Opposite the house of the Vettii, in the triangular-shaped Insula on Via Vesuvio, stands the house belonging to the wealthy gens Poppaea - possibly the family of Nero's second wife.
The house obtained its name from the original decoration used for the Cubiculum near the shrine of the tutelary gods, where, set into the plaster, there were several glass discs whose gold leaf back bore the engraving of the cupids. The layout of the house is quite unusual as it has an Atrium and Atrium and the peristyle which was used as a sort of office for the household business. This was where the tabulae, or accounts and other documents, were kept. '>Tablinum but no cubicula (bed chambers) on either side, and all of this is off-set compared to the rest of the house, which elegantly extends out towards the Peristyle and garden. The latter was lavishly decorated with statuettes, busts, animal sculptures and theatrical masks which were fitted into the walls and hung between the columns, in addition to medallions against the evil eye.
Every single object was tastefully designed and added a magical atmosphere to the house. The colonnade along which we find the Lararium and, tucked away in one corner, the sacellum dedicated to the Egyptian triad of Harpocrates, Isis and Serapis follows the slope of the ground so that the west-facing side is higher than the rest.
Here we find the Triclinium with its stone beds and two lavishly decorated rooms: the one on the left, with a vegetable garden to the rear, shows a depiction of the seasons against a white background, while the other (which backs onto the kitchen) is decorated with love-related themes, such as Leda and the swan, Venus fishing, and Actaeon spying on Diana while she bathes. Both rooms have particularly striking coffered ceilings.
Opposite the house of the Vettii, in the triangular-shaped Insula on Via Vesuvio, stands the house belonging to the wealthy gens Poppaea - possibly the family of Nero's second wife.
The house obtained its name from the original decoration used for the Cubiculum near the shrine of the tutelary gods, where, set into the plaster, there were several glass discs whose gold leaf back bore the engraving of the cupids. The layout of the house is quite unusual as it has an Atrium and Atrium and the peristyle which was used as a sort of office for the household business. This was where the tabulae, or accounts and other documents, were kept. '>Tablinum but no cubicula (bed chambers) on either side, and all of this is off-set compared to the rest of the house, which elegantly extends out towards the Peristyle and garden. The latter was lavishly decorated with statuettes, busts, animal sculptures and theatrical masks which were fitted into the walls and hung between the columns, in addition to medallions against the evil eye.
Every single object was tastefully designed and added a magical atmosphere to the house. The colonnade along which we find the Lararium and, tucked away in one corner, the sacellum dedicated to the Egyptian triad of Harpocrates, Isis and Serapis follows the slope of the ground so that the west-facing side is higher than the rest.
Here we find the Triclinium with its stone beds and two lavishly decorated rooms: the one on the left, with a vegetable garden to the rear, shows a depiction of the seasons against a white background, while the other (which backs onto the kitchen) is decorated with love-related themes, such as Leda and the swan, Venus fishing, and Actaeon spying on Diana while she bathes. Both rooms have particularly striking coffered ceilings.
Gallery 3