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Otium Ludens. Ancient Frescoes of Stabiae The exhibition in the Bosphorus Halls has been organized by the State Hermitage Museum together with the the Restoring Ancient Stabiae Foundation and the Pompeii Archaeological Office and Campania Region. The current exhibition is the first to present before a Russian audience archaeological finds from the cities destroyed in Campania. The exhibition includes over 170 items (besides frescoes there are items made from ceramic, bronze, and stucco reliefs), several of which were comparatively recently found by Italian archeologists. The main part of the exposition consists of ancient frescoes which adorned Roman seaside villas and buildings in Stabiae, a city located not far from Pompeii. This was a famous resort in ancient times, where the Roman elite constructed buildings of unusual magnificence and taste. For more than 100 years, in the period of the late republic and early empire this was essentially the summer residence for the Roman government until in 79 A.D. Stabiae was buried beneath Vesuvius' lava. Stabiae was discovered by archeologists in the 17th century, almost simultaneously to the discoveries of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and archaeological excavations started in the mid- 18th century with the villa of San Marco, which today is one of the most studied buildings in Stabiae. However, the planned large scale study of this city only began in the 20th century. In 1974 studies began on one of the most interesting complexes, the villa Casa Salese at the San Antonio Abate. Today Stabiae is accepted as the largest centre of well preserved seaside villas on the Gulf of Naples, giving a bright representation of their former magnificence. Under Vesuvius' ash were unique finds considering the degree of preservation of wall reliefs, which enable us to follow the history of the development of Roman painting over the course of two hundred years. Art historians distinguish four distinct styles, which have been called 'Pompeian'. These styles (apart from the first one) are displayed in the exhibition of the frescoes. The very earliest frescoes, of the incrustation style (beginning of the 1st century B.C.) imitated the texture of stone walls, sometimes with the addition of false columns and corbelles. The next style, which was in use from circa 80 B.C., is called the architectural style since the reliefs depict architectural compositions. The third style became popular under the reign of Augustus (30 B.C. - 14 A.D.), when masters turned to the legacy of classical Greece. In the second half of the 1st century A.D. during the reigns of Claudius and Nero, one more style of decorative architecture appeared, which combined compositional perspective with veining. Besides frescoes the exhibition also includes items from bronze and also stucco reliefs. The exhibition has been timed to coincide with the reopening of the Bosphorus Halls following their restoration which returned them to their initial appearance in the Pompeian style as designed in the mid 19th century by architect Leo von Klenze. In the 1930s its unusual, buoyant design with the walls painted 'in stripes' in the style of frescoes from Pompeii was replaced with a morose, grey green colour. In the 1970s the hall was again repainted, this time in bright red, and only in 2007 did the interior return to its historical appearance. In accordance with the original plans windows were included, uniting the halls with the galleries and creating the visual effect of open space, with a free flow from hall to hall. All elements of the interior decoration, made in the 19th century by famous Russian master, have been renewed. It has been re-plastered, the frescoes on the ceiling have been cleared, the doors have been restored, veneered with valuable types of wood, the marble floor has been decorated with a chess pattern, artificial marble has been placed in window and door panels. The halls have been equipped with LED lighting, creating a soft illumination for the ceiling and light focus on the items being displayed. The State Hermitage Museum Publishing House has prepared illustrated booklets, with articles written by the exhibition curator Ànna Trofimova, the director for the Department of the Art and Culture of Antiquity and Yana Pertrova, an assistant at the Department of the Art and Culture of Antiquity. |
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