The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-02-22

BEFORE fcturnlub 10 tile Suo!ctb VI TIC cOmcSbc
life OF Pompeii it may be as well to complete the
reference to the artistic decorations OF private
houses by an account of TWO remarkable works.
FRISCO AID A MOSAIC.
In the house OF the Tragic Poet"-a fancy
nsme-thefe was found in 1924 wall painting. or
fresco, suggested by a scene in Homer's nisd-a
prolific source OF subjects for ancient art, a very
large proportion Of those in Pompeii being Of
that derivaiion-so admirably conceived and ex-
ecuted as to warrant the supposition of Sir Will
lam Cell that IL j. a COPY Of a celebrated Greek
work extant at that time. 1t represents Achilles
delivering Briseis to the agents sent by Agamem-
non to get her. The lender OF tie ''Myrmidons"
did not take this little levy on his household by
the king of Men, in very good part. They had
Gu Arreled about the hOggishness of the latter in
a. manoing Briseis, Tor whom he had TO give up
his own mistress 10 avoid plague, ana Homer
tells US In the very first line OF the lilac that
Achilles wrath vas "tht.tireful spring OF woes
unnumbered" to Greece and 1t is the foundation
incident Of that greatest epic in ancient Htera-
lure. usual. since and before, there was q
woman at the bottom OF IT," The Pom peian frescO
presents, in the face and head OF the hero, what
Sir William Cell says us the finest youthful head
in existence" IL is. even in this cOpy-preserved
ike most other exhumed relics In the Museum of
Naples-astOnishingly expressive full of life fire
and fearlessness The features are GTecien: the
face oval with the arch of the forehead forming
almost perfect egg-shaned outline; the chin and
lips Iutl ana FOunueU. the IAlr CURING loosely
over the head; the eyes large widely opened and
fairly blazing. 1t l. the finest painting OF an
uquity that Time has not carried off with him.
IL is about four feet square and still in fair con-
dltioD though faded and damaged by two wears
of exposure before IL was deemed safe to re-
move 1t. The finest mosaic OF antiqdi is
the second specimen OF Poupejan srt alluded TO
above. Itisa monochrome. OF made OF white ard
black coiOTs only, Ike Sn engraving, aud repre-
sents the battle of Issus between Darius and Alex
an6er the Great. This IS the general opinion Of
the subject, though Others have been suggested.
Alexander is on horseback barehe6Gec, and has
run Persian leader through with Instance. while
his right arm toward the falling officer with face
of alarm, and the chariOteer lsshes the horses
with all his might. The features action and atti-
tudes of the figures. both men and horses are adj
mirable, but the left-hand END, where the Greek
force stands, is almost wholly defaced. Aiexand-
er, from the hips upward, his horses head, part
of his lance, the helmeted bead of a Greek
soldier, part OF horses head IN the rear and the
arm of q dead Greek still holding its shield are
all that is left, with the sprangled'' stump OF a
dead tree in the rear. The right side the place OF
the Persian host. is but little Injured. The whole
mosaic is now set in the floor of large lower
room in the Royal Museum ut Naples, and care
fully projected by railing, over which q sort OF
raised walk passing along the bottom enables the
visitor 70 see perfectly. IL was found in
the House Of the Fawn, and guess, after six
teen years, that IL isover dozen feet long, by
half as many wide, or near 1t. As these two
works are counted the finest remains of ancient
painting sculpture excluded OF course this rather
/
are many other fine works, but these will serve as
samples.
DOMESTIC ARRANGEMENTS.
believe fresco on the wall of peristyle Led
me off into this aesthetic by-path so coming back
to that point. let us glance round this family
division OF a frstclass North End ;" literally SC
there as as well as here mansion. In the typical
house of Pausa there arefour or five little bed
rooms on the left hand side OF the peristyle,
opening upon the pllared porticO that runs rOu nj
its four SIDES forming as before intImated, a
court yard open to the sky, with "piscna,'' oil
| fish pond in the middle. Ii is about sixty feet
by forty. Back OF ii is the site of garden about
100 feet square, the house. 200 feet by 100 and the
garden together making an entire block or "in
sula'' of 800 by 100 feet Between the peristyle
and the garden are the remains OF two
story gallery or pOrtIcO, apparently for the
private prominades OF the ladies OF the house
Next 10 the portico. extending 10 the street
on the lett, was servant IS room about
twenty-five by twenty feet. connected with q
kitchen of the same size divided into two rooms
next ON the rigat was a narrow passage OF about
fOurty feet I'm length by five six wide from the
periStyle To the pOrtic0; and next to this large
family room, adjoining which was library (sup
posed and small calirs looking towsrd the
garden. Between this and the street on the rgh
was Il section OF thirty by forty feet. apparently
rented as q residence. On the same side, between
tue peistylc and the street, was second small
I residences, aud along the same side. between q
part of the atrium and the street third resi-
cence. Except little bakery in the same corner
these three residences formed nearly the whole
side Of the house The front and the west side
were cut up into little shops, except at the ex
IRENE upper end, where the servants room ex-
tended TO the street Ga the right of the periStyle
between the TWO upper and second rented resi-
dences the ''triclinium" or dining room, twent.
by thirty feet, wholly opens next 10 the porticO o.
the peristyle. ii il we've hall instead OF room
The victuals from the Kitchen had TO be Carried
penstyle to the dining room, which wa,
on the extreme east side as the othei
was In the extreme west. Between this esrum, OF
more public division of the house. and the pen
style or private portion, Was a small passage ter
or fifteen feet by five or six. and on one side o
this was an open "tabinum." or place for house
hold divlhities (lares and penatesl, and on eScf
side OF this a goOd-sized room. for some use OF
oriher. This. with the detached description Of q
part Of the FOmpaein model house last week, viii
give the reader an idea Of the general form. Siz
and arrangement OF the best class OF private
houses Of the period following close upon th'
Christian era.
EATING.
The "triclinium.' or dining room, was so cauet
because OF its three beds on which the diners re
clined when at the table. They formed three side
OF square open on the fourth side through which
the servants had cess 20 the table In the intero
| space. The guess helped themselves with thei
/ hands mostly. The cOuches held three diner
each the host ana his wife lying at the end OF tn
lefs hand one. aud the guest of honor at the oppo
site corner, where he could lean his left elbow o.
the couch and reach with his rgh
hand all over the table. The ordinsr
good dinner consisted of three courses: eggs
oysters, olives ard salads, fishes. roasts and mad
dishes, pastry and fruits hence the Latin phrase
From the EGG to the apples" or beginning TO tn
end CAB ovo Qui ad MALAY or, as Mr.. Waiter