HOUSE OF THE VETTII

Figure 1

Is the way the house designed a manner of creating individual identity?

Introduction:

After the volcano Vesuvius erupted, it engulfed the city of Pompeii and many of its inhabitants and structures. Centuries later, archaeologists were able to unearth the city and discover many of its structures still preserved. One of those standing structures is the House of the Vettii. Scholars, along with evidence found, believe this structure was owned by two former slaves who used their wealth to decorate their house in an uncommon manner, compared to other houses execavated.

In this online exhibition, I will argue the following: the owners of the House of the Vettii intentionally designed their house to feature exuberant art and decor as a motivation to prove their status to Pompeiian society.

Image of Peristyle at the House of the Vetti (courtesy of PompeiiinPictures.com)

Who were Freedmen in Rome?

Scholars believe that the house is owned by former slaves that go by the name Aulus Vettius Restitutus and Aulus Vettius Conviva, which can be shown in figure 2 and figure 3. Their identity as former slaves is identified in several ways. First, the name "Restitutus" was a common slave name and second, graffiti was found on the exterior of the house with the inscriptions "Augustalis," according to which William Archer mentions is a position as a priest for former slaves. This is significant because it allows the audience to understand that the house was owned by former slaves and, most importantly, the interior decorative approach is that of the "nouveau riche." However, identifying that the house is owned by freedmen also allows for scholars to interpret the social structure in Pompeii.

Freedmen were ridiculed by the established aristocracy and even the wealthiest of freedmen were seen as less of a class due to their origin. According to Pedro Lopez Barja de Quiroga's article, Freedmen Social Mobility in Roman Italy, he mentions that freedmen were "bullied" by the upper aristocracy due to their fortune and laws were intentionally "greedy" to exploit the freedmen (Barja de Quirogas). Its importance shows that the average freedmen would have to keep their inner circle more personal in order to have more control to demonstrate their status. However, Barja de Quirogas does mention that some freedmen were better able to integrate themselves into society through, what he calls, "scales," where one's education and levels of income helped them climb the social ladder. Although he mentions this, it was often difficult to climb the ladder with already established and generational families in Rome. A literary source that paints a social commentary on the Roman freedmen is Petronius's The Satyricon.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Fellini's The Satyricon, 1970

Petronius on the Roman Freedmen

Petronius describes the home of a former slave and his elaborate taste for the unusual spectacle. The authors ultimate goal is to paint a social commentary on how ridiculous wealthy freedmen outdid their homes in order to stand out. Petronius uses the character of Trimalchio as an example to the audience of how a freedmen would outdo himself. For example, in his narrative, Trimalchio would entertain his guest with his slaves and when one of them would make a mistake, he would harshly punish them. This is significant because it shows how Trimalchio would use his house as a way to demonstrate his power over someone who is lesser than in soceital view. Now that he is free, he orders and commands, which is the complete opposite of what he once was. According to Lauren Hackworth Peterson in her book, The Freedman in Roman Art and Art History, Trimalchio represents the "anxieties" that Romans felt in presenting themselves to others. That is, as much as a former slave presents himself, his self-identity is still looked down upon due to their servile past. Therefore, in order to create a strong self-image, according to Peterson, the atrium and tablinum cannot be "understated." For instance, since the atrium could be visibly seen from the street to passersby, it was important for a homeowner to have a well designed and large atrium to impress the public eye and to show significant social standing. In the case of the House of the Vettii, this theme becomes apparent in several spaces inside the house.

Entering the House

The Atrium

As mentioned by Peterson, the atrium is a central part to presenting one's self-identity to the public but also to their closest patrons and inner circle. In the House of the Vettii, when one enters the atrium, they are greeted with art decorated along the entrance and columns. However, when you look forward, the tablinum is missing. Instead, guests are greeted with a view of a garden, as seen in figure 5.

Without a proper tablinum, the Vettii owners are instead using the art decorated around the atrium to supply for the missing space. Here, the guest can get more intimate and learn from the painted walls. In Shelley Hales book, The Roman house and Social Identity, she mentions that the impression of power is made by the impression of fantasy. Here, we can see this done in the House of the Vettii through the strongbox, as seen in figure 4, where presumably a treasure or gifts were held. This is significant because for a guest to see this, it allows the owners to demonstrate their personal wealth and promote their upper status to patrons. Similar to Trimalchio creating spectacle for his guest, using the strongbox allows for the Vetii owners to create their own identity within their home. In addition to the strongbox, guest are greeted with an image of Priapus balancing a bag of money and vegetation with his phallus, as seen in figure 7. By using images of phalluses and presenting their wealth publicly, owners are making a "Trimalchio" statement.

