Mt. Vesuvius at the Tar Pits: Garden Gnome Edition

unk. Garden Scene, House of the Golden Bracelet, Pompeii, c. 1st cent. BCE-1st cent. CE (fresco)
unk. Basin and Stand (foreground), c. 1st cent. CE (marble)

A large part of Pompeii and the Roman Villa is set aside for objects that were found outside the homes: the illusionistic garden frescoes found in the inner courtyards, the bronze waterspouts, and collections of garden ornaments. In some ways the middle rooms at LACMA can be seen as being torn from the pages (papyrus?) of an ancient Sunset magazine. Of course, after Mount Vesuvius rained down fire and brimstone in 79 CE, any Adirondack chairs or similar combustible patio furnishings have been lost to the ages. Left behind for LACMA to display are the more sturdy frescoed walls, bronzes, and marble sculptures. The 12-foot long fresco above gives us some sense of what the gardens looked like, before they too went up in smoke.

unk. Satyr and Hermaphrodite, c. 1st cent. BCE-1st cent. CE (white marble)

Part of the design of gardens (both ancient and contemporary) is the sequential presentation of outdoor rooms and vistas. The door in a peristyle wall may at first draw one's attention to the outside view, and later, one's body will follow to discover the subsequent space. This process of physically moving through space followed by surprise is also contained in the sculpture pictured above and below. What at first appears to be a nymph of some sort fighting off the sexual advances of a satyr, reveals from the other side that the nymph is actually a hermaphrodite. Finding that the girl isn't a girl gives the garden wanderer a Crying Game moment. But unlike the prudish shock of contemporary filmgoers, finding both breasts and a penis on an attractive figure would have been a pleasant surprise--and an added treat--for the Roman observer.

Satyr and Hermaphrodite (money shot)

My first take on LACMA's Pompeii show is here.

unk. Fountain Figure Silenos Riding a Wineskin, c. 1st cent. BCE-1st cent. CE (bronze)

A couple of the bronzes (above and below) were excavated from the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum. The foundations of the house were used as a model for the layout of the Getty Villa. Save your LACMA Pompeii tickets and use them to gain a reservation-free entry to the Getty Villa in Malibu. There you can find reproductions of these sculptures in the peristyle gardens, and gain a sense of how they looked in their original setting.

unk. Girl Adjusting her Peplos (Peplophoros), c. 1st cent. BCE-1st cent. CE (bronze)

Though it's a crappy image, I had to include this picture of a boar being held at bay by two dogs. The rendering of stiff boar bristles along the spine and the pig's shaggy coat evoke a strong tactile urge--a compliment to its creator. But since oily fingers and antiquities don't mix, I'll have to settle for some prosciutto on crusty bread for any porcine sensual experience.

unk. Dog-Boar-Dog, c. 1st cent. BCE-1st cent. CE (bronze)

Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples is on view at LACMA May 3, 2009 through October 4, 2009. Advance reservations are required.

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