Читать книгу A History of Roman Art - Steven L. Tuck - Страница 27

The Tomb of Vestorius Priscus, who was buried outside the Vesuvian Gate at Pompeii in 75/76 CE, is decorated with art that encourages our awareness of the theme of personal aggrandizement in Roman public art. The images in the central panels on the inner surfaces of the tomb’s enclosure walls show a range of high status iconography designed to create an identity of the deceased as an important man in Pompeii defined by his public service and connections. The six major panels include a large silver table service of the type found on display in a triclinium, a high status banquet or symposium – likely also taking place in a triclinium, a pair of gladiators, Vestorius Priscus standing in the tablinum of his house – the room where he would receive clients, Priscus seated surrounded by attentive listeners, and a paradeisos. The outdoor scenes of Priscus and an audience and the paradeisos are joined by the pair of gladiators, essentially one of only three episodes outside of his home that represent his political and social status.

1.11 Gladiator fresco, Tomb of Vestorius Priscus, Pompeii, 75/76 CE.

Photo courtesy Steven L. Tuck.

The gladiators probably represent one component of a set of games he hosted as aedile (a low level public official) at Pompeii, most likely in the year he died. That panel shows the connections between local elites and games that they sponsored, and demonstrates the close ties between their games and personal identity. Hosting games was as important for a Roman politician as hosting dinners and receiving clients. The use of spectacle imagery in the domestic sphere also reinforces these conclusions about its critical role in projecting personal values and identity. The most common composition is a pair of gladiators engaged in combat as seen in the painting from the Tomb of Vestorius Priscus. The gladiators are almost universally armed and armored in ways that conform to the known categories of gladiators, giving these otherwise generic scenes a specificity that is probably important to the patron or audience. These images seem to represent one of three stages in gladiatorial combat: the initial clash with both combatants on their feet facing each other, an intermediate stage when one combatant is disarmed, on the ground or facing possible defeat, or the conclusion of a bout with the defeated either subdued, wounded and surrendering, or dead.

1.12 Silver service fresco, Tomb of Vestorius Priscus, Pompeii, 75/76 CE.

Photo courtesy Steven L. Tuck.

Three of the images are domestic and reinforce Priscus as a host, receiving clients and welcoming guests, while the silver service establishes his pretensions to high status domestic display. As modern viewers of this, we need to be aware that this seemingly circumstantial imagery is, or at least could be, something different than it appears. In the matter of images that convey status, we must remember that they are symbolic, not documentary. There is no evidence that Priscus had a silver service that looked like this, or, if he did, that it was on display in his home. This painting represents that Priscus is the type of person who would have this sort of display. It projects his status, not his ownership, much like the scene of Priscus surrounded by attentive listeners indicates status, but is not thought to reflect any particular episode. The emphasis on the spaces and decor of his home brings us to another issue, that of the place of the home in the Roman elite world. This represents another cultural gulf between ourselves and the Romans.