ABSTRACT: An Eclectic Locus Artis: The Casa di Octavius Quartio at Pompeii

©  Francesca C. Tronchin 2005-2008

 

The purpose of this dissertation is to re-examine the Casa di Octavius Quartio at Pompeii (II.2.2) in terms of its decoration, its ownership, and its place not only in Pompeii, but also in the greater sphere of Roman houses. There are four main goals in this dissertation: to publish and describe more fully the sculpture and surviving fresco decoration from the house; to delineate the decorative function of the painting and sculpture; to attempt a reconstruction of Roman meaning of this house’s art collection; to correct some of the errors made by previous scholars.


The owner of the Casa di Octavius Quartio is not known at this time. He was not, however, a priest of the Egyptian goddess Isis as once postulated. The residents of this house did indeed have a great interest in Egypt, as demonstrated in the fresco and statuette collections. The famous priest depicted in room f of this house is most likely the son or grandson of the family residing in the house, but not the owner of the property.
 

The decoration of the Casa di Octavius Quartio is comprised of seven frescoed rooms and more than twenty statuettes in marble and glazed terracotta. The significance of this decoration lies in its status as a compendium of the major subjects present in most decorative schemes of well-to-do Roman homes of the early Empire in Italy. The frescoes and sculpture represent the eclectic taste of Roman elite patrons and demonstrate the artistic syncretism that combined Egyptian and Greek prototypes, resulting in a thoroughly Roman ensemble. References to exotic lands, Greek epic, Latin literature, the theater, Isiac religion, hunting, and the Dionysiac thiasos are among the allusions in this house’s painting and sculpture. The variation of these themes is significant for it underscores the inherent eclecticism in all of Roman art and demonstrates the desire of Roman patrons to decorate their homes with a wide variety of subject matter. Comparative analysis of archaeological remains and literary sources reveals that making a multiplicity of references in one’s decorative ensemble was actually preferred by Pompeian homeowners and the Casa di Octavius Quartio can as a primer for the catholic iconographical tastes of the time.

 
This dissertation includes an appendix detailing all the finds from the Casa di Octavius Quartio—information that has not been published before. More than 140 photographs, plans, and diagrams illustrate the dissertation; more than half the photographs are new ones taken by the author.



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