the works
again proceeded slowly; though, even at this snail’s pace, much of course was
done in the period of nearly half a century, during which they occupied the
throne. The most important excavations conducted during this period were
those of several temples round the Forum, of the public Baths, and of many
large and interesting houses, as those of the Tragic Poet, of the Faun, of the
Fountain, the Fullonica, and others. The revolution, which drove the Bour-
bons from the throne, had ultimately the effect of also revolutionizing the
proceedings at Pompeii; though not so much in increasing the speed of the
operations, as in causing them to be more carefully conducted. Garibaldi,
who became dictator at Naples in 1859, made indeed a lamentable choice in
appointing the romance writer, M. Alexandre Dumas, to the directorship
of the excavations. That gentleman, however brilliant his talents, seems
to have been totally unfit for the post, and is said scarcely to have visited
Pompeii. His tenure of office, however, was fortunately short. When the
authority of Victor Emmanuel, as King of Italy, became established in the
Neapolitan dominions, the superintendence of the excavations was intrusted
to the Commendatore Fiorelli, who still continues to hold it. This gentle-
man had long been known as a scholar and antiquary, and as in every respect
excellently qualified for the office; his liberal political opinions had, however,
not only excluded him from it, but even drawn down upon him the persecu-
tion of the government. The peculiar excellence of Signor Fiorelli’s system
consists in the skilful mode in which the excavations are conducted, the
religious care with which every fragment is retained in or restored to its
original position, and the pains taken to preserve the frescoes and other