The Pompeii Exhibition at the British Museum
Sagittarius
08-28-2013, 08:51 PM
As well as my visit to The Shard while I was in London I also went to the Pompeii exhibition at the British Museum partly because the chances of my travelling to Italy to see the real thing is very remote.
(http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/ex...aneum.aspx)
It was seething with people! That was the only problem, that and the fact that so many people had the audio guides and stayed in front of an exhibit while they listened to the whole commentary. Irritating but I shouldn't complain because I have done that also at times. Anyway, it was a pretty comprehensive exhibition with very many very interesting exhibits. I got told off for taking photos with my iPhone. I've just a few attached of not very good quality but that's all I can expect from an iPhone.
I was particularly impressed by some of the paintings. The Romans seemed to have a reasonable idea of perspective and the anatomy of the human body as you can see from two of the paintings that I have attached. Both to some extent rather sexual but as it was explained, the Romans seemed to find it more amusing than erotic to have these on their walls. In the one of the two making love for instance, there is a slave present and it seems that sometimes the slave would willingly or unwillingly, take part. The small statue of the child is rather charming and still has traces of the colour on the head. It's always difficult for us to accept that most Greek and Roman statues were painted in fairly garish colours.
The depictions of the phallus were not so much erotic as a symbol of fertility both human and vegetable, to bring prosperity to the house. Of the other photos you can see yet more of the Roman's almost obsession with fertility symbols. The one of the Goat and the Satry is very famous and I believe that the first time that it has been seen outside of Italy. When it was discovered it was kept in a special "off limit" room and only seen by aristocrats on the Grand Tour who it was deemed, would be uinlikely to be corrupted by such a spectacle. Interestingly the one of the frescos that I didn't take a photo of, had an explanation. It was one of a series that had been painted on the walls of a tavern, a bit like a comic strip with words written above the heads of those depicted. The one that was shown was rather badly damaged but depicted two men brawling in a bar and with captions written above their heads. In the description of the fresco it read:
"In the final scene the quarrel escalates. The two men square up to each other. One, raising his fist, says: 'You nasty piece of work! I got a three. It was I who won.' (Noxsis a me tria. Eco fui) The other shouts back: 'Now look here you cocksucker, it was I who won.' (Or te fellator eco fui). By now the landlord has had enough and manhandles them out. 'You can go outside if you want to fight.' (Itis foras rixatis)."
In the hallowed halls of the British Museum they were brave enought to translate literally from the Latin.
(http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/ex...aneum.aspx)
It was seething with people! That was the only problem, that and the fact that so many people had the audio guides and stayed in front of an exhibit while they listened to the whole commentary. Irritating but I shouldn't complain because I have done that also at times. Anyway, it was a pretty comprehensive exhibition with very many very interesting exhibits. I got told off for taking photos with my iPhone. I've just a few attached of not very good quality but that's all I can expect from an iPhone.
I was particularly impressed by some of the paintings. The Romans seemed to have a reasonable idea of perspective and the anatomy of the human body as you can see from two of the paintings that I have attached. Both to some extent rather sexual but as it was explained, the Romans seemed to find it more amusing than erotic to have these on their walls. In the one of the two making love for instance, there is a slave present and it seems that sometimes the slave would willingly or unwillingly, take part. The small statue of the child is rather charming and still has traces of the colour on the head. It's always difficult for us to accept that most Greek and Roman statues were painted in fairly garish colours.
The depictions of the phallus were not so much erotic as a symbol of fertility both human and vegetable, to bring prosperity to the house. Of the other photos you can see yet more of the Roman's almost obsession with fertility symbols. The one of the Goat and the Satry is very famous and I believe that the first time that it has been seen outside of Italy. When it was discovered it was kept in a special "off limit" room and only seen by aristocrats on the Grand Tour who it was deemed, would be uinlikely to be corrupted by such a spectacle. Interestingly the one of the frescos that I didn't take a photo of, had an explanation. It was one of a series that had been painted on the walls of a tavern, a bit like a comic strip with words written above the heads of those depicted. The one that was shown was rather badly damaged but depicted two men brawling in a bar and with captions written above their heads. In the description of the fresco it read:
"In the final scene the quarrel escalates. The two men square up to each other. One, raising his fist, says: 'You nasty piece of work! I got a three. It was I who won.' (Noxsis a me tria. Eco fui) The other shouts back: 'Now look here you cocksucker, it was I who won.' (Or te fellator eco fui). By now the landlord has had enough and manhandles them out. 'You can go outside if you want to fight.' (Itis foras rixatis)."
In the hallowed halls of the British Museum they were brave enought to translate literally from the Latin.
"You can be young without money but you can't be old without money"
Maggie the Cat from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." by Tennessee Williams
Maggie the Cat from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." by Tennessee Williams
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