Insula I 9: paintings

Abstract

Abstract. Th e nucleus in this study is decorations in houses in insula I 9. My previous work on wall decoration in
Pompeii showed that there were technical and material variations in the plastering and painting technique, and these
were related to time. Th e main objective in the present study was to examine whether there was a relation between the
size of a house, the materials, the choice of patterns and the motifs depicted. Such a relation would, hypothetically,
reveal the cultural status of the house owner. Th e working method in situ consisted in observations of paintings in
houses located across the site, and studies of written sources. During the readings I found that some conventional terms
were rather randomly used, and therefore want to explain my own use of these, in order to avoid misunderstanding.
Th e layout of this article is to briefl y present the insula, the aspects investigated and current research, followed by the
examination of paintings in one house at the time, comparing these to similar motifs in other houses. At the end there
is a discussion and my conclusions.