The original sculpture, one of a pair of bronze statues of runners, was found in the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum and is now in the collections of the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, Italy. Made by the Italian photographer, Mimmo Jodice, the original photograph is a hand-toned print.
Photo courtesy of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption
HOUSTON, TEXAS • The Museum of Fine Arts Houston • Ongoing
This exhibition of 500 works of art and artifacts offers a rare glimpse of life in the ancient world. Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption tells the stories of the final days of Pompeii and the nearby resort cities of Herculaneum, Oplontis and Terzigno following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Excavated from 1780 through present day, many of these artifacts have never toured outside Italy. The magnificence of these vibrant cities is reconstructed, with body casts and skeletons shown in the context in which they were found as the pyroclastic surges’ ash and superheated gases engulfed their world. Citizens clutched their most precious possessions, including jewelry, coins and the tools of their trade. The exhibition also features large-scale frescoes, mosaics, and powerful bronzes depicting subjects from Greek mythology and Roman politics.
For many of Pompeii´s citizens life itself had been a form of art. They wore exquisite jewelry fashioned from gold and precious stones. The walls of the homes of the wealthy were painted with Classical themes and their owners walked on mosaics made from tiny pieces of stone and glass.
Statues of gods and goddesses adorned Pompeii´s gardens and courtyards and residents dined on decorated fine silver. For Romans, bathing was a social occasion. The large public baths featured saunas, hot tubs, cold water plunges, and a gymnasium. Massages and perfumed body wraps were popular. Lunch was served. The theater and gladiatorial contests were popular forms of public entertainment. Gladiators were seen as men of courage and often held in high regard. Some even had fan clubs. Gladiators were usually slaves or prisoners trained in combat school to perform special roles using various types of arms. If they fought well, there were sometimes awarded their freedom.
The Museum of Fine Arts Houston Web Site
||The Museum of Fine Arts,Houston|
1001 Bissonnet Street
Houston, TX 77005
Tel: (1) 713 639 73 00