Villa Boscoreale

Villa Boscoreale is an ancient Roman villa, located in the town of Boscoreale, about two kilometers outside Pompeii in Campania, southern Italy. This area was a hunting reserve and also used agriculturally, specializing in wine and olive oil. [Hornblower, Simon and Antony Spawforth . Oxford Classical Dictionary. London: Oxford University Press, 1996. 254.] Evidence in tablets and graffiti shows that the house was probably built in the first century (around 30-40) BC ["The Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale." "The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin" Winter 1987-88: 17-36.] The villa burned in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.

Ownership

Ownership of the villa has been contested. While there is no doubt P. Fannius Synistor did reside there, excavated bronze tablets show another name, that of Lucius Herrenius Florus . Many things were marked with seals in ancient Rome to indicate possession. It is believed that since the tablet with the letters "L. HER. FLO" on the front of it was found inside the villa, it must serve as a mark of villa ownership. [Milne, Margerie J. "A Bronze Stamp from Boscoreale." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 09. 1930: 188-190.] These two owners are the only confirmed owners in the early first century BC and first century AD. However, there may have been a first owner before them even. For clarity, the house is referred to as being owned by P. Fannius Synistor ["The Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale" p. 18] .

Art

The Villa is probably most notable for its aesthetic contributions. Villa Boscoreale was uncovered around 1900 and produced upon excavation many frescoes and paintings, delineating nuances of luxurious Roman lifestyle. For example, the Metropolitan Museum of Art houses many of the paintings that hung on the bedroom (cubiculum diurnum) walls. ["The Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale" p. 17] These paintings themselves depict further rooms, columns, landscape, and garden scenes, all emphasizing expansion and grandeur. This technique is very common in the Second Style which was quite popular during this time . This is all done using the illusionistic trompe l’oeil method, probably employed by its owner to boast of his personal splendor and wealth. ["The Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale" p. 18] In one bedroom, known as Room M, the frescoes and murals on the walls depict columns that appear to expand into another room, giving the illusion of a much larger space, almost never ending. The elaborate paintings go as far as to show real looking "metal and glass vases on shelves and tables appearing to project out from the wall." ["The Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale" p. 21]

Much of the work found in the various rooms has characteristics of Hellenism or Classicism. For instance, paintings found in the living room seem depictions of either philosophers, such as Epicurus, Zeno or Menedemos, or possibly old kings, like King Kinyras of Cyprus. ["The Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale" p. 29] Similarly, the bedrooms described in Second Style also evoke Hellenistic qualities, such as are seen at the Tomb of Lyson or at Kallikles ["The Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale" p. 31] . At a time when the Roman Republic was ending and classicism somewhat fading, this seems an interesting comment on style and taste. Seemingly, Greek representations in the home were considered acceptable, even admired and sophisticated ["The Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale" p. 31] . These Romans would take traditional Greek styles and make them Roman by adding greater splendor with more ornate wall and expanding bedroom depictions, all to impress, as the Romans loved to do.

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A winged genius, from the peristyle.

A silver mirror depicting Leda and the swan, found at the site.

Notes

Sources

*cite book|last=Hornblower|first=Simon |coauthors=Antony Spawforth |title=Oxford Classical Dictionary|location=London|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1996|pages=p. 254
*cite journal|last=Milne|first=Margerie J.|title=A Bronze Stamp from Boscoreale|journal=The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin|issue=09|year=1930|pages=pp. 188–190|doi=10.2307/3255709|volume=25
*cite journal|title=The Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale|journal=The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin|date=Winter 1987-88|pages=pp. 17–36