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Two Silchester Wall-Decorations Recovered

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2011

Roger Ling
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Summary

G. E. Fox's reconstruction of fragments of painted plaster found in house XIV, I at Silchester is subjected to new scrutiny, and it is argued that, rather than belonging (as Fox thought) to a dado, they derive from two separate all-over patterns of the type described by German writers as Tapetenmuster. It is suggested that the decorations come from the adjacent rooms 22 and 29, and, by comparison with other examples of similar patterns in other parts of the Roman Empire, that they probably adorned the walls rather than the ceilings.

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Type
Research Article
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The Antiquaries Journal , Volume 64 , Issue 2 , September 1984, pp. 280 - 297
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 1984

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References

Notes

1 Archaeologia, lv (1896–97), pp. 249 f.Google Scholar, fig. 5.

2 Davey, N. and Ling, R. J., Wall Painting in Roman Britain, Britannia Monograph Series, III (1982) (hereafter ‘Davey and Ling’), pp. 153–5. no. 33.Google Scholar

3 For an alternation of squares and medallions, cf. a vault-decoration in the Domus Transitoria in Rome: Bastet, F. L., ‘Domus Transitoria’, Bull, van de Vereeniging tot Bevordering der Kennis van de Antieke Beschaving, xlvi (1971), pp. 144–72Google Scholar, at pp. 157–60, figs. 7–9.

4 Tebby, Mosaics: S., ‘Geometric design in Roman tessellated pavements’, Mosaic, vi (April 1982), pp. 10–12Google Scholar, pls. in, iv; ead., ‘Geometric mosaics: an introduction’, Mosaic, vii (November 1982), pp. 6–11, pls. 1, 11. Pompeian paintings: Barbet, A. and Allag, C., ‘Techniques de préparation des parois dans la peinture murale romaine’, Mélanges de l'Éicole Française de Rome. Antiquité, lxxxiv (1972), pp. 935–1069Google Scholar, at pp. 992–1006, figs. 25–31.

5 Pozzuoli tombs: Mielsch, H., Römische Stuckreliefs, Mitt, des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts. Römische Abteilung, Ergänzungsheft xxi (1975). pp.63 f., 148–50 K58–9, pls. 57–63Google Scholar. Domus Transitoria: Bastet, op. cit. (note 3); ibid., xlvii (1972), pp. 61–87. Golden House: Dacos, N., La Découverte de la Domus Aurea et la formation des grotesques à la Renaissance (London and Leiden, 1969), pp. 13–20Google Scholar, pls. 11, m. Fishbourne: Cunliffe, B. W., Excavations at Fishbourne 1961–1969, Soc. Antiq. London Res. Rep. xxvi (1971), 1, pp. 146–8Google Scholar, pis. lxxiv–lxxx.

6 Good examples appear in Second Style wall-decorations, e.g. in the Villa of the Mysteries at Pompeii, the villa at Oplontis, and the villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale. Cf. Pompei 1748–1980: i tempi della documentazione (exhibition catalogue, Rome, 1981), p. 73, fig. 34 (House of Ceres).

7 Hinton St. Mary and Rudston: see, e.g., Neal, D. S., Roman Mosaics in Britain, Britannia Monograph Series, 1 (1981), nos. 61–9Google Scholar. Chedworth: Goodburn, R., The Roman Villa, Chedworth, National Trust (1979), pp. 25 f., pl. 6.Google Scholar

8 Notizie degli scavi di antichità (1934), p. 282, pl. x. For the date, Bastet, F. L. and de Vos, M., Proposta per una classificazione del terzo stile pompeiano, Archeologische Studiën van het Nederlands Instituut te Rome, iv (1979), pp. 87 fGoogle Scholar. For a sequence of Tapetenmuster in the decoration of a single vault, see the Golden House cryptoportico 70: e.g. Dacos, op. cit. (note 5), pp. 30 f., fig. 23.

