

FRESCOES. 



The mural decorations which are described under the following 

 numbers, though found in or near Boscoreale, are, as has been indicated 

 (p. 149), derived from different villas. Fourteen pieces are said to be 

 from the Villa of the Treasure (No. I), one 1 is very probably from a 

 villa in the Piazza Mercato of the village of Boscoreale (No. Ill), and 

 three 2 are from another villa in the vicinity. 



The frescoes had suffered greatly before entering the Museum, but 

 owing to much patient and skilful mending appear now as in very 

 fair condition. 



Greco-Roman decorative wall-painting as exemplified in the Cam- 

 panian cities has been divided 3 into four classes or styles. The walls 

 of the First Style, which is the earliest in date, imitate veneer of marble 

 of various colors; those of the Second and Fourth Styles. are decorated 

 chiefly with architectural motives, which in the former preserve veri- 

 similitude, but in the latter tend to fanciful and impossible construc- 

 tions. In the Third Style architectural motives, though freely used, 

 form a decorative element which is kept subordinate to the general 

 scheme of the design and does not seem to form an end in itself. Both 

 the Third and the Fourth Styles are derived from the Second, though 

 probably developed in different centers. The walls of the Fourth 

 Style form the latest group in point of time. The frescoes of the Field 

 Museum collection which make use of architectural motives are of 

 the Fourth Style, though one 4 shows marked influence of the Third 

 Style. 



With regard to the rooms and walls from which the decorations 

 were taken very little detailed information is accessible. From the 

 official report of the excavation of 1899 it is possible that some of the 

 architectural pieces (No. 24657 or 24651, 24656, 24659) are from the 

 triclinium or dining-room (N). 6 This was a room with tripartite 

 horizontal division of the decoration. There was a black dado, above 

 which the main part of the surface had a yellow background. The 

 ground of the uppermost part was white. A general idea of the arrange- 



1 No. 24658. 



* Nos. 24671-24673. 



> Mau, Gtschichle d. dec. Wandmalerei in Pompeii, Berlin. 1882. Mau-Kelsey, Pompeii (2d ed.), 

 pp. 4S7 ff. 



* No. 24671. 



5 Notizie degli Scavi, 1809. p. 15 (Sogliano). But not to be ascribed to this room if the black stripes 

 at the sides are part of the background. 



155 



