Motif and Stylistic Classification of the Decorations of the Casa dell’ Orso (Ferito) Pompeii (VII 2, 44-46)

I have finally uploaded my English translation of the chapter “Motif and Stylistic Classification of the Decorations” from the text “Hauser in Pompeji: Volume 2, Casa dell’ Orso [Ferito] (VII 2, 44-46) edited by Wolfgang Ehrhardt originally published in 1988, part of the Hauser in Pompeji project overseen by Volker Michael Strocka.

https://www.academia.edu/123326062/Motif_and_Stylistic_Classification_of_the_Decorations_from_the_Casa_dellOrso_Pompeii

The author points to evidence, that although much of the artwork was applied before the earthquake of 62 CE, it stylistically belongs to the 4th Pompeian Style rather than the 3rd Style. This is in contrast to previous assumptions that all 4th Style paintings in Pompeii were created after the earthquake.

One example is Ehrhardt's comparison of a mask on the east wall of the House of the Wounded Bear with a Third Style mask from the House of the Orchard:

"A comparison of the mask painted on the east wall with that of the Casa dell' Frutteto and that of the Casa di Fabio Rufo shows that it can no longer be associated with the Third Style. The hair falling in broad, dark brown strands that end in a point at the bottom next to the mask, the deep, dark brown shadows of the eye sockets and under the nose and the lip, are less graduated than in the other two. This difference cannot be a matter of handwritten features, since the shadowed temple and cheek areas of the mask from the Casa dell' Orso contrast more strongly with those of the Third Style with the light-shaded whitish front surface imitating marble."

Mask from the east wall of Garden m (Mau floorplan) from the House of the Wounded Bear (Casa dell'Orso Pompeii VII 2, 44-46) photograph courtesy of Peter Grunwald.

Third Style mask from the House of the Orchard (Casa del Frutteto Pompeii 1 9,5) image courtesy of Johannes Eber.

In addition to original photographs by Peter Grunwald and Wilhelm Gut, I have incorporated additional illustrations of comparative artwork from some of Pompeii’s most iconic structures including the House of the Vettii, the House of the Silver Wedding, the House of the Ephebe, and the House of the Orchard available from accredited sources in 2024. 

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