One of my very favorite wall paintings anywhere in the Bay of Naples is in the House of the Great Portal in Herculaneum. Not a very large or fancy house in general, but the quality of this work sets it apart. The restrained color is elegant yet dramatic; it's too bad the lower parts of the walls are all gone!
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Only bummer about the room is how most of the lower walls are gone. I'd love to see what the pedestals looked like!
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| The upper area consists of a continuous frieze band and a background of blue architectural elements. |
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| Frieze of curtains, masks, and trophies seems to refer to the theater. |
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| Above the curtained frieze is this monochrome gray/blue architectural fantasy, typical of the mature 4th style (ca 60-70 AD) |
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| Detail of the curtain and architectural elements. Awesome brevity and economy of color. |
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