Pompeii tour

This house takes its name from the large fountain which adorns it. The fountain is in a niche, and is typically eastern, coming from Egypt at the time of the Roman conquest. The decoration of the niche consists of a beautiful mosaic, bringing to mind the magnificence of orientai carpets. A type of glass-paste was used for the mosaic work. The subjects of this tasteful and patient work are for the most part birds, arabesques and geometrie designs. Water flowed out of the mouth of a statue representing a marine goddess. At the sides of the fountain are two marble thea-trical masks and, at the bottom, a bronze cupid with a dolphin on his shoulder. This house is situated around one of the four Corinthiantype atria preserved in Pompeii, the atrium here being of twelve tuff columns. The wall decorations were executed by the same hands as those of the house of the Vetti. The most important pictures have been transferred to the National Museum of Naples. The peristyle, however, which was added to the originai nucleus of the house, stili has some excellent pictures they are panels between thin architectural beams with stil lives inserted.