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House of the Golden Cupids

Address: Insula 16
Area: 759 square meters
Rooms: 15

It is believed that the House of the Golden Cupids was originally excavated between 1903 and 1905, belonged to the rich resident of Pompeii, Gnai Poppius Habitus. The building is located on Via del Vesuvio. This exquisite dwelling, richly decorated for its time. The House of the Golden Cupids was named after glass discs engraved with cupids found in a room near the peristyle.

The entrance to the House of the Golden Cupids is located on the west side of the Via del Vesuvio with a simple facade. Corridor (a) is decorated with frescoes of the third style, which today are poorly preserved, with the exception of the upper zone, which is decorated with images of birds, including magnificent images of peacock. A short corridor leads to a square atrium-living room (b) with a central imluvium-pool. The atrium is now in poor condition, but from what remains, murals in the third style are visible. The walls are decorated with red panels depicting landscapes, separated by black stripes.

On either side of the entrance are rooms (c and d). Both are decorated in the same way, with red and yellow panels separated by black stripes above the lower black frieze. The panels are decorated with small human figures. The red and yellow central zone in each room is crowned with a toothed molded cornice. On the western side of the atrium is a table-bedroom (e), which is also decorated with frescoes in the third style. The decoration consists of orange-yellow panels on both sides of large central panels with mythological scenes located above the bottom black frieze. One surviving panel (on the western wall) depicts Helen and Paris in Sparta. According to legend, Paris from Troy stole Helen and thus gave the Greeks a reason to start a war against Troy.