The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-11
THE HOUSE OF VETTIUS.
PROF. MORGAN TELLS OF THE
LATEST FIND At PoMPEIL
IT IL Important rs Giving tho best rdea Tot
supplied or n Roman House OF the Time
ITS Interior Arrangement and weli-Tre-
served Frescoes-Pointa Abont PompeiL.

ITOl. W. lie NhOTghn ChIuc ONcT lEoIh INN
bridge last week at the invitation OF the New
York Society Of the Archaeological Institute o.
America and gave an interesting popular lee
ture, with stereopticon illustrations, in Ham,
ilton Hall Columbia University, on THE House
OF Vettius," the latest and most impor ant, as
he said, Of archaeological discoveries at Pom
peii- The first part Of The house 10 DO found
was uncovered in 1894, and the excavations
have been continued during the.last two years.
The excellent state of preservation in which
tho house AID many OF its appurtenances were
'ound induced the italian Government to mako
such repairs TO tho roof as was necessary, re-
store the gardens, and continue the whole as
an exhibition in place, instead OF removing the
principal objects to tho museum at Neples. The
house was blried under n great depth of ashes.
Predatory to what he had to cay about the
house Of vettius, Prof. Morgan undertook &c
disprl the prevalent delusion that the eruption
OF Vosuvius came all of n sudden and over
whelmed tho Pompeiians At whatever they
CHANGED to DO pursuing at the moment. This
notion. fostered by the stories told
Of the fac of Poupeii, and by Bulwer's novel,
had its basis mainly in the fact that so many
bodies were found in the various buildings in
the excavations.
But the Pompeiians were used to erup-
tons" Prof. Morgan said, and there was
warning enough. TIL" people merely took
refuge in the buildings just as the Western
man goes into his cyclone cellar, to wait until
the storm was over: but this storm lasted
longer than any other had"
He called his auditors attention to another
point to be borne in mind regnrdinx Pompeii:
that IL was not . large CT an important city.
but a small. provincial town. a summer resort
OF the Roman citizens
Prof. Lanciani has called Pompeii the New
port of ancient Rome," said Prof. Morgan.
but l can't help thinking that II Prof. Lanci-
AMI were an American he would have called IL
rather the Long Branch of Rome. Perhaps
you'll understand the difference.
"Ore thing sometimes lost sight oils that
Pompeii had been destroyed by an earthquake
Just sixteen years before the eruption. So that
this town is particularly interesting to us. Us It
shows the taste of the time. The house of
vettius was a verT old one, but had been newly
decorated shortly before the eruption. We
getfrom il, I think. the bestidea we have OF a
Roman house OF the time of Pompeii. Tho
house is distinguished for the state Of COM
pletc preservation in which 1t was found. both
as to paintings, statues. and works. OF art gen
orally 1t was so perfect that the Government
decided to keep II where It was: WAX and glass
have been put over the paintings. pillars have
been restored. the roof has been repaired. and
the garden newly laid out.
iiS phS too lAARc ohC. ibk -
seven-foot front. Near the entrance we find the
~janitor's room-and ~jan;tors were as naughty
then az to-day-with two pictures In it, and an
other room with Ariadne's picture. There are
two ..atriums and he kitchen with its range.
and he Lares were found in the smaller atrlum.
Tho dining room was IN the second floor. 1t
had come to be fashionable To have II on the
second floor. Beyond the tablinum Is n rrea
open court. with eighteen Corinthian columns
covered with stucco. In tho peristyle. Al the
the water having been supplied from the street,
for there was water. IN the streets Of Pompeii.
other small court adjoining this one, and
there vas also ANOTHER dining room. with many
pictures of Cupids and psyches on the walls.
Tlcse pictures are we'll preserved"
Prof. Morgan showed on the screen the ground
plan OF the house Of Ne.,ius; and in order to
man houses, d.aw wing attention to the windows
which we're 100 high for persons, in tho street
times Of painting on the outer wall. OF any
house tho name Of a candidate for oficc, with
picture Of the ~peristvle OF Tie house of vettius
showed the statue,tes and fountains, and vari-
Gus tables, so ne OF thep' with followed surfaces
ard some with circular tops SUPPORTED b. Crif.
ms. about the room. All OF these were OF
wa,a fapn: another a boy holding n goose. Some
of the (. escoes, Prof. Morgan said, were very
good from an artistic standpoint-and some
however. he remarked. to an under standing
Of some of the Grca. pictures which piiny de
scrih-S, AS not "A single one of the works OF tho
great artists Of the day had come down to this
time. One of the trescoes was a representa-
the Serpent" Another was tho pnnish nent OF
ISion; Mercury. who had brought him: was
for the binding of Ixion were lying on the
Ground d ,h InTo sat in the 6aekgropnd a, and
probably one of the Furies.
Arisdne for;aken by Theseus vas the sub
ieet is common In decorative painting. prof.
Morgan. said that this particular fresco was
unique IN that some little distance from the de
concernsdly. To tho Professor the PRESENCE
OF tho fisherman was hulnorously suggestive.
tors room before spoken OF. sho xed L,eandcr
ewlm,ning the Hellespont., with Hero leaning
ono other representation OF this scene known
in, art, Prof, Morgan said: The drawing in
atrocious thai the picture Is ridiculous.
III another room there was a fresco shaving
this wore smaller frescoes Of . dsnsias SIri
with her tambourine. and Leda and lie swan;
Az AN ancient ,n.disfr't ,riak 81 to a make MAKE q" q room Sns re peem 'h l"rSer
than IT was by painting IN a window. and with
in the compass OF the pseudo "indow painting
n scene which the spectator was supposed to
A line OF fres"oes around one room pictured
various trades. which are taken part In. how
ever, not by human beings. but by Cupids and
psyches, IL these were done in the impress
at from near at hand. One series represented
the making nj oil by Cupids. another tho bring
lug OF HOWtra % lie IDhTkoI, anu inc ITO "eT
market itself, with the chaplets, which have
been brought on IA goats bnck. disposed upon
an artificial tree. Cupids bring tho flowers
and sell them. a Psyche Is purchasing n
wreath 20 garland herself.
In one of the frescoes Cupids are gathering
grapes and pressing out tho wine, and further
on, in u wine shop, n young Gentleman-desig-
mated bv his stick il sampling tie wine pre-
p~aratory to purchasing. a ohild's game in
its several stages; a chariot race will. ante
lopes. from start TO finish: a dye house. with
the female Attendants treading the clothes inro
the dye. and the process OF coinage, or a gold
smiths shop-critics have disagreed as to which
It is-are among the subjects OF these frescoes.
Over each ono are birds. sometimes Deacocks.
Besides these there are some NEUROLOGICAL
representations. Among them. and perhaps
the beat one in the house, IL the song OF Apollo
after he has slain the python, There arc, he
sides, lphigenia at Tauris and IpniGenia at
Aulis, aud several amazons. There is also an
other representation from an earlier portion
OF the story OF IphiGeniR.
In bringing his discourse to n close Prof.
Morgan had thrown upon the screen a picture
not rom the house Of vettius, but from an-
ment of solomon" and the representation