File:Pompeii, its history, buildings, and antiquities - an account of the destruction of the city with a full description of the remains, and of the recent excavations, and also an itinerary for visitors (14595033150).jpg

Identifier: pompeibuildings00dyer (find matches)
Title: Pompeii, its history, buildings, and antiquities : an account of the destruction of the city with a full description of the remains, and of the recent excavations, and also an itinerary for visitors
Year: 1867 (1860s)
Authors: Dyer, Thomas Henry, 1804-1888
Subjects:
Publisher: London : Bell & Daldy
Contributing Library: Getty Research Institute
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
^IS&SS&f^tt^ 368 pompeii. perished, or are perishing. This is the more to be regretted,because, at a small expense, the whole house might havebeen covered in, and preserved for many years in nearly thesame state of beauty as when it was first discovered. For-tunately, the art of detaching frescoes from walls, in orderto rescue them from the certain ruin consequent on exposureto weather, has been brought to such perfection, that of thenumerous experiments which have been, and continue to bemade (for every fresco of importance is removed), not onehas failed. This process is not one of modern invention,but was known to the ancients. The doors turned upon pivots, received in two bronzesockets let into the marble threshold, the outer part of which
Text Appearing After Image:
° o * o Mosaic at the entrance of the Prothynim of the Tragic Poets House. rises about an inch higher than the bottom of the door. Uponentering the visitor may be startled, for the first object whichmeets his eye is a large fierce dog, apparently in the act of HOUSE OF THE TRAGIC POET. 369 springing upon him. This device is worked in mosaic onthe pavement, and is well executed: the dog is black, spottedwith white, and he has a red collar. Beneath is written, inlarge legible characters, Cave Canem (Ware Dog).* Itappears from ancient authorities that it was not uncommonto place pictures of dogs in the vestibule with this inscrip-tion ; and, indeed, we may suppose that live dogs weresometimes kept there, since it seems hardly possible to havedispensed with the protection of those watchful animals,where the whole house, as was the ancient custom, stood soinvitingly open to every visitor. Below the inscription is ahole in the pavement, to give passage to the rain water whichmight force it

Note About Images