9 Marzoll: Christlein, R. in Bayerische Vorgeschichtsblätter, xxviii (1963), pp. 43Google Scholar, 44, pl. 1. Avenches: Drack, W., ‘Neuentdeckte römische Wandmalereien in der Schweiz’, part 3, Antike Welt, xii (1981), Heft i, pp. 17–32Google Scholar, at p. 28, figs. 16, 21; M. Fuchs, ‘Note d'information sur les peintures d'Avenches’, in A. Barbet (ed.), La Peinture murale romaine dans les provinces de l'Empire, B.A.R. S165 (1983), pp. 27–75, at PP. 41–69. I have been unable, thanks to my limited knowledge of Hungarian, to make sense of the publication of paintings from room 46 in the palace at Aquincum (Póczy, K. in Budapest Régiségei, xviii (1958), p. 124Google Scholar, figs. 32,34), which yielded fragments of two curvilinear patterns and of an octagonal coffer-scheme ascribed to the ceiling.

10 Archaeologia, lv (1896–97), p. 229Google Scholar.

11 Ibid., pp. 230 f.

12 Ibid., p. 225. The space between it and the line of the later north wall would be almost exactly right for a terminal corridor.

13 Davey and Ling, pp. 175–8, no. 41D, fig. 43, pi. lxxxviii. On the dating see Frere, S.S., Verulamium Excavations, II, Soc. Antiq. London Res. Rep. xli (1983), pp. 157–76Google Scholar.

14 Smith, D. J. in La Mosaique gréco-romaine, 11, IIe Colloque International pour l'Éitude de la Mosaïque Antique, Vienne, 1971 (1975), pp. 272, 275Google Scholar; cf. 281 f.; id. in III Colloquio internazionale sul mosaico antico, Ravenna, 1980 (1984), p. 364.

15 For examples see Davey and Ling, pp. 102–6, no. 12 (esp. 106 n. 1), 200 f., no. 51.

16 It was originally intended to append a full gazetteer of examples known to the writer, but lack of space has precluded this. Useful summaries are given by Peters, W. J. T. in Berichten van de Rijksdienst voor het Oudheidkundig Bodemonderzoek, xv–xvi (1965–66), pp. 140–2Google Scholar; Bloemers, J. H. F. in Boersma, J. S., van Es, W. A., s'Jacob-Visser, C. E. and others (eds.), Festoen, opgedragen aan A. N. Zadoks Josephus Jitta (Groningen, 1976), pp. 100–4Google Scholar; Allag, C. in Gallia, xli (1983), pp. 193–200Google Scholar. Cf. Davey and Ling, pp. 131–3, nn. 1, 2.

17 cf. Barbet and Allag, op. cit. (note 4), pp. 939–63.

18 Nero's palaces: F. L. Bastet, loc. cit. (note 3); Antike Denkmäler, iii, 2 (1912–13), pls. 16–18Google Scholar; Weege, F. in Jahrb. des Deutschen Archäologiscken Instituts, xxviii (1913), pp. 181, 183–6Google Scholar, figs. 26, 27; N. Dacos, op. cit. (note 5), pp. 30 f., 33, figs. 23,29,33,39–40. Tomb in Via Taranto: Pallottino, M. in Bull, della Commissione Archeologica Comunale di Roma, lxii (1934), pp. 46, 49, pl. 11Google Scholar.

19 The lattice patterns are conveniently collected by Barbet and Allag, op. cit. (note 4), pp. 1000–6, figs. 29–32. The exception: F., and Niccolini, F.. Le case ed i monumenti di Pompei (Naples, 1854–96), 11Google Scholar, Descrizione generate, pl. xlvi.

20 Drack, op. cit. (note 9), pp. 17–19, figs. 2, 3, 6, 7 (Riom); Parlasca, K., Römische Wandmalereien in Augsburg, Materialhefte zur bayerischen Vorgeschichte, vii (1956), pp. 22–5Google Scholar (esp. 23), pls. 13, 16a.

