Herculaneum Archaeological Park, from the Villa of the Papyri on display frescoes for the renovation of the Antiquarium

From October 30, 2023, the Herculaneum Archaeological Park will offer the permanent exhibition SplendOri. Luxury in Ornaments at Herculaneum, which will offer the public the chance to see valuable new evidence, including masterpieces from the Villa of the Papyri and other public and private buildings, presented in their place of discovery, sometimes for the first time.

“It expands the heritage that we want to share with our public,” said Park Director Francesco Sirano, “to explore together the issue of luxury and quality of life that characterized the culture of Herculaneum not only for the ruling classes, but also for the other classes who in some proportion to their possibilities adhered to a kind of philosophy of good living. At the pinnacle of this value system is undoubtedly the Villa of the Papyri, whose owners belonged to one of Rome’s most illustrious families. But even the decorations from luxurious houses such as that of the Cervi lead us toward an aesthetic value system that is not entirely superimposable on our own. In fact even more extraordinary, in my opinion, is the painting with cupids around a tripod, executed in fresco but provided with a wooden frame that made it easily transportable. Well this splendid painting was embedded on a wall of what today we would call a two-room apartment located above a workshop on the Decumanus Maximus. In such a small space those who lived there longed to be surrounded by wooden furniture and a painting of such fine workmanship.”

Relics returning to the Park, such as the bronze fountain depicting the Hydra of Lerna, the snake-shaped monster with many heads that Hercules faced in the second of his twelve labors, are presented for the first time all together. The Herculaneum Hydra, placed in the center of the cross-shaped Pool in the central courtyard of the Palestra, seems to be inspired by a famous monument in Rome, recalled by the Latin writer Festus: the Hydra fountain that adorned the Lacus Servilius in the Roman Forum, donated by Agrippa, a friend and faithful collaborator of Emperor Augustus.

The tour is also enriched by the display of a fresco with Cupids playing in a setting sacred to Apollo, made in ancient times inside a wooden frame; it was on the wall of an apartment on the Decumanus Maximus. From the House of the Stags come not only the two statues that give the dwelling its name, but also a drunken Hercules, a Satyr with a wineskin, and other garden furniture from the House of the Stags.

The Archaeological Park announces that it will open free to the public on Saturday, Nov. 4, and Sunday, Nov. 5.

Herculaneum Archaeological Park, from the Villa of the Papyri on display frescoes for the renovation of the Antiquarium

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.