Enjoy the beauty in Pompeii

Review

A good archaeological exhibition is not only beautiful, but also educational. Die in beauty in the Drents Museum falls into that category. After my visit I have a completely different picture of the vanished city of Pompeii.

Text and photos: Evert-Jan Pol

Everyone has heard of Pompeii, that Roman city that fell victim to Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Due to the eruption of the volcano, the prosperous city was completely buried under a thick layer of lava. The vast majority of the inhabitants died as a result.

The exhibition in the Drents Museum does not focus on the eruption, but on the city itself and the people who lived there. And that city and its inhabitants turned out to be surprisingly modern. Did I see a wok and a frying pan there?

For example, the inhabitants of Pompeii paid a lot of attention to their gardens. The richest Romans in particular had their gardens designed with a great deal of detail. In addition to plants and trees, works of art were also given plenty of space here. The wealthiest Romans liked to show off their art in the garden. With a beautiful garden they could show that they had taste and status. Houses were even designed in such a way that they gave a view of the garden.

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Not only in their gardens, but also within the walls of their houses, art played an important role. The most beautiful houses of Pompeii were decorated from top to bottom with frescoes. No corner was left unpainted. Many frescoes showed images of cupids and floating women. And erotic representations also occurred. Eroticism is not a modern invention. The frescoes were subject to fashion. Initially, the emphasis was on geometric patterns and architectural elements. Later, recognizable (human) figures became more common. The Roman also liked to go along with the current fashion. Even if it meant that he had to repaint his house from scratch every now and then.

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The exhibition hall is also rich in frescoes, some of which look remarkably modern. I had not expected to find a portrait of a married couple. I thought that was more something for the seventeenth century and later. Nevertheless, baker Terentius Neo and his wife had themselves portrayed on a mural in the first century BC. With this fresco, the couple showed that they belonged to the elite. They did this by having themselves depicted with writing instruments, as proof that they could read and write. It is also striking that the woman is standing next to her husband.

If the husband and wife were alive when Vesuvius swallowed Pompeii in 79 AD, they too died in beauty. The title of the exhibition is a good one: the modern Romans went down together with their beautiful things. The lava made Pompeii one of the best preserved cities from Roman times. For us, that’s a happy accident. Because many centuries later we can still enjoy the splendor with which the inhabitants of the vanished city surrounded themselves.

Dying in Beauty – The World of Pompeii and Herculaneum, until 26 March in the Drents Museum, Assen

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