Frescoed Wall with Double White Field and a Niche

One of two frescoes that decorated the vaulted cubiculum (bedroom) of the Villa of Numerius Popidius Florus at Boscoreale (see also 70.AG.90). 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. The painting style, categorized by scholars as Fourth Style, is the last style of Roman wall painting, and combines elements of the three styles that came before.

The Villa of Numerius Popidius Florus was built in the early first century B.C., and underwent several modifications before it was destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Two marble plaques found in the central courtyard reveal the name of the owner, who came from a well-established family in Pompeii. In contrast to the urban houses of Pompeii and the seaside villas overlooking the Bay of Naples, however, the country estates (or villae rusticae) of Boscoreale were working farms. The estate of Numerius Popidius Florus produced wine, which was stored in large jars partially buried in the courtyard. The house itself was richly decorated with frescoes and mosaics and had a small bath complex. Excavated in 1905–1906, the site was subsequently reburied after most of the wall paintings, vessels, and other objects were removed.