After archaeologists unearthed the ancient city of Pompeii, the world was able to see amazing works of art - sculptures, mosaics and frescoes created by ancient masters. The frescoes of Pompeii were discovered in the homes of wealthy residents.
A bit of history
The history of the city of Pompeii began in the 4th century BC. Then, on the site of modern Naples, at the foot of the volcano Vesuvius, a settlement was founded, eventually joining several neighboring villages and becoming a whole city. The culture of the ancient Etruscan tribes formed the basis of their culture.
By the end of the 5th century, the city of Pompeii was captured by the Samnites, and in the 6th century it was considered to be part of the Roman Empire. Residents of the city were required to serve in the Roman army, but did not have the right to public land. This caused a rebellion.
But he was quickly crushed, and Pompeii acquired the status of a Roman colony. So they lost their independence. But the citizens of the city did not even feel the changes. Remaining 90 years before the eruption of the volcano, they lived freely and securely on warm and fertile land. The city was actively developing before the tragedy.
Near Pompeii stood the city of Herculaneum. In this city, legionaries and freed slaves settled mostly retired. It was the frescoes of Pompeii and Herculaneum that were discovered by archaeologists in 1748.
Method of creating frescoes
Very often, wealthy citizens ordered artists to paint walls in their homes. It was fashionable to call masters from the capital.
First, they carefully prepared the walls - applying plaster on them in several layers to level the surface (this work was done by slaves). The last layer of plaster was unusual - alabaster was added to it to give a shine to the surface.
Then the artist proceeded to painting, combining several types of paints:
- wax;
- encaustic;
- egg-based tempera.
The finished wall was rubbed with a protective wax layer so that the paints did not lose brightness and did not fade over time. The task of the master was to preserve the work for a long time.
Mural styles
The plots of the frescoes of Pompeii are different, but thanks to them they managed to learn a lot about the ancient city and its inhabitants. After all, they depicted not only scenes from ancient tales and legends, but also reflected the life and private life of the inhabitants.
German scientists have proposed dividing all the frescoes of ancient Pompeii into 4 conditional styles:
- Inlaid - it is characterized by a painting on the walls with a rough surface, imitating marble. Appeared under the influence of Hellenism - you can often find plots of ancient Greek paintings.
- Architectural - the image on the aligned walls of architectural elements (cornices, columns) and landscapes, creating a sense of volume and perspective of space. Often people, complex compositions and scenes from mythology were drawn in this style.
- Ornamental - based on flat ornamental frames, within which pictures of simple rural life were drawn.
- Fantastic - images of people become dynamic, landscapes are fantastic, and painted architectural elements are more like theatrical scenery that does not obey the existing laws of physics.
Scenes depicted in frescoes
In some houses, murals belonging to different time periods were discovered. Most of them relate to ancient Greek mythology. One of the best examples is the frescoes of the house of the Mysteries.
It is located outside Pompeii, on a hillside near the Gulf of Naples. Scientists suggest that his mistress was the priestess of Dionysus. At that time, this cult was banned by the Roman Senate. Perhaps this prompted her to settle not in the city itself, but in its suburbs.
This villa had about 60 rooms, one of them is the Dionysus Hall. On its walls is painted a ritual of initiation into the sacrament of Dionysus. It depicts nine different characters, among which there is the mistress of the villa.
Not only the mansions of the rich were beautifully painted, but also the simple houses of the middle-class residents. The Vettiev house stands apart - it belonged to two former slaves who became rich and bought an old house. This is one of the most beautiful mansions.
Its walls are covered with bright, almost perfectly preserved frescoes. They are dominated by stories from the myths of ancient Greece. Here you can find the paintings “Punishment of Dirka”, “Little Hercules, strangling a snake”, “Women tearing Panfey”.
Mysteries of the frescoes of Pompeii
Residents of Pompeii were famous lovers of practical jokes and puzzles. It even formed the basis of some paintings on the walls of their homes. In one of the houses discovered, the walls are painted in such a way that it seems as if the characters of the frescoes are standing right in the room.
One of these frescoes Pompeii in the photo.
Surprisingly, all the frescoes are perfectly preserved to this day. Do not lose sight of the fact that the ash, which has partly "preserved" them for centuries, has caused this. But for almost two thousand years, the paint did not even fade.
It is believed that such safety was ensured by some special technology secret known only to ancient masters. Most likely, the paints were applied not quite by the usual method, still unknown to anyone.