Just a few short months ago on July 16, 2023, the House of the Silver Wedding in Pompeii was reopened to the public after four years of extensive restoration as part of the Great Pompeii Project. The home, that is thought to have been originally constructed in the 2nd half of the 2nd century during the Samnite Period, features its own bath house and an open-air swimming pool fed by the Serino aqueduct. Excavations began in 1891 and the house was named for the silver wedding anniversary of King Umberto I and Margherita of Savoy held in 1893.
The work included not only conserving the frescos and mosaics but removing heavy reinforced concrete structures installed soon after World War II and restoring columns in the Corinthian atrium. The Archaeological Park of Pompeii explained that the project was extremely complex because it involved removing the concrete without causing additional damage to the ancient masonry. Extensive research was also needed into the different phases of building and decoration that occurred over time, particularly those modifications that were performed in the vestibule, the tetrastyle atrium, the alae, the tablinum, the corridors, peristyle, the Corinthian oecus and the exedras overlooking the rhodium peristyle. Three large garden areas were also replanted using archaeological data as a guide. Further work is planned in these green spaces as well as additional restoration of the western oecus and the antechamber to the thermal baths along the rhodium peristyle.
Fortunately for those of us that have not seen the newly refurbished structure, Professor Johannes Eber of the University of Zurich Institut für Archäologie provided a wealth of excellent photos of the restoration work to
pompeiiinpictures.com. I will share them with you in batches since there are so many.
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 2023 Room 1, atrium and impluvium looking south towards tablinum and peristyle Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber |
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 2023 Room 1, looking north-west across impluvium in atrium Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber |
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 2023 Room 1, looking north across atrium with compluvium Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber |
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 2023 Detail of capital on top of column at side of impluvium in atrium Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber |
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 2023 Room 1, atrium, looking south-east across south end of impluvium Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber. |
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 2023 Room 1, atrium, Looking west towards travertine puteal, rectangular marble base and stone basin on a stand Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber |
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii Room 1, south end of impluvium, with puteal and stop cocks with pipe, on right Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber |
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 2023 Room 1, south end of impluvium, stop cocks with pipes Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber |
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii Room 1, south end of impluvium, detail of stop cocks and pipes Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber |
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 2023 Room 1, atrium, south end of impluvium, detail of travertine puteal Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber |
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 2023 Room 1, atrium, looking north-east across impluvium from south end Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber |
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 2023 Room 1, atrium, looking north-west across impluvium from south end Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber. |
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 2023 Room 1, looking south-east across atrium towards tablinum, on right Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber |
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 2023 Room 1, looking north-west across atrium towards entrance corridor and small doorway to room 2 Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber |
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 2023 Room 1, atrium, looking north-east towards entrance corridor with doorway to room 3a, on left Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber |
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 2023 Room 1, detail of painted decoration on north wall in north-east corner Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber |
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| House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 2023 Room 1, looking towards north wall from east side of atrium Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber |
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House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii Room 1, atrium, looking towards north-east corner and doorway to room 3, center left, stairway, and doorway to room 4, on right courtesy of Johannes Eber
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