Portrait of Terentius Neo and his wife, from Pompeii, AD 20–30

The Portrait of Terentius Neo is a Roman fresco, created circa 20–30 AD, depicting a couple holding objects important to literacy. It was found in Pompeii in the House of Terentius Neo in Regio 7, Insula 2, 6,[1] and is currently preserved at the National Archaeological Museum, Naples.

Description

The fresco is considered one of the finest pieces of art from the area of Vesuvius.[2] It was sometimes erroneously called the portrait of Paquius Proculus, but this was the result of some confusion because the fresco was not found in the House of Paquius Proculus, which is in Reg I, Ins 7, 1.[3]

An inscription found on the outside of the house is an election recommendation by Terentius Neo. The portrait is unusual in several ways: the couple is shown of equal status and are both members of a confident and fashionable mercantile class; the portrait shows realistic imperfections or peculiarities in the faces which is rare in similar frescoes and brings to life the characters.

The pair of middle-class Pompeians are believed to be husband and wife. Terentius Neo was a bakery owner as the house had been modified to include a bakery. The man wears a toga, the mark of a Roman citizen, and holds a rotulus, suggesting he is also involved in local public and/or cultural events. The woman is in the foreground and holds a stylus and wax tablet, emphasizing that she is of equal status, educated, and literate.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "VII.2.6 Pompeii. House of T. Terentius Neo". Pompeii in Pictures. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  2. ↑ "Life and death in Pompeii and Herculaneum at the British Museum". Financial Times. 16 March 2013.
  3. ↑ "House of Paquius Proculus - AD79eruption". sites.google.com.
  4. ↑ Art in the Lives of Ordinary Romans: Visual Representation and Non-Elite Viewers in Italy, 100 B.C.-A.D. 315, John R Clarke, 2003 p. 261 ISBN 9780520248151
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