House of Venus in the Shell

House of Venus in the Shell Pompeii

 

Location: Regio II

Insula 3

Area: 667 square meters
Rooms: 15

 

House of Venus in the Shell  House of Venus in the Shell 

The House of Venus on the Shell or in the Shell stands on Via dell Abbondanza one of the most important streets of the city. At the time of the destruction of Pompeii, the House of Venus in the Shell was the property of D. Lucretii Satrii Valentes. Archaeologists discovered and studied this building in 1933-35 years of the last century. During the war, the Allied bombers dropped several bombs on this building. In 1952, archaeologists excavated the buildings completely and restored the building of the House of Venus.

 

House of Venus in the Shell is named after one of the most famous frescoes that came to symbolize not only art of Pompeii, but all of Roman Empire. House of Venus in the Shell stands on the Via dell'Abbondanza street. It is also known as the H. of D. Lucretii Satrii Valentes. It was excavated in the 1930's. It is most prominent for beautiful frescoes that covered walls of this residence. It is one of the most recognizable pictures from Pompeii. The most splendid example is that of goddess of love, Venus lying on a conch shell, while nymphs tending for her.

House of Venus in the Shell  House of Venus in the Shell

 

A small corridor leads to a square atrium or living room of the house (b) with a central imluvium, indoor pool. Water got here through a hole in the roof. The atrium lost most of its frescoes and plaster, but large remnants of gypsum show that it was decorated with red and yellow panels above the bottom black frieze. On the north side of the atrium, on either side of the entrance, there are two cubals or rooms that have lost most of their original decoration.

The third cubulum (d) opens from the southeast corner of the atrium. The room is decorated with frescoes in the third style with framed white panels, separated by fantastic architectural views over the bottom dark red frieze. The central panel of the south wall contains the heavily faded mythological scene of Hermes and Dionysus. The side panels on the north wall contain pieces, and in the east there are two medallions.