Figure 4 (top), Figure 5 (bottom)

Interior Decorations

The further guests go inside the house, they are greeted with mythological images and more intimate images of phalluses. In figure 6, guests are greeted with the mythological figure of eros and a boy holding a trophy. The eros fighting off the crab shows a labor taking place, it is supposed to show the audience of a short event going on, with heroic intention. In addition to the above image, the young boy holding the trophy also shows another sign of victory. This is significant because it shows, according to Hales, an understanding of Greek Culture. This in turn shows off the owners intellect but also creates a common intimate space, for it was usual for mythological figures to appear in other houses in Pompeii.

Hales continues to mention that wall painting was also a way for homeowners to demonstrate their family history. This is done in several ways within the house of the Vettii. For example, the statue of Priapus wearing a priest cap tells the audience of the homeowners, particapation as a Augustales, as seen in figure 8. The owner uses Priapus, the god of fertility, as a way to demonstrate his own image of having good fertility and to also show off his priesthood. When guests see this statue, its as if they are welcome to know the owner is a priest but also a fun commentary of him being Priapus. Again, the theme of spectacle is played out with this statue for the owner to create a stronger sense of self-identity.

Another way of the Vettii owners to tell their story is through the image of Priapus holding the money bag balance on his phallus. First thing the audience sees when they walk in is this image, as shown in figure 7. The Vettii owners are trying to tell the audience that they are not only blessed with wealth, but also good fertility. This is important because it not only shows the desire of showing off to guest, but once you walk in the home, the impression of power is held by the homeowner.

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

The Garden

The peristyle is one of the most central focused spaces in the House of the Vettii. In figure 1, the viewer can see that the lack of the tablinum is instead made up by a huge garden. As mentioned by Hales, not all houses in Pompeii used the same design and most houses that were left standing after an earthquake, were later changed for their "original appearances" (99). This is significant because most house plans in Pompeii followed a similar design with the use of symmetry and a later use of a peristyle. The House of the Vettii differs as it does not have a traditional tablinum and instead offers a greater peristyle to the guests.

The House of the Vettii features a peristyle that entertains the eye with many decorative features. In figure 10, the audience sees a double bust of Dionysus, the god of wine, and Ariadne, the Cretan princess. A common feature to have these two mythical characters since the region was known for wine productivity and the Vettii owners are found to be wine producers as well. In figure 12, lion columns are holding up a table in the garden. The purpose for these two objects is to entertain but most importantly to create the impression of power, intimacy and upper social-identity. This is done by bringing the mythological figures in to the garden with an intentional illusion of one walking into a mythical story itself. With the reccuring theme in the house of using spectacle to create an impression of power for the owners.

Figure 9 (top left), figue 10 (bottom left), figure 11 (top right), figure 12 (bottom right)

House of Octavius Quartio

Image of Garden found in the House of Octavius Quartio, courtsey of Ermark Travel Guide

Figure 13

Compareable case study:

The House of Octavius Quartio is seen to feature similar "freedmen" taste style due to wealth of decorative features. Here, the garden is the focal point, as seen in figure 13 of the floor plan, and the rooms are just small decorations around it. John Clarke mentions in Petersons book, that freedmen used their wealth for a desire of "material trappings." And peterson followed his thought by suggesting that the desire for imitation gave a "lack of taste" that could only be prominent amongst the "libertinus." Classical scholars such as Cicero share the same ideas on luxury and status when he mentions, "the abuses of leading men [principes] are bad enough; but what is worse is the way they have so many imitators." Here, Andrew Wallace-Hadrill describes Cicero's ideas as an anxiety for the public to imitate what the rich are doing. As seen in the House of the Vettii, where the owners try to position their status through art and decor, here the House of Ocatvius Quartio tries to imitate on a larger scale to show off its wealth. By designing the house the way it is, the owners try to establish their identity by making their audience see the grander of impression they are trying to make with their garden.

Conclusion

By designing the house to feature many decorative pieces, making it common with intimate mythical figures and by creating a peristyle meant for entertainment, the Vettii owners positioned themselves to impress their guest and prove their value in society. Inside the house, the owners are able to entertain and show off within their inner social circle to create a sense of social identity to their liking.

Image of atrium facing towards peristyle in House of the Vettii, courtesy of PompeiiinPictures

Created by Keven Michel

University of California, Los Angeles

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