The Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum

1. The Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum The Roman Setting of Greek Art

2. The Villa of the Papyri is located near Herculaneum, on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius. It was built in the mid-first c. BCE and was destroyed in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. The original owner of the villa was Lucius Calpurnius Piso, father-in-law of Julius Caesar.

3. The dimensions of the villa, including the pool and gardens, are 250 x 80 meters, or over 20,000 m2. It stood just outside the town of Herculaneum. The villa front extended for more than 250 m. along the coastline, and the villa occupied four levels on a hillside overlooking the Bay of Naples.

5. We have no ancient reference to the villa. The original excavations at the Villa were carried out by Karl Weber between 1750 and 1765. They were more like mining excavations, in which a series of tunnels was dug primarily to retrieve works of art. Among the finds was a library that contained 1785 carbonized scrolls of papyrus (hence the name of the villa). Most of these turned out to be writings of the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus. The villa also turned out to be a treasure trove of works of art. Notes from the 18th c. tunnel digging mention sculpture (over 80 works of sculpture were found), papyri, wax tablets, wall paintings, floor mosaics, candelabra, lamps, bronze vessels, a few coins, a glass vase, marble wellheads, marble columns, and part of a marble table. Much of this was not saved.

6. The most striking finds were 80 statues, all copies of Greek works. Most of the statues appear to have acquired in two or three bulk purchases in the second half of the first century BCE. Almost all are busts, perhaps to fit more images into the available space. There appears to be no plausible or coherent program behind their display in the peristyles and living rooms.  The function of the original statues was to serve as a religious votive or commemorate and political or military success. In the context of the villa, however, they provided high-quality decoration for the Roman aristocratic lifestyle. They symbolized cultural values of the Greeks that the Romans wanted to promote.

7. Plan of the villa, showing the arrangements of statues as found

8. Statues of Greek gods advertised knowledge of Greek culture

9. Statues of Greek intellectuals advertised the patron’s learning

10. Statues of Greek intellectuals advertised the patron’s learning

11. Statues of Greek kings and statesmen advertised the patron’s knowledge of the great men of history

12. Statues of Greek kings and statesmen advertised the patron’s knowledge of the great men of history

13. Statues of Greek athletes advertised the patron’s cultivation of the body

14. Statues of works by famous Greek artists advertised the patron’s cultivation of the arts

15. Statues of works by famous Greek artists advertised the patron’s cultivation of the arts

16. Some works had distinctively Roman allusions

17. Some works seem simply to express aesthetic pleasureAbove, a row of dancers(There are also several obscene works that we didn’t see in class)

18. Overall, the impression created by the Villa and its works of art reinforce the statement of Vitruvius on the expectations for the homes of the wealthy: “Men of rank holding offices and magistracies have social obligations to the their fellow citizens, and need lofty entrance courts in regal style, spacious atriums and peristyles with plantations and walks of some extent. They also need libraries, picture galleries, and basilicas, finished in a style similar to that of great public buildings. [This is so] not only for town houses but also for those in the country.” Vitruvius 6.5.2-3.

19. Bibliography Mattusch, Carol C. The Villa dei Papiri at Herculaneum: Life and Afterlife of a Sculpture Collection (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum 2005). Zanker, Paul. Roman Art (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum 2010). www.getty.edu Images taken from Getty Museum website and from ArtStor