21 Golden House: Weege, op. cit. (note 18), p. 181, fig. 26; Dacos, op. cit. (note 5), p. 33, figs. 39–40. Avenches: Drack, op. cit. (note 9), pp. 25–8, figs. 22–4; Fuchs, op. cit. (note 9), pp. 69 f. Abila: Vibert-Guigue, C. in The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Annual of the Department of Antiquities (1982), pp. 75–8Google Scholar, pls. V (1, 2), XII (2). Palmyra: Kraeling, C. H. in Ann. arch, de Syrie, xi–xii (1961–62), pp. 13–18Google Scholar, pls. ii, iii (top), xvi (top). Hölstein: Kapossy, B., Römische Wandmalereien aus Münsingen und Hölstein, Acta Bernensia, iv (1966), pp. 30–1Google Scholar, 34–7, 41, fig. 10; Drack, op. cit., pp. 19–20, figs. 4, 8, 11–12.

22 Bandinelli, R. Bianchi, Rome, la fin de l'art antique (Paris, 1970)Google Scholar, fig. 79; Joyce, H., The Decoration of Walls, Ceilings, and Floors in Italy in the Second and Third Centuries A.D. (Rome, 1981), p. 45Google Scholar, fig.41.

23 See note 13.

24 Wiegand, T. and Schrader, H., Prime (Berlin, 1904), p. 319Google Scholar, fig. 363.

25 Examples in Tripolitania and Cyrenaica: Pesce, G. in Boll, d'arte, xxxvi (1951), pp. 162–3Google Scholar, figs. 8, 10. Ephesus: Strocka, V. M., Die Wandmalerei der Hanghäuser in Ephesos, Forschungen in Ephesos, viii, 1 (1977), pp. 119,Google Scholar 120, figs. 280, 282, 285.

26 Amiens: Massy, J. L., ‘Peinture murale gallo-romaine a Amiens’, Revue du Nord, lv (1973), pp. 29–31CrossRefGoogle Scholar, pls. VIII, ix. Avenches: Drack, op. cit. (note 9), p. 28, figs. 16,21; Fuchs, op. cit. (note 9), pp. 41–69. Allaz: Drack, W., Die römische Wandmalerei der Schweiz, Monographien zur Ur- und Friihgeschichte der Schweiz, viii (1950), pp. 21Google Scholar, 39, fig. 162; Fuchs, op. cit., pp. 64–6. Martigny: Drack, op. cit. (note 9), pp. 24–5, figs. 5, 15a, 17.

27 Allag, C., ‘Enduits peints d'Orléans’, Gallia, xli (1983), pp. 191–200CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

28 Nijmegen: Peters, op. cit. (note 16), pp. 136–8, pls. xvi, XVII ; Virunum: Praschniker, C. and Kenner, H., Der Bäderbezirk von Virunum (Vienna, 1947), pp. 175–6Google Scholar, 221–2, 232–3, pl. 1, figs. 154–6. The Nijmegen fragments may possibly derive from a ceiling: although the publication assumes that they came from the walls, the lath imprints are not conclusive (for a ceiling of interwoven laths see Reusch, W., Frühchristliche Zeugnisse im Einzugsgebiet von Rhein und Mosel (Trier, 1965), pp. 239 f.Google Scholar, fig. 39c, D ; Barbet and Allag op. cit. (note 4), pp. 947 f., figs. 6, 7).

29 See, e.g., Davey and Ling, p. 119 no. 20 (Harpham); pp. 131–3 no. 23, fig. 28, pl. lii (Leicester); pp. 199 f. no. 50, fig. 54, pl. xcix (Great Witcombe); p. 215 no. 8, pl. cvii (Greetwell); pp. 215 f. no. 9 (Hadstock).

30 Davey, N. in Britannia, iii (1972), p. 264.Google Scholar

31 Liversidge, J. in Stead, I. M., Rudston Roman Villa (Leeds, 1980), pp. 139–41Google Scholar, fig. 88. But for plaster with brick-dust which belonged, at least partly, to a ceiling, see Fuchs, op. cit. (note 9), p. 51 (Avenches).