Vases, Furniture and Objects Discovered at Herculaneum

Pierre-Adrien Pâris studied and drew these ancient Roman tables, stools, ewers, and lighting devices while on a visit to a Roman museum. He based the chair with the sphinxes on a Pompeian wall fresco. He made many such drawings in preparation for illustrations in a book titled Voyage pittoresque; ou Descriptions des royaumes de Naples et de Sicile (A Picturesque Voyage; or Descriptions of the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily), published in 1783. Designers copied these images to furnish the homes of clients eager for rooms in the style of Pompeii.

Although scholars had studied classical remains with great interest since the Renaissance, they could not obtain accurate information about them before the 1770s without actually visiting Italy or Greece. By that time, printed reproductions of actual classical wall decoration and furniture made on the spot began to appear, providing a fertile source of inspiration for both painters and craftsmen. In the past, artists had created objects and designs based on strange blends of ancient motifs and newly invented ones. Now, with direct copies of actual objects available to a wider market, a new demand arose for more authentic classically inspired interiors.