The House of the Vettii is a very popular and well-studied house of ancient Rome for many reasons. The homeowners of The House of the Vettii are one feature of the house that contributes to its uniqueness. Aulus Vettius Restitutus and Aulus Vettius Conviva were brothers and freedman who made a large amount of money as merchants. Vettius Conviva was an augustalis, which was the highest civic office open to freedman. (McKay, 1975:82) He earned this position by donating a large sum of money for public works. With the money earned from this position the brothers bought an upper-class domus and remodled it to their needs. (Kleiner, 2010:35)
The peristyle at The House of the Vettii is famous for its symetrically laid out plan, which incoorporated marble basins, statuettes, and fountains. The massive size of the peristyle is always a factor recognized when discussing The House of the Vettii.
One unique feature is the absence of the tablinum, or the room used to conduct business. Freedman did not need a tablinum in which to receive clients as the previous owners did. (Kleiner, 2010: 34) Vitruvius, a Roman architect and author among many other things, provided a first hand account to different architecture in ancient Rome. He writes that tablina were not necessary for freedman "because they performed their duties by making the rounds visiting others, rather than having others make the rounds visiting them" (Vitruvius, 2010). But if the brothers did have guests over for business purposes, where would they meet? Some suggest that the homeowners used their impressive dining room to house their business guests. This room housed a famous frieze of cupids and psychai. These images romanticize and documents industries in Pompeii that brought men and women like the Vettii brothers their freedom, luxury, and status.
The peristyle at The House of the Vettii is famous for its symetrically laid out plan, which incoorporated marble basins, statuettes, and fountains. The massive size of the peristyle is always a factor recognized when discussing The House of the Vettii.
One unique feature is the absence of the tablinum, or the room used to conduct business. Freedman did not need a tablinum in which to receive clients as the previous owners did. (Kleiner, 2010: 34) Vitruvius, a Roman architect and author among many other things, provided a first hand account to different architecture in ancient Rome. He writes that tablina were not necessary for freedman "because they performed their duties by making the rounds visiting others, rather than having others make the rounds visiting them" (Vitruvius, 2010). But if the brothers did have guests over for business purposes, where would they meet? Some suggest that the homeowners used their impressive dining room to house their business guests. This room housed a famous frieze of cupids and psychai. These images romanticize and documents industries in Pompeii that brought men and women like the Vettii brothers their freedom, luxury, and status.
Obviously a notable attirubte of this Roman house is the amount of well-preserved paintings and their meanings. "The house was remolded and repainted by a single workshop between the years 62 and 79, and represents the later stage of the Fourth Style" (Gazda,1994:69). The workshop of painters made sure to highlight the house's entry sequence, visual axis, and symmetrical arrangments of rooms along the axis to impress the visitor. The Pentheus Room takes its name from the mythological panel depicting the death of the Greek Hero Pentheus. Other panels depicting mythological scenes show Hercules strangling serpents and the story of Dirce ad the bull. (Kleiner, 2010: 147) The Ixion Room is another famous area that features a mytholocial themed panel on each of its three walls. The Ixion Room is a prime example of the high fourth style as it combines all of the previous styles. The lowest part of the wall represents elements of the First Style and is one of the most successful imitations of costly marbles. The huge monochromatic panels, floral frames, and floating central motifs naturally fit the Third Style. The shading (chiaroscuro) makes the painting look three-dimensional and is therefore derivative of the Second Style.
This wall painting of the god Priapus, the god of fertility, was a very important god to the Vettii brothers. The painting was displayed near the entryway of the house so everyone could see it. In this painting Priapus weighs his enlarged phallus against bags of money, describing his phallus (the object of fertility) as equal in value to all the money in the world. He also stands near a basket full of blooming fruit which is also a symbol of fertility and growth. This painting not only references fertility and prosperity though, as it acted as a symbol of protection. The painting was meant to portray their "wealth, fortune, and success" (Nevett, 2005:8).