A sumptuous survey of life and art in Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the surrounding towns before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, published in association with the National Gallery of Art.
From the second century BC onward, prominent Romans retreated to their villas around the Bay of Naples, a popular vacation spot for relaxation and relief from the pressures of business. The picturesque bay provided an ideal setting in which to read and write, exercise, enjoy the gardens, admire the views, and entertain friends. Julius Caesar, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero all built seaside villas in Baiae, and the emperor Augustus vacationed in Sorrento, Capri, and Posillipo. The richly decorated imperial villas set high artistic standards in the region, and the sculptors and painters whom the emperors employed found clients among the urban and suburban elite in Pompeii and Herculaneum. The magnificent contents of these sumptuously appointed villas and townhouses are the subject of Pompeii and the Roman Villa, and with them the breadth and richness of cultural and artistic life that thrived around the Bay of Naples before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. An international team of experts, led by Carol C. Mattusch, examines this exquisite body of ancient Roman art, complemented by more than 200 lavish illustrations of paintings, sculpture, mosaics, frescoes, jewelry, glass, and more. With contributions by Mary Beard, Bettina Bergmann, Stefano De Caro, Pietro Giovanni Guzzo, Kenneth Lapatin, and Carol C. Mattusch. 250 (200 in color)Book Description
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful glimpse at a Roman life of luxury,
By K. Maxwell "katmax1" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture Around the Bay of Naples (Hardcover)
This is a beautiful exhibition catalog that attempts to show us what life was like in the Roman house in Pompeii in AD 79. The items on display in the exhibition show the best of Roman art and range from large scale wall paintings to statues and gold work and glass and most remarkably an Indian ivory statue imported as an exotic luxury in Roman times. The book takes you around the construction techniques of the houses and how they were used. It then takes you inside to see how they were decorated and what the Romans themselves thought of interior design based on quotes from old documents. The book is full of little tidbits of information that you don't seem to run across elsewhere, such as what "real" Romans thought of "luxus" or luxury as we know it today.This book is outstanding for the display of individual objects from the Pompeii area, but if you want a book to drool over wall paintings (and this book makes it clear that they were the downmarket cousin to panel paintings) then Domus: Wall Painting in the Roman House (Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum) is probably the recommended volume to get.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful and informative.,
By Joe Hilton "Joe Hilton" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture Around the Bay of Naples (Hardcover)
This is a companion to the exhibition in Washington and Los Angeles in 2009. Any exhibition of Roamn art in this condition is good but this was outstanding. The catalogue and the exhibition were very selective, only the very best made it. The reproductions in the book take us into the exhibition. If you did not get to see this, this catalogue is the next best thing. The essays are informative and entertaining.
4.0 out of 5 stars
pompei and the roman villa.Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples,
By THEKLA "THEKLA" (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture Around the Bay of Naples (Hardcover)
Very nice and good book for reading and if you like "nice beautiful books" for holding them while you read, eh this book fulfills its purpose...That is when reading is pleasure and it concerns the book bought from Amazon.
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