3-035-814 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Frescoed Wall with Double White Field and a Niche, A.D. 50-79. Additional Info: One of two frescoes that decorated the vaulted cubiculum (bedroom) of the Villa of Numerius Popidius Florus at Boscoreale. Adjacent to the villa’s bath, this was one of the last rooms to be decorated. The chamber (known as Cubiculum 13) contained frescoes with elegant compositions on a white background. This section of wall includes the upper part of a doorway. Portions of the original stucco ceiling moldings, ornamented with impressed floral motifs, are still attached along the edge of the arch. The decoration of the upper register features columns and trellises that frame hanging garlands, birds, vessels, and theater masks. On either side of the doorway, two groupings of satirical masks accompany a silver kantharos at left and a partially open basket at right.