DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.61617#0345
THE HOUSE OF THE FAUN
285
about sixteen inches wide, on which is placed the facade of a
diminutive temple; that on the left is seen in Fig. 136. The
front of the cella, with closed doors, is presented in relief, but
the four columns of the portico stand free. The shelf is sup-
ported underneath by a cornice with stucco brackets in the shape
of dogs, which have now in part fallen away; the underside is
carved to represent a richly ornamented coffered ceiling.
The atrium was a room of imposing dimensions. The length
is approximately 53 feet, the breadth 33; the height, as indi-
cated by the remains of the walls and the pilasters, was cer-
tainly not less than 28 feet. Above was a coffered ceiling.
The sombre shade of the floor, paved with small pieces of dark
slate, formed an effective contrast with the white travertine
edge and brilliant inner surface of the shallow impluvium, cov-
ered with pieces of colored marbles similar to those in the
fauces. Still more marked was the contrast in the strong colors
of the walls. Below was a broad surface of black; then a pro-
jecting white dentil cornice, and above this, masses of dark red,
bluish green, and yellow. The decoration, as usual in the first
style, was not carried to the ceiling, but stopped just above the
side doors; the upper part of the wall was left in the white.
As one stepped across the mosaic border at the end of the
fauces, a beautiful vista opened up before the eyes. From the
aperture of the compluvium a diffused light was spread through
the atrium brilliant with its rich coloring. At the rear the lofty
entrance of the tablinum attracted the visitor by its stately
dignity. Now the portieres are drawn aside, and beyond the
large window of the tablinum the columns of the first peristyle
are seen (Fig. 136). The shrubs and flowers of the garden are
bright with sunshine, and fragrant odors are wafted through the
house; in the midst a slender fountain jet rises in the air and
falls with a murmur pleasant to the ear. If the vegetation was
not too luxuriant, one might look into the exedra, on the further
side of the colonnade, and even catch glimpses of the trees and
bushes in the garden of the second peristyle.
Of the rooms at the side of the atrium, one (/') was appar-
ently the family sleeping room ; places for two beds were set
off by slight elevations in the floor. This room had been care-
285
about sixteen inches wide, on which is placed the facade of a
diminutive temple; that on the left is seen in Fig. 136. The
front of the cella, with closed doors, is presented in relief, but
the four columns of the portico stand free. The shelf is sup-
ported underneath by a cornice with stucco brackets in the shape
of dogs, which have now in part fallen away; the underside is
carved to represent a richly ornamented coffered ceiling.
The atrium was a room of imposing dimensions. The length
is approximately 53 feet, the breadth 33; the height, as indi-
cated by the remains of the walls and the pilasters, was cer-
tainly not less than 28 feet. Above was a coffered ceiling.
The sombre shade of the floor, paved with small pieces of dark
slate, formed an effective contrast with the white travertine
edge and brilliant inner surface of the shallow impluvium, cov-
ered with pieces of colored marbles similar to those in the
fauces. Still more marked was the contrast in the strong colors
of the walls. Below was a broad surface of black; then a pro-
jecting white dentil cornice, and above this, masses of dark red,
bluish green, and yellow. The decoration, as usual in the first
style, was not carried to the ceiling, but stopped just above the
side doors; the upper part of the wall was left in the white.
As one stepped across the mosaic border at the end of the
fauces, a beautiful vista opened up before the eyes. From the
aperture of the compluvium a diffused light was spread through
the atrium brilliant with its rich coloring. At the rear the lofty
entrance of the tablinum attracted the visitor by its stately
dignity. Now the portieres are drawn aside, and beyond the
large window of the tablinum the columns of the first peristyle
are seen (Fig. 136). The shrubs and flowers of the garden are
bright with sunshine, and fragrant odors are wafted through the
house; in the midst a slender fountain jet rises in the air and
falls with a murmur pleasant to the ear. If the vegetation was
not too luxuriant, one might look into the exedra, on the further
side of the colonnade, and even catch glimpses of the trees and
bushes in the garden of the second peristyle.
Of the rooms at the side of the atrium, one (/') was appar-
ently the family sleeping room ; places for two beds were set
off by slight elevations in the floor. This room had been care-