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House of Holconius Rufus

Address: Regio VIII, Insula 4
Area: 706 square meters
Rooms: 16

The House of Holconius Rufus is located on the south side of the Villa Dell'Abbandanza street, east of the intersection with Via dei Teatri ie Theater street. House of Holconius Rufus was first discovered in 1766 and excavated between 1855 and 1861. The house is a prime example of the “dig up and forget” philosophy that pursued the history of the excavations of Pompeii. Due to carelessness and neglect, the once bright and vibrant murals dug in the mid-1800s almost disappeared. At the intersection of the streets of Villa Dell'Abbandanza and Via Stabiana, there was once a statue of M. Holconius Rufus. Therefore, the intersection was known as Holconius. Little is known about the former owner, but judging by the image of the god of wine Bacchus, Holconius Rufus was not averse to a drink.

An early description of House of Holconius Rufus by the historian Thomas H. Dyer, published in 1875 (“Pompeii: Its History, Buildings and Antiquities”) draws a very different picture of the house from what can be seen today. According to Dyer, the walls of the hallway (a) were decorated with black panels separated by green and yellow lines above the bottom red frieze. In the center of the black panels on one side were images of an ibis, a swan with outstretched wings and a third scene that could not be seen. On the other side were drawings of cupids, one with a cornucopia, one with a drum, and two with baskets of fruit. The upper zone on each side depicted a nymph among fantastic architecture on a white background.

The transition between the hallway and the atrium (the central living room of the mansion) was destroyed. The pool in the middle of the living room was apparently repaired at the time of the death of Pompeii, as the marble was removed, although the pool was preserved. The living room - the atrium was decorated with red panels, separated by vertical black stripes, such as pilasters along with lines and decorations in different colors. On the wall to the left of the entrance, a recumbent Silen is drawn, crowned with a crown of ivy, holding a small Bacchus in his hands, who, in alarm, escapes from his embrace.

Next to this scene, on a yellow background, a man’s head was drawn, with two claws like horns, and a beard floating like water. Perhaps it was an Ocean mask. This image looks like a coin found in Agrigentum. The atrium has rooms on all four sides and has a dark gray floor, with motley rows of small pieces of white marble. The northernmost rooms - the room (c and i) have doorways in their northern walls, which gives access to neighboring shops. Both rooms are in fairly poor state of conservation.

The small room (d) in the center of the eastern side of the atrium was decorated with frescoes in the fourth style on a white background. The white panels, according to Dyer, contained four small images, two of which were destroyed by marauders shortly after the eruption. On another image, the aged Faun appears, holding a staff and a vase in his hands; another portrayed a young woman talking to an African slave. Ala (e) on the east side of the atrium was decorated with yellow central panels framed by red side panels above the bottom black frieze. In the center of each yellow panel is a mythological medallion. Unfortunately, during the eruption, all the paintings received significant damage, and only fragments remained. The scene on the north wall depicts Perseus and Andromeda, and on the east wall Apollo and Daphne, the scene on the south wall depicts Hercules with Alkestis and Admet.

Ala (d) on the western side of the atrium, apparently, was separated from the living room and sitting on various metal and earthenware found in it, the room was used as a kitchen or, more likely, as a storeroom. The room - the cubiculum (h) in the center of the west side of the atrium is decorated with fourth-style frescoes with white panels separated by candelabras supporting small globes above the lower red frieze. Each of the eight white panels shows a small picture of the head or bust with the symbols of the god of wine Bacchus.