The House of the Faun

[endlessrarities]

Writers' Group tonight, so I'm going to devote tonight's post to some more gratuitous Roman stuff from Pompeii. 

It's the turn of the House of the Faun tonight, so called because it features a little bronze statue of a faun in its courtyard:-

The faun is a replica - the original is in Naples museum.  Also represented here by a replica is the famous 'Alexander' mosaic, which features Alexander the Great battling the Persian King Darius.  Here's the original, which again has been relocated to Naples Archaeological Museum:-


 

And a detail, just to show how impressive the workmanship is:-

 

Okay, so sometimes Roman art can be rather good!  I'd certainly have this one in my house!!

In case you're wondering if there's anything original left at the site, then I'm pleased to report that there are some in situ frescoes still remaining.  Like this one:-
 

 

There were several more mosaics recovered from this house which have also - yes, you've guessed it! - been now been removed to Naples Museum, and one of them is so wonderful that I'll have to feature it tomorrow! 

And now, I'd better go!!

Comments

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

I think it was around the 11th-12th centuries, around the time they also started breeding the bigger horses. The padded horse collar made it possible for the horse to put his formidable shoulders* into the job. I know the Limburg Bros show a horse being used for harrowing in one of the calendar pages of the Tres Riches Heures, which is very early 15c. Here's an image:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Les_Tr%C3%A8s_Riches_Heures_du_duc_de_Berry_octobre_detail.jpg

Edit: Wikipedia is surely our friend for refreshing our memories on stuff like this, but I was pretty close:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horses_in_the_Middle_Ages#Agriculture

*Edit II: Wikipedia says hindquarters rather than shoulders, but I thought the point of the collar was that it would engage the shoulders instead of the neck.